Getting Vaseline Out of Baby Hair?

Updated on January 28, 2010
B.C. asks from Stinnett, TX
16 answers

My 17 month old daughter got into the vaseline last night!! She rubbed it on like lotion all over her body and the worst part is she has it all over her hair! I've tried washing with shampoo & dish soap and obviously nothing works. Anyone have any ideas on what to do without damaging her little scalp??

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Well i washed her hair with dawn and i washed her hair over n over with shampoo and well its almost gone =) Thank you to everyone who gave me ideas I really appreciated it!!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from Tyler on

Baking soda will help. I saw that someone recommended apple cider vinegar (which also works). But, as she said, it smells awful. I had to use that on my son once and seriously, he cried everytime I washed his hair for the next 2 years (I'm seriously not kidding). He was completely traumatized by the apple cider vinegar.

Good luck!
L.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.D.

answers from San Francisco on

The good news is that both aquaphor and vaseline will come out with normal washing within a few days. (Been there!) We just used normal shampoo.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.K.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

I actually put vaseline in my daughter's hair on purpose! She had really bad cradle cap and it worked like a charm. Don't worry it will wash out in a couple of days. She'll just look like one of the guys from the movie Grease for a little while!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.H.

answers from Dallas on

It is not so much the kind of soap as the number of washes. You're going to have to wash it about 10 times. My son did that-he had short hair...it made really funny pictures!

P.B.

answers from Dallas on

Add about 1/4 tsp of baking soda to a dime size of shampoo and mix to make a paste. Wash her hair with that. I do this anyway to make sure my hair is cleaned of all hair products and my hair ends up so soft! It was the recommendation of my stylist.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Dallas on

You got a lot of good advice about dealing with the oil slick on your baby's head. I caution you to be mindful of what Leigh S. said. Your baby is 17 months old. The vaseline is a bigger problem to you than her. Try not to over do it with the clean up. I might insist a cap, turban or bandana be worn - what ever can be tolerated - in order to prevent staining upholstery until the Exxon Vaseline has been fully dealt with. Good luck and remember to enjoy it as much as you can. D. M.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.F.

answers from Dallas on

Dish soap should break the grease right up.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from Dallas on

my guy did thesame thing, emptied a huge jar of vaseline all over himself. i knew he was being too quiet in the room!!!HA

i tried it all...dawn, baby powder, baby oil,everything. Truth is, nothing really works. It should be back to normal in a few days. Just lay a towel down on the bed so you dont mess up thesheets. Take pics and laugh!!
Goog luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.L.

answers from Dallas on

B.,

Sounds crazy, but baby powder. It will absorb the oil from the vaseline. Afterward, shampoo the powder out and her hair should be back to normal.

A.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.S.

answers from Dallas on

Dawn dish liquid and warm water. It has to be Dawn - it cuts the grease. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.B.

answers from Dallas on

My son did the same thing not too long ago! I hope you got some pictures! lol! I used baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, and it seemed to work pretty good. Mostly, though, I just gave him like three baths a day until the vaseline was gone! hth!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Detroit on

Try diluting white vinegar and water. Warm it a bit and watch out for her eyes, of course.

Vinegar usually will cut most oils naturally. It is also used naturally as a conditioner, so you should be fine. After this~ I personally would wait a little longer to wash her hair to allow her natural oils to regulate from the many washes from today.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.L.

answers from Dallas on

I had Vaseline put into my hair for an initiation into a club in high school, and I was told to put the shampoo directly onto my "dry" hair (in other words, not to wet my hair first). It worked! Then I did a second wash to be sure.

Another option is apple cider vinegar mixed with water. My daughter's hair gets an awful buildup in it, so we do this weekly; basically we pour the mixture directly into her hair, work it through and then rinse it. It smells AWFUL, but it works. We then do a normal shampoo and her hair is shiny and clean.

Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

dishsoap,baking soda or power? That's the only thing I can think of

T.H.

answers from Dallas on

It is going to take time. I would use dawn dish soap since it is made to break down oils & they use it to clean birds during major oil spills. I would also comb through some corn starch to and put the blow dryer on low to help absorb as much as possible before I washed. We had a child get melted marshmallows all through their hair & this is the method we used and it worked great. Good luck!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.W.

answers from Dallas on

There is a shampoo/conditioner kit that you can get at Target or Walmart (wherever) that is used for craddle cap. The kit comes with an oily solution that you use in the middle of the process. Maybe this particular shampoo and conditioner that comes with the kit would break up the oil of the vaseline, I know it work son the oils solution in the kit. You might give that a try, otherwise I would just think it would come out after a few washes over a period of a couple of days...

It maybe horrible now, but I am sure you will laugh about it later. Good luck =)

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions