Why People Are Mixing Toothpaste and Vaseline Together

Whether you're a late night doom scroller who likes to read all of those advertisements that pop up into your feed while you're trying to fall asleep at night, or someone who is always on the hunt for a new DIY beauty treatment to help solve some of your skin issues (raises hand), it's likely that you've seen these clickbait ads. You know, the ones that ask if you know what happens when you mix toothpaste and Vaseline together, seeming to hint that there is something special about the mix.

Well, we're going to explore what happens when you try this skincare "hack" at home, including what you need to know about those DIY beauty tricks that involve everyday household items.

Before I tell you what happens when you mix Vaseline and toothpaste, I want to first explain that Vaseline is the brand name for a petroleum jelly product. Petroleum jelly is created during the oil refinement process, something that contributes to the increase of greenhouse gases. As you may be aware, greenhouse gases are a major contributor to the effects of climate change, and when feasible you may want to explore alternatives to these products.

That being said, Vaseline is a long-lived beauty staple that has been popular for years for everything from treating burns to soothing chapped lips. Most people likely have a tub of it tucked in the back of their medicine cabinet, which is part of the reason this viral beauty hack sounds so enticing when you first see it, especially when you consider how simple the recipe is.

Online explainers say that you can whip up something wonderful using the combination of Vaseline and toothpaste, suggesting you add equal parts into a container before mixing them together by hand. What you get in the end should have a thicker consistency than the two ingredients would have when used separately, albeit with a creamier feel.

If you've been interested in DIY beauty for a while, you probably already know that many people swear by toothpaste as a trick for treating acne.

Separately, slugging — the act of covering your face in a thick moisture barrier like Vaseline or similar non-petroleum based products specifically designed for this process — has risen in popularity, with many people swearing that it helps them lock in moisture or repair the damage caused by chemical treatments.

But can toothpaste and Vaseline be combined to create the ultimate beauty balm that can solve any number of needs? The short answer is no, unfortunately, it cannot. Despite what those clickbait titles and creative videos on social media may be trying to tell you, the properties that make these two shine as beauty hacks on their own do not in fact get magnified when they are combined together.

Instead, it's possible that they become less effective when mixed together, according to Quora users.

The abrasive and drying properties that have prompted some to use toothpaste as an at-home treatment for pimples or a scrub for dry lips practically disappear when you mix it with Vaseline.

And the moisture rich benefits of Vaseline don't get any better when they're combined with the properties of toothpaste... except maybe if you consider the minty fresh smell a check in the plus column.

As for whether or not you have anything to lose by testing out the toothpaste and Vaseline hack, I'll direct you to the pros like the ones who spoke with NewBeauty. While they admitted that each of these products has a place in your medicine cabinet, they say neither one of them is really better at solving your skincare needs than a skincare product that is specifically designed to treat those issues, whether that be burns, blemishes, or anything in between.

So the next time you need a remedy for a skincare issue, you may be better off heading to the drugstore instead of whipping up something on your own.