I had to think long and hard before I posted about vaseline. I know many of you may not appreciate the use of vaseline as a moisturizer. I did some research on medical websites and looked long and hard for articles on petroleum jelly. Here is the deal:
- Petroleum Jelly (PJ) is NOT cancerous. Do not believe the hype. The form it comes in when sold in stores (e.g. vaseline) is a different form and this cannot cause cancer. http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics1440.htm for proof. The PJ sold cosmetically is highly refined white PJ and therefore it is not classifed as cancerous (but yellow PJ that is not refined IS – not used cosmetically!!)
- PJ does not clog pores. The difference is, it blocks your skin so that impurities cannot get in. So no, it does not moisturize your skin in that sense. It doesn’t sink in or do anything TO your skin. It just protects it from harsh things (wind, etc) outside.
- It is considered safe and recommended by dermatologists for people suffering with eczema. One dermatologist cited it as one of the FEW things out there that hardly ANYONE can be allergic to.
So there you go. I have been using vaseline/PJ on my face and eczema for months now. It is the one thing that has kept my skin soft. I think if your skin is oily- you may want to skip this one. But for those of us with awful flare-ups and dry desert like skin -please try it. Here is a tip I learned from makeuptalk.com – mix PJ with water…apply. It should not be as greasy. Also – why does it work? I think personally it works because it protects your skin. Eczema can be caused from anything. What this does it keep your skin at its normal condition. So it may be that you may require a regular moisturizer during the day- I recommend this only at night so your skin can heal itself.
And -wash hands before use each time to keep the tub clean!
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/62/71802.htm
