How to Use Petroleum Jelly? | Benefits And Side Effects

Petroleum jelly is a very common cream that is available in almost every house. It’s a mixture of mineral oil and waxes. This mixture makes semisolid jelly. Here read how to use petroleum jelly:

A lot of us use petroleum jelly on our skin in a lot of amounts and especially on chapped lips and chapped feet and hands or fingers. So in our skin actually the skin is an envelope that has a very tight junction.

We call it an intact member that can’t be penetrated by any external application. Unless it’s in a nanopore form that can penetrate into the pores of the skin.

So when petroleum jelly is applied to the skin what it actually does?

It creates a barrier so that there is no chemical or anything which can enter the skin penetrating through the petroleum jelly.

Where do we usually use petroleum jelly-

  • We use petroleum jelly on the lips as a chopstick
  • We can use it on the cracked soles and the feet.
  • Also, we can use petroleum jelly on our hands
  • We can use it on cheeks in winter.

If you have chapped skin and you want to go swimming, for example, you would use your treatment cream like moisturizers first then put a layer of petroleum jelly on the top. So the chlorinated water does not interact with your burnt-out skin.

So, it is a great cream because it is only working as a barrier. It is not giving you any healing solution. So if you feel that you need something which is more healing and more hydrating you should speak to your dermatologist.

Is petroleum jelly safe for lips?

It is very common for people to turn to Vaseline when their lips are dry. Many people carry them along in winters to avoid having chapped lips. However, there is one thing that most people do not know about it. 

While Petroleum jelly does have moisture-holding properties, it is not an ideal option when it comes to restoring the moisture back into lips. In simple words, if you want to prevent your lips from drying out, you can use it as it can help your lips keep the moisture they have but if your lips are already dried, then petroleum jelly won’t help in moisturizing them.

To help  you moisturize your lips, there are some natural and safe options

  • Coconut oil
  • Honey
  • Shea butter
  • Argan oil

If you use the above-mentioned things on your lips, you will get really soft and moisturized lips. Also, Vaseline can be used along with these natural moisturizers.

First, apply any of these to remove the dryness of your lips and top it with a layer of Vaseline so that it can help your lips keep the moisture.

Possible side effects

  • If your lips are bleeding because of a cut or maybe because of being over-chapped then, do not use it as it can cause an allergic reaction.
  • A small number of the population is allergic to it. Though it is very uncommon, if you belong to that category then it is not the right choice for you.
  • Being a heavy substance, it can clog the pores.

Can I use petroleum jelly on my dog?

It’s a really common question because people usually look for something to fix the skin problems of their dogs. The answer to this is more than just a simple Yes or No.

If you are worried about whether applying it on your dog’s skin is safe or not, then you can rest assured because it is highly unlikely to cause any harm if used externally.

However, there is one problem that may occur, i.e. blockage of pores. As we mentioned earlier that it is heavy in nature, thus capable of blocking the skin pores. And if the skin doesn’t get to breathe properly, it can cause acne and other skin problems.

You can, without worrying, use petroleum jelly for mildly-dried areas of your dog’s body such as paws, but one thing that you do not want to do at any cost is letting your dog lick it.

Though Vaseline isn’t poisonous to dogs, it can cause a significant amount of damage to them if they lick too much of it.

Ingesting petroleum jelly in high amounts can cause problems to their stomach. It can lead to vomiting and diarrhea too. So, make sure you don’t use petroleum jelly too much and if possible, prevent your dog from licking it off of their paws or wherever you have applied it on their body.

Can petroleum jelly be used as lube?

Many people are curious about the usage of petroleum jelly or vaseline as lube during intercourse and many people are using this jelly as lube but want to know is it safe or not?

Well, science says that you have to avoid petroleum jelly as lube during sex. Because it’s not good for the vagina or penis and many more reasons are behind not using petroleum jelly or vaseline as lube during intercourse. The reasons are mentioned below: 

  • We all know that petroleum jelly is a semisolid product. It’s not easy to dry and stays longer on the body. When we use petroleum jelly as lube after sex it’s very difficult to clean and remove from the skin. It takes many days to leave your skin.
  • You can’t use this jelly with a condom. Because this jelly will weaken the condoms and it will break during the sex. Then you will be in very big trouble.
  • It will cause an infection if you use this jelly during sex. Because it may take many days to leave the skin and during that time its an invitation for bacterias. So it’s not good for you.

So it’s not safe to use petroleum jelly during intercourse. It’s difficult to do sex without lube but petroleum jelly is not a good option. You can try other options I’m sure you will find much more products in the market. You need to research that and avoid this jelly as lube.

It’s good for chapped lips or feet but not good for lube. If you don’t have any other option then you can use this as an alternative but at your own risk. Because for a few minutes of enjoyment, it’s not right to put your self in very big trouble.

Conclusion

Almost every house has petroleum jelly and they use petroleum jelly for multi-purpose. But do you know the benefits or the side effects of using petroleum jelly and also where you can use it? This post is all about the uses, benefits, and side effects. As we trying to cover every related query above you may have in your mind if still there is anything you want to share then please comment below and let us know. We will appreciate your suggestion and consider it in the next update.

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