In 1859, in one of America's first oil rigs, something unusual was found. It was a material that looked like wax and it kept clogging the rigs. It was annoying but it soothed cuts and bruises. The oil miners called the stuff rod wax. But someone grew curious about the black material. He found that he could create a light-colored gel from it. In 1870, Robert Chesebrough started the manufacturing of petroleum jelly.
Within 10 years almost every American household had a jar of petroleum jelly.
The jelly has many properties. It doesn't react to many chemicals. It doesn't oxidize in the air. It can't dissolve in water and, most obviously, petroleum jelly is odorless, transparent and clear.
At first, it was marketed as a medicinal product in order to help heal cuts and burns. In the First World War, it did just that. It was also used to prevent sunburns. In the Second World War, it was also used as an antiseptic wound dressing.
Through the years, the use of petroleum jelly simultaneously expanded and contracted. Researchers found that the jelly itself has no medicinal properties. It doesn't have any effect on blisters nor does the skin absorb it. Its original marketed use seems a bit improper today. It was even discovered that applying it on fresh burns is a no-no. The jelly will trap the heat and worsen the burn. This includes sunburns.
However, that doesn't mean all the benefits of applying the jelly were lost. After the heat has dissipated in burns, petroleum jelly is soothing. When applied to cuts and scrapes, the jelly prevents germs from getting into the wound and making things worse, which helps the wound to heal faster.
Petroleum jelly found many other uses. Some are very unorthodox.
- It prevents windburn by forming a shield for the skin.
- It protects the eyes of American football players. It is applied on the lower eyelid so that dirt won't get into their eyes.
- It helps people afflicted with psoriasis by lubricating the scales and it also helps to keep eczema under control during dry weather.
- It helps when a person has hemorrhoids. It makes stool pass easier.
- It can kill lice by smothering them.
- It softens hardened leather.
- It moisturizes dry or chapped lips, which makes it heal faster.
- It coats things that are prone to corrosion like gun barrels when they are placed under storage.
- It minimizes some allergies when applied under the nose. It traps the pollen spreading through the air during spring. If a person has nasal congestion, he should avoid this use because of the thickness of the jelly.
- It is used as a personal lubricant. However, don't combine latex condoms and petroleum jelly. The jelly will ruin the latex.
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