Friday 17 June 2016

REVIEW: Sesa Oil for Long, Beautiful and Nourished Hair


Sesa is not a cosmetic or toiletry preparation but an ayurvedic medicine for curative and preventive therapy.

Ingredients:
Mandur - 4% w/v
Bhringraj - 3% w/v
Triphala - 3% w/v
Dhaturo - 2% w/v
Brahmi - 1% w/v
Chameli pan - 1% w/v
Nilli patta - 1% w/v
Chanothi - 0.5% w/v
Elaichi - 0.5% w/v
Jatamansi - 0.5% w/v
Karanj beej - 0.5% w/v
Neem beej - 0.5% w/v
Mehendi pan - 0.5% w/v
Rasot - 0.5% w/v
Akkal kara - 0.5% w/v
Vachha - 0.5% w/v
Yashti madhu - 0.5% w/v

Milk 10% v/v
Wheat germ oil - 1% v/v
Lemon oil - 1% v/v
Nilibrungadi oil - 8% v/v
Til oil - 25% v/v
Perfume - 2% v/v
Coconut oil q.s to 100% v/v

Price INR 95 for 90 ml

Shelf life: 3 years.

How to use:
Use directly on hair and scalp. Take a little oil in your palms and work it into your hair. Repeat till all hair is coated with oil. Massage the roots and scalp to help oil penetrate better.

Benefits:
Improves blood circulation to the hair follicles. Protects scalp and hair shaft from seborrheic dermatitis. Nourishes hair roots and scalp with vitamins thereby giving denser and thicker hair. Controls hair loss due to stress and pollution.

Review:


Sesa oil has been in the Indian market for a while with the same packaging as it is now. A lady with long, thick, black hair, that golden colour box and the white bottle inside. The oil is greenish and has a strong herbal fragrance. The best thing about the oil is that it is ready to use and does not need to be mixed in any other carrier oil before use. It makes it so convenient to use directly out of the bottle.

The oil makes the hair very soft because of the coconut oil base. Wheat germ oil is also extremely softening. It also has milk in it to strengthen hair by the milk protein. Til oil is rich in calcium and iron and makes the hair strong and resilient to falling. Lemon and nilibrungadi oil treat and prevent scalp infections. 

If you see the list of herbal extracts in this oil, it is pretty mind boggling. There are so many of them!
The ingredient in highest concentration in the oil is mandur or oild iron rust. Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common reasons for hairfall and greying, and this ingredient nails it in the head. Then there are the classic Bhringraj, Brahmi, and Triphala which are classic ayurvedic ingredients for hair care.  Chameli oil is very widely used in rural India and it is a fragrant, Jasmine oil. It helps the hair retain its dark and lustrous colour. Nilli patta or Indigo is the famous Indian dye which was one of the most famous Indian exports back in the day. It helps to colour the hair dark as it is basically a dye. Chanothi looks like berries that resemble a lady bird. It improves the quality of hair and removes split ends. Elaichi or cardamom is one ingredient that I never knew before that could be used in hair care. It soothes the scalp. So is Jatamansi which is also cooling. All the ingredients like mehendi, yashti madhu, neem, etc. are very beneficial for healthy hair.

The oil is very economically priced for the benefits it provides. If not for the strong fragrance, it is a great oil if you are looking to grow out hair, suffering from  dandruff, or hairfall.


REVIEW: L'oreal 6 Oil Nourish Oil in Cream


L'Oreal Paris 6 Oil Nouriish Oil in Cream Oil Replacement Cream

3X Shinier, Softer
6 Nutritive Oils
Intense nourishment
Incredible smoothness

Non greasy - Non sticky
All hair types

The secret of oiling your hair without the hassle

Innovation: L'Oreal Laboratories have created our first oil replacement cream infused with 6 precious nutritive oils - Argan, Olive, Almond, Coconut, Jojoba and Camelina.

It melts into the scalp and hair to deliver nourishment without hassle:
- Non greasy, non sticky, no stains
- Doesn't weigh hair down
- Leaves an alluring fragrance

Extraordinary hair everyday: Hair is 3X shinier* and softer**. (* Instrumental test, ** Instrumental test 3 pre wash applications)

Daily protection: Helps control frizz even in humid conditions. It also contains UV filters known to protect from sun.

