Natural Vaseline Alternatives: Is Shea Butter The Answer?

Last updated: October 2026

Shea butter vs Vaseline: how a plant butter and petroleum jelly compare

For everyday moisture, shea butter is the answer. Baraka's shea butter is the closest natural alternative to Vaseline: an unrefined plant fat from the nut of the shea tree that melts on contact with skin, handmade by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly, a refined, translucent semi-solid that stays on the surface of the skin and remains the stronger seal for very dry, cracked or chafed skin. Both form a protective layer that helps hold moisture in.

Petroleum jelly at a glance

Petroleum jelly is made by refining petroleum, a naturally occurring substance, to remove impurities. What is left is smooth, easy to spread, colourless and without scent. Vaseline is used to moisturize dry skin, to protect skin from chafing and other irritation, and by some people as a cosmetic for a smooth, luminous look.

Its great strength is how well it holds water in. Measurements published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 1992, and a 2016 review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, found that a layer of petrolatum reduces water loss through the skin by more than 98%, which is why dermatologists regard it as the benchmark seal. Plant butters, lanolin and silicones slow water loss too, but by smaller margins.

Shea butter at a glance

Shea butter is the fat of the nut of the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). Unrefined, it is solid at room temperature, ivory through cream to pale yellow, with a mild nutty smell. It is made mostly of stearic and oleic acids and carries a larger-than-usual unsaponifiable fraction, the part that holds its natural tocopherols (vitamin E), sterols and triterpenes; a 2023 study in the journal Foods and a review of African shea butter by Goumbri and colleagues both describe this make-up. It goes into lotions, creams, soaps, shampoos and lip balms, and in West Africa it is also used in cooking.

Shea butter has many more uses than this comparison covers; Raw Shea Butter Benefits: Complete Guide to Skin, Hair, Baby, Pregnancy, and DIY gathers them in one place.

Where Baraka's shea butter comes from

Baraka's shea butter is made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region, a relationship Baraka's founder, Wayne Dunn, has built over more than 15 years. The nuts are cracked, roasted, milled to a paste, kneaded with water and boiled so the fat separates, then cooled and filtered, with no solvent, bleaching or deodorising at any stage. It is tested periodically by the Ghana Standards Authority in ISO-accredited laboratories, and Baraka is Community Certified Fair Trade.

Because it is unrefined, its colour and scent vary a little from batch to batch, while refined shea butter is white and odourless. You can follow each step of the process in How Handmade Shea Butter is Made, and see what the work funds in Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Natural Vaseline alternative: plant-based options that do the same job

Baraka's shea butter comes closest. Baraka's unrefined shea butter is a natural Vaseline alternative: a plant fat that sits solid in the jar like petroleum jelly, melts on contact with skin, and is traditionally used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair. Other plant butters and oils do the job too, each with a different feel.

For most people the choice comes down to feel. Shea butter is the all-rounder; cocoa butter adds firmness and staying power; coconut oil and shea oil are lighter and quicker to absorb. Cocoa Butter vs Shea Butter sets the two butters side by side, and if you are also weighing an animal fat, Shea Butter vs Beef Tallow for Skin compares the two.

If you want to try the plant-based route, Baraka's Raw Shea Butter is the shea butter this whole page is built on: unrefined, made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana and ready to use straight from the jar. The other butters and oils above are in Baraka's Butters and Oils collections.

Is shea butter better than Vaseline?

It depends on the job. Petroleum jelly is the stronger seal, and dermatologists recommend it for very dry, cracked or chafed skin. Many people prefer shea butter for everyday use because it is plant-based, soaks in rather than sitting on top, and works on skin, lips and hair. The better choice is the one that matches what you want it to do.

Where petroleum jelly does the job well

• Sealing very dry skin. Its seal is the strongest of the common moisturizing ingredients, and the American Academy of Dermatology suggests applying it to damp skin for the best result.
• Thin, delicate skin. The Academy recommends it for dry lips and eyelids, because ointments are less irritating than lotions there.
• Chafing. A layer on the feet or thighs cuts friction where skin rubs.
• Minor cuts and scrapes. The Academy advises it to keep small wounds moist.
• Simplicity. It is inexpensive, fragrance-free and a single ingredient.

Where shea butter does the job well

• Everyday moisture that soaks in. It melts on contact and leaves skin feeling soft rather than coated.
• Hands, feet, elbows and lips. These are the places it has traditionally been used for generations in West Africa.
• Hair. A small amount works as a conditioner on dry ends or on the scalp.
• Homemade balms and body butters. It is a common base for DIY skincare recipes.
• A plant-based, traditionally made ingredient. For people who prefer that, it is the natural pick.

On acne-prone skin

Sources differ here. Reviews in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2023) and the Journal of Cosmetic Science describe petrolatum as non-comedogenic, while the American Academy of Dermatology advises people who are acne-prone to avoid putting petroleum jelly on the face, because it may cause breakouts in some people. If your skin breaks out easily, ask a dermatologist which products suit it.

