Petroleum Jelly is one of the most common things that can be found in almost every household across the world regardless of cultural, geographical, and traditional differences. On account of its easy availability and also its innumerable uses, petroleum jelly has become one of the best friends you can have handy.
People suffering from the condition of dry skin and extreme conditions such as eczema also find petroleum jelly as their holy grail. Apart from that, people are also using this widely for a lot of different skincare purposes. Moreover, it can also be used to treat wounds that are not that severe. However, it can likely be stored beyond a particular period, making people doubt its quality and usability.
Typically these are bought and stored in large quantities increasing the chances of storing them for years in the cupboards of our houses. That is why we have come up with this meticulously researched article that can help you and give you the right direction to store petroleum jelly most righteously so that it will not end up giving you poor performance or quality. Apart from that, we will also be discussing the most common doubt about petroleum jelly whether it can go bad over time.
Petroleum Jelly; The Composition
To understand the quality decrease of petroleum jelly over time, you must delve quite deep into the composition of the same. This will help you understand the facts more comprehensively. Even if a tub of petroleum jelly is primarily petroleum jelly itself, a lot of other mineral oils and waxes can also be found in the formulation of the same. Petroleum jelly as many of you might already know is obtained after several rounds of the refinement process.
It can be generally seen as a semi-solid state making it a mixture of hydrocarbons in scientific terms. These rounds of refinement and processing make it a perfect mix to treat various skin conditions much more effectively. Apart from that the occlusive nature of petroleum jelly obtained through the refinement process can significantly help you in forming a thick layer on your skin.
This thick layer is the thing that can effectively act as a protective barrier. In this manner, it can also help retain moisture and hydrate the skin properly. Apart from that, this particular layer formation can also help in protecting those minor cuts and wounds in the skin and thus make it stay away from all kinds of possible infections.
Quality Affecting Factors Of Petroleum Jelly
1. Temperature
This is one of the most important things that you need to keep in mind while storing petroleum jelly since it is one of the major factors affecting the quality of the jelly. Petroleum jelly exposed to extreme temperatures can be way less effective when compared with those that have been stored at room temperature. It is always suggested to store petroleum jelly at room temperature. Keeping it away from direct exposure to sunlight can also help you a lot in keeping the quality of your petroleum jelly intact.
It is also important that you should not experiment with petroleum jelly by heating it and storing it back again in the tub by watching a lot of reels and videos taking over the internet. Heating the jelly is reducing the performance and quality of the jelly making it much less effective in almost every aspect.
- Contact with pollutants
Storing your tub of petroleum jelly in a clean and dry place is quite important when it comes to maintaining the high quality of the jelly. The key is to keep it away from contaminants to the maximum. To get this done, the first step is to look for the right way of application of the product. The time of application is when you are highly likely to contaminate the product by touching it with unclean hands and tools.
Applying petroleum jelly with wet hands can also bring unwanted moisture into the product, which is also not good for the formulation of the same especially for a long time. Hence make it a point to use only cleansed and dried hands or tools whenever you are taking some quantity of the product from the tub.
- Container
The container of the petroleum jelly has also a crucial role in the quality maintenance of the formula. Hence it is important not to keep on transferring the formula from container to container. The original container of the formula is highly likely to store the product for a relatively longer period. Apart from that, the original container can effectively lock in all the qualities of the formula by keeping it away from unwanted exposure to light, moisture, and extreme temperatures to a great extent.
- The brand
This is also one of the important factors affecting the quality of petroleum jelly. The manufacturing processes of petroleum jelly of credible brands can be top-notch helping it stay for a relatively longer period. Apart from that, the quality of the added ingredients such as mineral oils and waxes can also be found to be much better when it comes to reliable brands.
Also Read: Is Chemical Peel Good For Your Skin? Everything You Need To Know
How to find out if your petroleum jelly has gone bad?
It is easy to tell whether your petroleum jelly has gone bad or not by looking at some of the most obvious factors. One of the most important things is its texture. The hard lumpy texture of petroleum jelly is an indication that it has gone bad.
If you find it difficult to spread all over, it is again warning you to throw the tub away. A change in the color of the formula and the emission of any kind of odor from the jelly also indicate the same.
Wrap Up
These are the important things that you need to know about the formulation of petroleum jelly and its chance to go bad. The key is that petroleum jelly can go bad especially if you are not storing it in the right manner. It should also be noted that a properly stored petroleum jelly can last for at least three years which is way longer for you to get the tub finished.
