I Tried "Slugging" My Face, And My Dry Skin Has Never Been So Thankful
I Tried "Slugging" My Face, And My Dry Skin Has Never Been So ThankfulSkip To Content
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Posted on Jan 16, 2022I Tried "Slugging," The Viral Vaseline Moisturizing Hack, And My Skin Is Literally Glowing
I can't imagine surviving winter without this hack.
by Maya Ogolini StaffLink
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.
/Maya Ogolini 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 interested in trying "slugging," a 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.
Amazon Before I get into my experience trying slugging, let’s look at how this trend came to be. The viral “slugging trend,” as it’s been seen on TikTok for the past couple of years, is believed to have originated in South Korea as part of K-beauty skincare trends (like double-cleansing and glass skin). However, you don’t have to use Vaseline to slug – any petroleum-based product can do. So if you’re not a fan of Vaseline, you could use Aquaphor, CeraVe, or Cetaphil to slug your skin. The main idea is to seal moisture into your skin by preventing transepidermal water loss (or, in plainer terms, stop the moisture from evaporating off your skin). That being said, Vaseline is the go-to petroleum-based product for most TikTok videos on slugging. And while Vaseline is seeing a resurgence as it’s “rediscovered” by the internet, it’s important to acknowledge that using Vaseline for skin care is not new – in fact, Vaseline is a staple skincare product in the Black community that has been used for generations. In 2020, Vaseline even partnered with Shalom Blac, Sloane Stephens, and Cristina Martinez to further deepen its connection with the Black community and create the Illuminate Me collection.As for why Vaseline and slugging are trending on TikTok now, it could be because it’s a great way to keep your skin moisturized in the winter – a time when a lot of people deal with drier skin. When asked about slugging, Dr. Peter Lio, an assistant professor of Clinical Dermatology & Pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told , "Heavy occlusive agents and protectants like these can actually be a great idea, especially in the winter. They help lock moisture in, but also add a physical layer of protection from the wind and cold."
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.
/Maya Ogolini 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.
/Maya Ogolini 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.
/Maya Ogolini 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.
/Maya Ogolini 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. Have you ever tried slugging before? What are some of your favorite dry skin hacks? Let me know in the comments!
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