When the Solution Becomes the Problem

Olivia likes to shadow me. If I'm going upstairs to gather laundry, she's right beside me. She then follows me down the stairs to the basement while I start the washer.

Last weekend, she was right there as I cleaned the girls' room. At one point, I was in the bathroom, gathering up dirty towels (laundry is the bane of my existence) when Olivia appeared at my side.

She said, "Mommy, look!"

I glanced down at her and saw red. Literally. She had used the red lipstick that is now out of her reach and slicked it all over her face, from her eyebrows to her chin.

She was so proud of herself.

I just sighed and said, "Oh, Honey, that was not a good choice." I then ordered her not to touch anything because the lipstick was also on her hands and had been transferred to the wall and the bathroom counter in the time it took me to get a wash cloth.

I got out the Vaseline and went to work.

The lipstick actually came off her face fairly easily with the Vaseline. The walls? Not so much. But I'm working on that one.

When I got to my mom's house on Tuesday, Jaxon's hair was slicked into a faux hawk.

I smiled and said, "Jaxy, I love your hair."

My mom said, "I don't think you're giong to love Livy's."

I looked at Olivia and first thought her hair was wet.

It wasn't.

While my mom's back was turned, Olivia found the Vaseline and slicked almost and entire container's worth into her hair.

Oh my Lord.

It's disgusting! It feels like she's been dipped in a vat of grease.

By the time I'd arrived, my mom had washed O's hair three times.

When we got home, I washed it three more times. The picture in the previous post? That's after six washings.

I googled "how to get vaseline out of hair." There were a lot of suggestions, from baby oil (really?) to peanut butter to washing one's hair with dish soap.

Yesterday, I washed O's hair three more times, using a shampoo that doesn't have a conditioner included. I also used bar soap, hoping it was a little harsher (her hair is currently ultra conditioned, I'm really not worried about damaging the folicals so much as I worry about getting the soap in her eyes.)

I'm lucky she's a good sport about hair washings. She just wipes her eyes after each rinse and giggles as I scrub, scrub, scrub.

This girl is turning so mischievous these days. Dear heaven!

Today, I picked up a bottle of regular baby shampoo, again without condition and washed her hair three more times, alternating the baby shampoo with the bar soap.

It is getting better. Slowly.

The girls are spending the night at my mom's tonight and when I dropped them off, Olivia and Jaxon wanted to take a bath. My mom washed their hair with Dawn dish soap. She was careful to avoid their eyes.

When I left, O's hair was still damp but it looked better than ever. I think we might have to repeat the dish soap a few more times but we're on our way toward Olivia having Vaseline-free hair.

I hope.