HELP!!!! I have Vaseline in my hair and a job interview in 3 hours

[user1488318718]

My lovely well meaning friend gave me a scalp conditioner she uses to help with an itchy scalp.

I put some in last night and went to rinse it out but the water just ran off it. Checked the ingredients and it's petroleum jelly (Vaseline)!!!

This is completely repellent of water.

I've tried an entire box of cornstarch!

Rubbing olive oil in to dissolve

Egg white

Five washes of fairy liquid

Five washes of bar soap.

NOTHING is making any difference.

My hair is one greasy mess. Not the type that would go unnoticed. It looks like I have poured a vat of vegetable oil all over my hair.

I'm sat here is an absolute state. I have no idea what to do. I have short hair so no disguising.

Is there ANYTHING I can do?

This is my dream job. I don't want to cancel the job interview. Will I have to?

Vinegar rinse? Warm should help break it down better? Or something like lemon juice may help?

Oh dear!

I was going to suggest oil and cornstarch but you've tried that.

It depends on really how bad it looks. Can you post a picture?

Oh no! How does your friend remove it? Is there another part of this 'treatment' she hasn't told you about?

I wouldn't cancel. Any way of disguising it with loads of hair gel so it looks gelled rather than greasy? Head scarf? Worst case scenario go and tell them your 'friend' recommended a scalp conditioner which you didn't realise had Vaseline in. Try and laugh it off etc.

Wig?

Warm hairdryer to melt it, wipe off as much as you can with paper towels, then wash with cola to dissolve the rest, then shampoo?
This must be so stressful!

Facial Tissues: Use soft tissues to blot the hair to remove as much of the Vaseline as possible.
Cornstarch or baby powder: Apply a little cornstarch or baby powder to the hair and pat it in to absorb the petroleum jelly. Then shampoo once or twice with a clarifying shampoo. Be sure to use warm water in the shampoo, since cold water congeals the Vaseline.
Baking soda: Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with a regular shampoo, then wash and rinse out. Repeat if necessary.
Baby oil: Saturate the hair in baby oil, rub it through the hair completely and squeeze out as much as you can. Then wash the hair three times with liquid dish soap and warm water, each time leaving the dish soap on for a few minutes to allow it to work.
Liquid dish soap with degreaser: Shampoo hair up to several times with dishwashing liquid with a degreasing agent, such as Dawn.
Liquid laundry detergent: Shampoo hair up to several times with a liquid laundry detergent, such as Wisk.

She has an Afro! I didn't cop on we had different hair. She just leaves it in!

Have you had the water as hot as you can bare it?

Would some baby powder or dry shampoo disguise the greasiness enough for you to get to your job interview? You could deal with washing it off later.

Or or get some mousse/hair gel and either spike it or curl it. Style it so that it looks like there's product you've deliberately put there.

Good luck in your interview!

I've put vinegar in now. Hoping that helps. I've had the water very hot. It's barely got better and each wash seems to make it worse!

Ordinary soap is one suggestion -

I hope it's worked! If not I would attend the job interview & tell them

Good luck!

Mmmm unlikely. People with Afro hair would never just leave (or put) Vaseline in their hair.

Ask her again.

What about using normal conditioner? I find that gets anything out.

Failing that bicarb of soda. Disclaimer I have never tried it but it always fixes greasy things in my kitchen!

How short is your hair? If cropped tight against head then maybe a styling product...or maybe that might make it worse...?

I was going to suggest dishwashing liquid too. This happens when I put Hedrin Once on my kids and that worked better than shampoo. Maybe once your hair is washed and dried you could use dry shampoo too. And can you put your hair up?

This is awful but has humour value. Can just see it in a 'worst ever interview' story. Can you imagine telling a BFF about it in a year's time? Might help you calm down. You might be able to use it in an interview about how you cope when everything goes to pot.

White spirit will do it but you'll need a fucktonne of decent conditioner afterwards.

SWARFEGA

go to halfords or a car garage, it's in a red tub, and it' a green jelly substance.

Rub it into non-wet hair. Massage in until it goes soapy white. It won't harm your skin. Rinse.

I agree with Astro, I've heard just an ordinary bar of soap works.

Good luck with the interview!

Beret worn at jaunty angle.

I'd keep at it with the fairy liquid. Good luck!!

Emergency hairdresser? There must be a salon that has dealt with this before.

Putting shampoo on dry hair and rubbing it in then rinsing will get it out.

Swarfega - yes!

Definitely swarfega! Super gentle but will clean motor oil!