Everything about Petroleum Jelly totally explained
» For Vaseline (brand) and other uses, see Vaseline (disambiguation).
Petroleum jelly,
petrolatum or
soft paraffin (External Link
) is a
semi-solid mixture of
hydrocarbons (with
carbon numbers mainly higher than 25),
(External Link) originally promoted as a topical
ointment for its healing properties. Its folkloric medicinal value as a "cure-all" has since been limited by better scientific understanding of appropriate and inappropriate uses (see
Uses below). However, it's recognized by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an approved
over-the-counter (OTC)
skin protectant and remains widely used in
cosmetic skin care.
The raw material for petroleum jelly was discovered in 1859 in
Titusville, Pennsylvania,
United States, on some of the country's first oil rigs. Workers disliked the
paraffin-like material forming on rigs because it caused them to malfunction, but they used it on cuts and burns because it hastened healing.
Robert Chesebrough, a young
chemist whose previous work of
distilling fuel from the oil of
sperm whales had been rendered obsolete by
petroleum, went to Titusville to see what new materials had commercial potential. Chesebrough took the unrefined black "rod wax", as the drillers called it, back to his laboratory to refine it and explore potential uses. Chesebrough discovered that by distilling the lighter, thinner oil products from the rod wax, he could create a light-colored gel. Chesebrough
patented the process of making petroleum jelly in 1872. The process involved
vacuum distillation of the crude material followed by filtration of the still residue through
bone char.
Chesebrough traveled around
New York demonstrating the product to encourage sales by burning his skin with acid or an open flame, then spreading the ointment on his injuries and showing his past injuries healed, he claimed, by his miracle product.
He opened his first factory in 1870 in
Brooklyn,
United States. The
brand name "
Vaseline" has been anecdotally claimed to be from the German word for water,
wasser (pronounced vahser), and the Greek word for oil,
elaion, but this is unconfirmed.
Physical properties
Petrolatum is a flammable, semi-solid mixture of
hydrocarbons, having a melting-point usually ranging from a little below to a few degrees above 100°F (37°C). It is colorless, or of a pale yellow color (when not highly distilled),
translucent, and devoid of taste and smell when pure. It doesn't oxidize on exposure to the air, and isn't readily acted on by chemical reagents. It is insoluble in water. It is soluble in
chloroform,
benzene,
carbon disulfide and oil of
turpentine.
There is a common misconception (resulting from the similar feel they produce when applied to human skin) that petroleum jelly and
glycerol (glycerine) are physically similar. While petroleum is a non-polar hydrocarbon
hydrophobic (water-repelling) and insoluble in water,
glycerol (not a hydrocarbon but an alcohol) is the opposite: it's so strongly
hydrophilic (water-attracting) that by continuous absorption of moisture from the air, it produces the feeling of wetness on the skin, similar to the greasiness produced by petroleum jelly. The feeling is similar, but petroleum jelly repels water, and glycerine attracts it.
Producers of
microcrystalline wax(External Link) and related materials often produce petrolatums. Some testing standards used by these companies are as follows:
- Drop Melt Point (ASTM D-127)
- Cone Penetration (ASTM D-937)
- Saybolt Color (ASTM D-6045)
- Lovibond Color
Depending on the specific industry the petrolatum is used for, the petrolatum may be USP (
United States Pharmacopeia) grade. This pertains to the processing and handling of the petrolatum so it's suitable for cosmetic and personal care applications.
Uses
Chesebrough originally promoted Vaseline primarily as an ointment for scrapes, burns, and cuts, but physicians have shown that Vaseline has no medicinal effect or any effect on the blistering process, nor is it absorbed by the skin. Vaseline’s effectiveness in accelerating wound healing stems from its sealing effect on cuts and burns, which inhibits germs from getting into the wound and keeps the injured area supple by preventing the skin's moisture from evaporating.
Vaseline brand
First Aid Petroleum Jelly, or
carbolated petroleum jelly, containing
phenol to give the jelly additional
anti-bacterial effect, has been discontinued.
However, after becoming a medicine chest staple, consumers began to use Vaseline for myriad ailments and cosmetic uses, including
chapped hands and lips,
toenail fungus,
nosebleeds,
diaper rash,
chest colds, and even to remove
makeup or stains from furniture. Uses for pets include stopping fungi from developing on aquatic turtles' shells and keeping cats from making messes when they cough up
furballs. In the first part of the twentieth century, petrolatum, either pure or as an ingredient, was also popular as a hair
pomade. When used in a 50/50 mixture with pure
beeswax, it makes an effective
moustache wax.
During
World War II, a variety of petroleum jelly called
dark red veterinary petroleum jelly was often included in life raft survival kits. Acting as a
sunscreen, it provides almost perfect protection against
ultraviolet rays.
Most petroleum jelly today is consumed as an ingredient in skin
lotions and cosmetics. Although petrolatum is less expensive than
glycerol, the most common active lubricating ingredient in skin lotion, it isn't used in expensive lotions, because it isn't absorbed into the skin, resulting in a greasy feel.
