So, a couple months ago, I was watching a YouTube video by QueenyKaay in which she used petroleum jelly as a moisturizer to define her curls.
Now, I was really skeptical because I thought about the level of greasiness you would have to deal with. However, I’ve been recently toying with the idea of creating my own deep conditioners.
Earlier this week, I decided to incorporate petroleum jelly into my hair care and see how I like it. I figured I’d first try it out in a form where it washes out. I rooted around to find other ingredients that I already had in the house. I didn’t measure the ingredients, but I estimate that I used the following quantities:
⅛ small or medium avocado
2 tsp petroleum jelly
1 tsp shea butter
¼ tsp rose water
⅛ tsp tea tree oil
¼ tsp castor oil
Obviously, the quantities will differ depending on the length and/or thickness of your hair. My hair is layered between collarbone and armpit length and is of medium thickness. My hair would fall under the 4C classification, although a few sections lean slightly towards 4B.
I mixed all the ingredients together until it was as smooth as I could get it. I then applied the mixture for about an hour. I then rinsed it out in warm water (thoroughly, I might add) and styled my hair as usual.
I was nervous about sleeping because my hair bonnet tends to come off during the night, so I was dreading what my pillow might look like in the morning. But my bonnet stayed on (thank God for small mercies) and the next morning, my hair felt nice.
The greasiness did not last long after rinsing my hair out. It was just like using regular store-bought deep conditioners, although it wasn’t as nice-smelling (not that it smelt bad).
I’d say the hardest part was making sure all the avocado was out. Also, the petroleum jelly made the shower a bit slippery so do be careful, or rinse your hair outdoors or something.
Now that I think about it, petroleum jelly might clog your drain a bit, especially if you don’t use water that’s warm enough. Overall, I would do this again but I would blend the avocado before adding it to the other ingredients and I would also rinse my hair outdoors.
I’m not yet at the point where I am ready to put in petroleum jelly as a leave-in conditioner, but perhaps in the future I will suffer experiment so that you don’t have to. You’re welcome!
