Vaseline: the single most sticky, greasy, gooey, slippery, waterproof, unwashoutable substance on earth.Baby Hair: Soft, smooth, sweet-smelling, fingers runthroughable.
Preschooler: Trouble with a capital "T".
I was putting the boys' clothes away in their room. They were playing together in my room. I was separated from them for a maximum of 2 minutes, literally.
Then I heard Calem say, "You have soap in your hair, Isaac." Then laughter from both.
So, I quickly abandoned the clothes basket and dashed to the scene only to find Isaac's entire head and face slathered with vaseline. Yes, every strand of his delicate, silky-smooth hair was completely encapsulated in globs of vaseline. His tiny face shimmered with a thick coat of the gelatinous goo. And he seemed to think this was great fun.
Once Calem was none too happily secured in his bedroom, my attention turned to figuring out how to remove the vaseline from Isaac's head.
I stripped him, stuck him in the bathtub and called my friend to consult Google for solving such a problem. Seems my
preschooler is one of millions who have pulled this stunt, because the Google search turned up pages and pages of advice for washing vaseline out of hair.We opted to try using cornstarch--which apparently gives the vaseline something to bond to, so it is more likely to release itself from the hair shaft. It only sort of worked. I also tried dawn dish soap, but got worried about getting it in his eyes. The kid spent the better part of the afternoon in the bathtub getting starched, washed and rinsed. Over and over again. Good thing he likes baths!
In the end, Isaac sported a greasy looking hairdo for several days. But, boy did he have silky-soft cheeks!!