Multi usage -
Overnight: Massage on scalp and hair and leave it overnight for intense nourishment.
Before shampoo: Leave for 30 minutes on hair and rinse off for ultimate softness.
After shampoo: Apply on lengths and tips to keep your hair manageable and protected all day.

Hair cream - 1160068

Ingredients:
Water
Cetearyl alcohol - Emulsifier
Mineral oil
Coconut oil
Sodium benzoate - Preservative
Hydroxy citronellal - It is banned in the EU as it is a human immune system toxin.
Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine - One of the leading replacements of silicone in conditioners.
Olive oil
Argan oil
PEG 45M - Emulsion stabilizer
Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate - Fragrance
Behentrimonium chloride - Disinfectant
Chlorhexidine digluconate - Antibacterial
Limonene - Strong orange fragrance
Camelina oil
Jojoba oil
Benzyl salicylate - UV light absorber
Benzyl alcohol - Pleasant aromatic fragrance
Linalool - Soft, sweet fragrance
Isopropyl alcohol - The alcohol present in Rubbing Alcohol, it's a disinfectant.
Isoeugenol - Spicy Fragrance
Fragrance
Cetyl dimethicone - Silicone; makes hair feel sleek.
Cetrimonium chloride - Antiseptic
Citric acid - Anticoagulant
Citronellol - Floral fragrance
BHT - Preservative
Sweet Almond oil
Hexyl cinnamal - Fragrance of chamomile flowers
Glycerin - Conditioner
CI 179212/1 - Colour

So, as you can see from the ingredients, there are a lot of emusifiers, stabilizers, fragrances (a tad too many), disinfectants, antibacterials, and preservatives (many of them), and somewhere along the list you will actually find some oil ingredient too. There are so many (SO MANY) fragrance ingredients that most of the money that you pay goes for the fragrances only.

Coming to the oils in the order of their respective volume present in the oil are mineral oil, coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, camelina oil, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil. Sweet almond oil is the 4th last ingredient in the list so it means that it is present in minute quantities. It is also safe to say that there are more fragrances than sweet almond oil. Mineral oil is a petroleum derivative, jsut like petroleum jelly. It does no nutrition for the hair but coats it well so that external factors like pollution, humidity, etc. don't affect it. Coconut oil is one of the best oils for the hair for its deep penetration properties. Olive oil makes the hair super soft. Argan oil is all the latest rage in hair care these days, and this oil from Argan kernals is native to Morocco. It is known to help split ends and damaged hair in general. Camelina oil may seem new to us in India, but it is a popular oil in Northern European countries where this plant grows well. It kind of looks like a western version of our mustard plant. Jojoba (pronounced ho-ho-ba) oil is very moisturizing for the hair. And last and also the least here, sweet almond oil is known for helping hair grow to its full potential.

Now, over to the product. Firstly, its packaging. It comes in a mustard yellow, gold packaging and just by the looks of it, it is just gorgeous! The cap is a flip one.

Speaking of the product, the first thing that will come out of the tube is the fragrance. oh my God! It is so strong. Then the product is like a white conditioner. It is more watery than creamy. Even on the hands, it does not leave any greasy feeling. Just after application on the hair, it sits there for a while and then completely vanishes. Like, hair doesn't even look like it's got something on it. There is no oily feel too. So, it is perfect for everyday use. There is a sunscreen in the product! Can you believe it?  


The product absorbs immediately in to the hair lengths and tips. It feels wet on application and within 2 - 3 minutes gets completely absorbed. Hair does not feel even the slightest bit oily or greasy. It gave a mattified look which I did not expect nor liked it because we all like our hair looking glossy and shiny. On the roots and scalp though, it did look oily. Even the product did not completely sink in. I wonder why.

So, for this reason, I recommend you use it only along your hair length if you will be stepping out or using the product after shampoo. If you are using it before shampoo or overnight, no problem. It is not so oily that it will stain your pillow cover. 

