Confession…
…after all of these years, I still have Vaseline in my bathroom drawer.
Yup!
See, there it is..
Ugh…super horrible, I know!!!
Growing up, Vaseline was my Mom’s cure-all. She used it for EVERYthing! Eye makeup remover, facial moisturizer, lip balm, wound salve, she put it on her heels at night, EVERYthing! And I must say…at 60 years old, the woman has zero wrinkles. Nevertheless, I’m now well aware of the reality behind Vaseline, I guess in someway it’s always held some sort of nostalgia for me and it’s just one of those things!
Not to mention, the recipes for homemade non-petroleum jelly floating around on Pinterest…well…they never really produced the FEEL of Vaseline.
Speaking of Pinterest…you should follow me!
Click here and let’s share!
I want the feel — and function — of petroleum jelly…just not the petroleum jelly.
Make sense?!?
I could spend time writing about the dangers and toxic concerns over petroleum jelly…
…but I won’t.
The name itself is enough.
If you’d like to read more, these fine folks do a wonderful job
presenting the reasons why Vaseline should be abandoned.
They give a great case and motivation for making your own!
Little House Living
Jenni Raincloud
Wellness Mama
All of that to say, after working in the kitchen for a few hours, I came up with a recipe that’s PERFECT!
Finally!
I love this homemade petroleum-free jelly, more so because I can once-and-for-all say good-bye to conventional Vaseline (I love you Mom)!
Homemade Vaseline
Ingredients
*Use organic ingredients whenever possible. I have linked to the products I use as a reference.
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (this is the creamiest, most nutritive coconut oil I’ve ever used)
- 1/8 cup olive oil (I purchase only the best organic olive oil here)
- 1/8 cup castor oil
- 2 tablespoons beeswax (these beeswax pastilles are so much easier to work with)
- 1 tablespoon lanolin
- 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (it’s this GMO-free vitamin E oil for me)
Method
- In a small sauce pan, over low to medium heat, warm coconut oil and beeswax until melted.
- Remove from heat and add olive oil, castor oil, lanolin, and vitamin E oil.
- Whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- Continue to whisk as mixture cools, whisk until mixture is creamy yet still pourable.
- Pour from pan into a 4 ounce glass jar (I keep these on hand at all times) or any other appropriate storage container of your choosing.
This homemade product will keep fresh on the counter for up to a year.
Use as you would Vaseline.
How to Make Medicinal Pickled Turmeric :: To Reduce Inflammation & Promote Wellness
Ah never mind found the link this way.
One good thing about Vaseline, it does kill scaly mites on chickens! Which confirms its toxicity! Easy to use and really does work as it smoothers the mites.
Did it kill the chickens?
any oil can do this, it basically suffocates the mites (or lice, fleas, etc).
Can EO be added to give a nice aroma?
Hi Leah! Of course! That’s a wonderful idea:)
What is EO? I am rather out of the “know” when it comes to things like this Also, the regular vaseline smothered the mites….probably any oil product would do the same….smothering is not toxic, but it is lethal….just sayin’, no disrespect meant..
Essential Oils
I made a batch of this today, and it came out great! I have been using Unpetroleum Jelly to soften my dry feet, but now instead of buying more, I can use this homemade version! I had all of the ingredients except lanolin on hand, and I bought a small container of lanolin with my last soap supply order, so I’ll have enough of that to last me a good long time now 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
Does anyone make this that could just sell it? I’d buy some before I d make it. We don’t have access to all this stuff in our tiny little town, and I rarely get out shopping in the larger ones as I have to work all the time. I just don’t have the time or means.
Hi, I can. I’m on vacation till January 12 but after that I will be home n i have all the ingredients so I can make a double batch.
Can glycerin be used instead of lanolin? Allergic, you know.
I would think that would be fine. You should add a little more bees wax though.
I made this and handed it around to friends and family. EVERYONE loved it. I added frankincense, sandalwood, lavender essential oils and it was divine!
How many drops of each eo did you use? Everyone remember it is always a good idea to use glass jars when dealing with essential oils.
I used a blend that I made myself. I would say if I were to add them individually it probably would be 10 drops frank, 3 drops sandalwood (it is SO expensive), and 5 drops lavender. Wait until it is cool-ish to add the EO’s.
here was my source…. http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/carrieroils.html
can bees wax be substituted by any other wax eg paraffin wax can we also use avocado oil in place of olive
Paraffin wax is made from petroleum or shale, saturated hydrocarbons. Maybe you can replace beeswax with soy oil–if you are okay with soy.
Absolutely.
oops, I should have said soy wax–previous post.
Can I leave out the lanolin or sub something else for it? That is the only ingredient that I do not have.
Thanks!
Where can a person get lanolin? I’d really like to try this recipe, but have no idea where to purchase it.
Lansinoh nipple balm is lanolin! I had some leftover from my nursing days 🙂 Buy it most larger stores in the baby isle or next to the breast pumps at Target.
You can easily “Google” to find sources for purchasing Lanolin. Usually you can find it at health stores or vitamin shops. I just bought some here: http://www.puritan.com/now-foods-brand-0089/pure-lanolin-070704 (free shipping) There are plenty of other places to purchase as well.
I’m really excited about this recipe! However, my skin doesn’t seem to like olive oil :/ Would It be ok to replace the olive oil with jojoba oil?
Is there anything that can be substituted for the Coconut Oil? I’m VERY allergic to it but I don’t want to continue to use vaseline.
Yes, you can substitute coconut oil with jojoba oil, avocado oil, shea butter or cocoa butter.
I followed the recipe with the exception of using cocoa butter instead of lanolin, which I didn’t have. It came out well. I would probably use more beeswax or cocoa butter in the summer when it might melt. I made it for my five year old daughter who has a Vaseline obsession at the moment – she likes the little pots more than the actual Vaseline. I would much rather she rubbed this natural alternative on her face. I also use it as a moisturiser for her very dry, curly hair.
I just made this today for my son who has severe eczema. I can already tell that it is going to help his skin. I had been using vasoline which worked well for him, but I was so worried about the side effects. We had been using tons of steroids on him since he was a tiny baby. Recently I switched to just oil, but it didn’t give him the heavy coating that vasoline left and which he needed to retain moisture in his skin. The wax in this mix seems to be what he needed. I did however have a problem with small clumps being in the mix which I found were difficult to massage in. I am figuring that it is the wax separated out. I used a bar of wax and estimated the 2 tablespoons, so maybe I put too much of it in the mix. I also used: 1/4 cup cold pressed avocado oil, 1/8 cup virgin coconut oil, and 1/8 cup cold pressed olive oil. I’ve done lots of reading lately and have read that avocado oil is very good for eczema. Thank you for this recipe. If you have any thoughts about the chunks being in the mix, let me know.
Awesome jelly, thanks!
Awesome jelly, thanks!
What purpose does the Castor Oil serve? Could it be skipped?
What can I substitute for the coconut and lanolin? I can’t use cocoa butter either:(.
Hi! Can I add food color, specifically red, so I can use it as a tinted lipbalm? Thank you!
Hi, can you transform all the recipe in oz, gramms or %?