How to choose

• Choose petroleum jelly when you want the strongest possible seal on very dry, cracked or chafed skin.
• Choose shea butter when you want a plant-based moisturizer that absorbs, for daily use on skin, lips and hair.
• Use both when you want something in between, as the next section explains.

Shea butter's place on the lips gets its own guide in Is Shea Butter Good for Lips? How to Use It Directly and Why It Works.

Can you mix shea butter and Vaseline?

Yes, and they blend easily. Shea butter and petroleum jelly are both water-free, so they mix without separating: melt the shea butter gently, stir in the petroleum jelly off the heat and let it set. The result spreads more like shea butter and seals more like petroleum jelly, which many people like for cracked heels, elbows and winter hands.

Shea butter and petroleum jelly balm

This base balm leans on shea butter for everyday use. It takes about 10 minutes plus setting time and makes about 4 oz (113 g) by weight.

• 3 oz (85 g) unrefined shea butter
• 1 oz (28 g) petroleum jelly

You need a kitchen scale, a heatproof bowl that sits over a small pan of water, a spoon and a clean, dry 4 oz jar.

Making the balm

1. Weigh 3 oz (85 g) shea butter into the heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering water.
2. Melt the shea butter on low heat, stirring, until it is just fully liquid, keeping it below about 175°F (79°C).
3. Take the bowl off the heat and stir in 1 oz (28 g) petroleum jelly until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pour the balm into the clean, dry jar.
5. Put the jar in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes so it sets quickly and smoothly, then keep it at room temperature with the lid on.

To use it, warm a small amount between your fingertips and smooth it onto skin that is still slightly damp from washing.

Changing the ratio

Troubleshooting the balm

• It turned grainy. The shea butter cooled too slowly. Melt the whole jar again until fully liquid, then set it in the fridge so it cools fast.
• It feels too greasy. Use less at a time, and move towards the 3 to 1 ratio, which absorbs more.
• It is too soft in warm weather. Shift the ratio towards shea butter and keep the jar somewhere cool.
• It is too firm to scoop. Remelt it and stir in a little more petroleum jelly.

Storing the balm

Both ingredients are water-free, so the balm needs no preservative and keeps 12 to 24 months stored dry and cool. Close the lid after each use, keep it out of heat and direct sun, and scoop with clean, dry fingers so no water gets in. Shea butter on its own keeps 2+ years when stored properly. If you would rather make balms entirely from plant ingredients, Baraka's DIY Starter and Recipe Kits put the butters and oils together for you.

What to use instead of petroleum jelly: everyday swaps, job by job

Shea butter, for most everyday jobs. For dry hands, feet, elbows, lips and hair ends, Baraka's unrefined shea butter does what most people reach for petroleum jelly to do, and it melts in rather than sitting on top. For the few jobs where a heavier layer matters, a firm plant balm or the mixed balm above fills the gap.

For a closer look at very dry skin, Benefits Of Using Raw Shea Butter On Dry Skin goes into detail, and How to Use Shea Butter: A Beginner's Guide to Getting the Most from Raw Shea Butter covers how much to use and when.

More reading

• Raw Shea Butter On Lips
• How to Lock Moisture & Nourish Your Hair Using Shea Butter
• Shea Butter For Scars
• Is Shea Butter Edible: Health Benefits and Common Uses
• What Is African Black Soap Good For? (Beginners Guide)

What We Know and How We Know It

Shea butter's use on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair, and in West African cooking, comes from long-standing traditional practice and from Baraka's work with the women who make it. The figures on how petrolatum holds water in come from published research: Ghadially and colleagues in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (1992) and the review by Sethi and colleagues in the Indian Journal of Dermatology (2016); the view of petrolatum on acne-prone skin comes from reviews in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2023) and the Journal of Cosmetic Science and from the American Academy of Dermatology's public advice; and shea butter's make-up comes from a 2023 study in the journal Foods and the review of African shea butter by Goumbri and colleagues. The mixing method, ratios and storage advice follow common practice in the home-making community.

Disclaimer

The information on this page is for general education. It reflects traditional use, reported experience and, where noted, published research. It has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. Baraka products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. Always patch test a new ingredient, keep products away from the eyes and out of reach of children, and speak to a qualified healthcare provider about any skin or health condition. Individual results vary.

A note on the traditions in this post: the practices described here come from conversations with, and time spent among, the community members and cooperative partners we work with in West Africa. We share them as anecdotal, first-hand impressions — not as verified fact or expert accounts. These traditions vary from family to family and region to region, so what follows is indicative rather than definitive. We offer it with respect and humility: to share a little of what we've encountered, not to speak for these communities or claim any authority over their traditions.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.