Vaseline as hair care

Do any of you use Vaseline as in your regular hair care?

When Ladybug came home we took a trip to my parent's house so they could meet her.  She had been home for about 3 weeks.  I was pretty stupid about hair care then.  But willing to learn.

The week we were there was the week my sister announced that she was pregnant -- with her only child.  She is a single woman who was not in a serious relationship.  So after we hung up the phone, I wondered aloud what race the child was going to be.  My parent's were confused.  Why would I wonder?  Apparently my sister never told them that her last 3 relationships had been with black men.  Not sure why she left that detail out.

Our first conversation about hair was when my niece (who did turn out to have a black father) was about 9 months old.  She didn't really have much hair.  I had learned a lot in the last year.  So I tried to depart my wisdom.  It can be difficult to give your older sister wisdom some days.  This was one of these days.  All she kept saying was that there was nothing to say K would have hair like her father.  She could have straight thin hair like my sister. 

Genetics was not her strong suit.  So I gave up.

But the last couple of years she has wanted my knowledge.  Which isn't easy to give her since we don't live anywhere near each other.

Two years ago she came to my house for a holiday and while there she asked if I could do K's hair.  So I stuck her in the bathtub and washed it.  Her thin, fine (just like her mama), curly (just like her papa) hair was caked with ... something.  So I asked what she was using on her hair.  Vaseline.

UGH!

My sister was confused why I had an issue with this.  Her African American friends all used Vaseline in their hair.  And told her to use it on K.  It was fine.

Let's think about this.  It is Vaseline.  But that is a brand name.  What is it in generic form?  Petroleum.  Repeat that please.  PETROLEUM!!!  Thick.  Sticky.  Petroleum. 

It doesn't soak into the hair.  It doesn't heal damage.  It sits on each shaft.  Collecting dust.  Collecting dirt.  Caking around the hair.  Locking out everything.  Especially the needed moisture.  As a child I had to wash my hair every day to avoid it from getting oily and gross.  Black hair is not the same.  They need moisture.  Lots of it.

I bought her products.  I taught her what I knew.  I begged her not to use Vaseline again.

She came back this year.  She asked me to do K's hair again.  I put her in the tub to wash it.  And I looked at my sister. 

She denied using Vaseline in K's hair.  But there was no mistaking it.  Vaseline will form a ring around your tub.  Where all your dirt will collect.  It doesn't matter how much shampoo and soap you use.  It will not clean off the ring.  It will only get dirtier.  After weeks (not that I am admitting that I did not clean my tub for weeks) it will take lots and lots of chemicals, brushes, and muscles to scrub it off your tub.

She used Vaseline on her hair.  Please don't use it on your child. 

Mean Mama