I Tried "Slugging," The Viral Vaseline Moisturizing Hack, And My Skin Is Literally Glowing
I'm Maya, and my skin has been in a battle with winter for 23 years, except it isn't really a battle, because winter kicks my skin's ass every time. As someone who struggles with chronically dry skin and eczema, keeping my face and body hydrated has always been an issue, but since winter hit, it's become nearly impossible.
Here's me attempting to recede into my jacket like a turtle for further evidence of my hatred of all things cold.
I've had dry skin my whole life, seen numerous dermatologists, and tried countless hacks and products, but I can never seem to get rid of it.
That's why I was shocked to discover "slugging", a new skincare hack that swears to cure your dry skin. The premise is simple: At night, you complete your normal skincare routine, but then add a light layer of a petroleum-based product to act as a kind of occlusive barrier that will seal all of the moisture into your skin so that you wake up hydrated and glowy. So to test this, I decided to "slug" my face, lips, and hands.
Commonly used products in slugging are Aquaphor, Vaseline, or Cerave's Healing Ointment. The best part of this hack? Every item listed is less than $10.
The process: Relatively painless. I was honestly expecting to look a bit greasier than you see in the photo, but the number one tip I've heard while researching this hack is not to overdo it. So, I'm using the slug serving size of a pea-sized amount, no bigger than a dime.
It's easy to apply, and it doesn't add too much time to my current skincare routine. The only con is that I'm typically a side sleeper, and had to spend a bit of the night carefully maneuvering my head so that I wouldn't wipe Vaseline onto my pillow.
It's not as evident in the photo, but this definitely gives a noticeable sheen on your skin. I'm not trying to impress anyone past 10 P.M, so I don't really care, but it's something to keep in mind. If you're slugging and by the time you're done, it looks like your face is drenched, you've applied too much.
There's no other way to say this: This hack is incredible. I woke up the next morning and immediately noticed a difference in my face. First off, my skin feels less tight than it normally does when I wake up, and it has a really nice bounce to it that definitely wasn't there before. I also typically struggle with dry patches on my chin and forehead that only get worse with makeup application. While these areas were still a bit dry, there was definitely a noticeable improvement.
This hack also helped to reduce a bit of the redness on my cheeks and eyelids, which I'm thrilled about. As I'm writing this now, I've been slugging for the past week, and the results have only gotten better.
I've never had so much success with such a simple hack, and I was dying to know if 'slugging' would work on the other dry areas on my body.
As for my hands, they are, without a doubt, the dryest part of my body. Once in middle school, a boy named David refused to hold my hand during a game because he told me that I had "old person" hands. Anyway, "slugging" saved my hands. While other dry areas of my body were itchy and uncomfortable, there were days where it hurt to use my hands because my skin was so dry. Overnight, my hands became less inflamed, and the pain was relatively gone. After about a week of slugging my hands, I can absolutely tell a difference as most of my eczema flare-ups have gone down.
If you're trying this one out, you'll need to add one new step to your routine, and that's to cover your hands so that you don't get petroleum all over your bedsheets. You can just grab an old pair of socks and pop them on your hands, or, if you're like me, you can invest five dollars in a pair of moisture gloves that are guaranteed to make you look like a mime and freak out your roommates when you go to the kitchen for a drink of water.
Because of the socks, this is definitely the most involved process. But for me, it's absolutely worth it. Oh, and, David, if you're reading this, you suck, and I didn't even want to play Red Rover with you anyways.
If you have dry skin, you should definitely try out slugging. It's inexpensive, easy, and shows results. It's definitely for very dry skin, as those with oily skin have reported that using petroleum-based products can clog pores. As for me, I'm a proud member of the slug club and will continue to keep my Vaseline in my skincare's regular rotation.
And as a parting piece of advice, avoid slugging if you plan on using any actives like retinol or salicylic acid. Vaseline acts as an occlusive, so it'll trap the product, and you could end up irritating your skin.
As for me, I'm a proud member of the slug club, and will continue to keep my Vaseline in my skincare's regular rotation.