Petroleum jelly was formerly used as a way to pitch a
spitball in baseball. Although the pitch was banned in 1920, pitchers sometimes throw "the spitter" surreptitiously.
Petroleum jelly is used to moisten
plasticine, as part of a mix of hydrocarbons including greater (
paraffin wax) and lesser (
mineral oil) molecular weights.
Petroleum jelly is commonly used as a
personal lubricant. (Not recommended due to its
dissolving effect on condoms. See below.)
It can also be used to lubricate a
Rubik's Cube (if
silicone spray isn't available), which allows it to turn with greater ease.
It can also be used to lubricate the anus if the patient is suffering from conditions like hemorrhoids or anal fissures. The purpose of this is to allow the stool to pass through the rectum easier and more freely in an effort to minimize any further damage to the tissue.
Dangerous uses to avoid
As the substance became more common in households, it began to be used for a number of medical purposes, some of which medical science has shown to be dangerous or damaging.
Burns » It shouldn't be used on fresh burns of any kind, including sunburn. Petrolatum traps heat inside, worsening burns. After heat has dissipated, however, it can serve as a dressing for minor burns to soothe later pain.
Nasal congestion or dryness » If particles of petrolatum are inhaled from the nose, they may deposit in the lungs and lead to a condition called lipoid pneumonia, although this is usually caused by excessive use, rather than daily use.
Sex with latex condoms » Since petroleum jelly is oil-based, it interferes with the structure of latex. Using petroleum jelly with latex condoms weakens the material increasing the chance of rupture, and thereby the chance of conceiving or spreading sexually transmitted infections.
Petroleum jelly in popular culture
Ice Cube's infamous song "No Vaseline" is a towards his former group N.W.A. (and a vicious pun on anal rape).
Tyra Banks expressed her ardent enthusiasm for the health and beauty benefits of Vaseline on her talk show.
The lyrics of the song "She Don't Use Jelly" by The Flaming Lips speak of a girl who slathers Vaseline on her toast.
Elastica included a song called "Vaseline" on their debut album.
The Stone Temple Pilots have a song called "Vasoline" (sic) on their second album Purple.
The Highwaymen (country supergroup) mentions Petroleum jelly in the song "The twentieth century is almost over": "Did anybody see them linoleum floors, petroleum jelly, and two world wars?"
Talking Heads released a compilation album of their work from 1976-1992 titled, "Sand in the Vaseline."
On WWE Raw, Stacy Keibler found Andrew Martin's duffel bag that contains a small box of tissues, a large Vaseline bottle, and a Playboy magazine that featured Torrie Wilson.
The Dresden Dolls rhapsodize Vaseline in their song "Bad Habit:" "I've tried bandages and sinking, I've tried gloves and even thinking, I've tried Vaseline, I've tried everything."
Snake River Conspiracy released an EP titled "Coke and vaseline."
Jake Thackray's song "Leopold Allcox" contains the words "You are the grit in my life's Vaseline."
In the animated TV show The Simpsons, the character Milhouse Van Houten is said to enjoy the unusual delicacy of Vaseline on toast (which Co-Executive producer Josh Weinstein stated was based on someone he knew who did the same thing); Homer Simpson has also been depicted as eating an entire tub of petroleum jelly. In the episode Lisa the Beauty Queen, many of the contestants in the beauty pageant use Vaseline to achieve a "frictionless smile" allowing the lips to move freely back from the teeth. In another episode, Don't Fear the Roofer, Homer ate a rubber mouth plug covered with vaseline, commenting that it tastes good. Conversely, in the 1999 mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous, several pageant contestants put Vaseline on their teeth in order to make them appear shiny.
In the animated TV show Beavis and Butt-head episode "Shopping list"
(while shopping, Beavis picks up a container of petroleum jelly.) » Beavis: I think we need to get some of this.
Butt-head: Oh, yeah…we do. » Beavis: Never have too much of that.
Dissidents by Thomas Dolby describes political scribblings as "My writing is an iron fist, in a glove full of vaseline."
The song "Gave Up" by Nine Inch Nails contains the words "Covered with hope and Vaseline, still can't fix this broken machine".
The Smashing Pumpkins mention Vaseline in the song "Fuck You (An Ode to No One)" in the lyric "With vaseline afterbirths and neon coughs"
The song "These Filthy Hands" by Mushroomhead contains a lyric in which J. Mann abruptly shouts out "Petroleum Jelly."
The song "Bobby Brown Goes Down" by Frank Zappa contains the lines "Oh God, I'm the American dream, but now I smell like Vaseline."
The book Of Mice and Men has a character, Curly, keeping one of his hands in a glove full of vaseline, reportedly for his wife, to keep his hand soft for her.
In Tyler Perry's book, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings, he dedicates a whole chapter to various uses of Vaseline.
Kevin Eubanks is a strong proponent of petroleum jelly, crediting the shine on his guitars to it.
Some of artist Matthew Barney's most well-known installations and performance art pieces incorporate massive quantities of petroleum jelly.
Vaseline is mentioned in the song "Pseudo-Suicide by Oysterhead.Further Information
Get more info on 'Petroleum Jelly'.
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