It does take a lot of product to coat my entire hair and scalp. I have thick and long hair up to my waist and this tube won't last more than 3 uses, if I were to. But if you have thin or shorter hair then it will work on you, I guess.

It makes hair fluffy, so it is goof for flat hair. Doesn't tame flyaways or control frizz. Its moisturizing/ conditioning effect is okay, not great.

Overall, it is good for everyday use, just to protect hair from pollution and the sun. It offers hair just a little bit of help vs no product in the hair at all. 

Priced at  INR 80 for a 100 ml tube is pretty much on the pricier side for what the product actually does.

Verdict on the effect of the product:
Shine 2/5
Softness 4/5
Volume 4/5
Bounce 3/5
Manageability 4/5

Verdict on the product itself:
Fragrance 3/5
Ease of use 5/5
Non sticky on the hands 5/5 ; on the hair 5/5
Non greasy on the hands 5/5 ; on the hair 3/5


Tuesday 7 June 2016

REVIEW: Patanjali Saundarya Swarn Kanti Fairness Cream

Patanjali Saundarya Swarn Kanti Fairness Cream


An advanced blend of purified gold with natural oils, herbs, vitamins and fruit extracts. Provides visible fairness, even skin tone, reduces blemishes and dark spots. 

Swarn Kanti means golden glow in Sanskrit. After having launched a number of useful skin care products, I wondered why, in a nation and world ( a fair part of) obsessed with fairness, Patanjali had not introduced a fairness cream? I thought that they were probably discouraging the notion of fairness. But here they are with a fairness product that skips all levels of ordinary and is infused with the precious metal, Gold! Bam! There are so many fairness products already in the market. 99% of them are chemical based, and very few are herbal or ayurvedic composition. So, what did Patanjali need, apart from its brand name of course, to produce a fairness cream that not just sets it apart from the rest, but makes it superior? Gold, of course. They are here to cash in on the number one beauty product rage that sells no matter what - FAIRNESS!

Priced at INR 399, it is no ordinary price, and is pretty much on the expensive side. Especially when compared to the rest of the Patanjali products that are budget friendly. But with a product that incorporates gold, what else could one expect? I never think twice before going for a Patanjali product just because they are easy on the pocket, but this one compelled me to think twice. First, because it is expensive. Second, because it is a fairness cream. Not that I am crazy about fairness, but I just don't trust them anymore. They obviously don't help any fairness, but they don't even help to even skin out. But this one is by Patanjali. Probably it is different? Probably it will work? These were my thoughts before I plunged for it. 

The box and the jar

It comes in a white carton box and the jar itself is all golden in colour with a golden cap as well. It is much smaller than the box. It comes sitting in a padding inside the box, so don't be fooled by looking at the box. It is so tiny, it is hardly 2 inches in height. It is a 15 g product which is about half an ounce or a tablespoonful to be exact. So, you can imagine what a tiny little jar it is. 

The tiny jar that contains 15g of the product

The cap is a screw on type. The insides of the jar are white plastic. The cream itself is off white in colour. It doesn't shimmer, nor there is any glitter in to say that there is any gold in it. The cream melts into the skin and is quite a good moisturizer. 50% of the cream's composition is aloe vera, Aloe vera has very good moisturizing and healing properties. It also has wheat germ oil which is known for its deep nourishing and skin lightening properties, jojoba oil which is known to make skin super soft and supple, and chironji or Cuddapah almonds which are rich in vitamin E which helps to repair damaged skin, protect it from free radicals, and also lighten skin. These 3 oils combined make up just 6 % of the composition. It also has turmeric oil (1% of the composition) which is great to fight acne and reduce scars and blemishes. It has banana extract, and I love banana. It is a great skin conditioner and removes roughness of the skin and makes skin smooth and glowing. It is a wonder food, not just for the body but for beauty as well. It is quite a unique ingredient as I have never ever seen any other product containing banana extract before. It is present as just 1 % of the composition. It also has rhubarb, an astringent, licorice which is one of the best skin lightening agents, and manjistha which helps maintain skin's lustre and health. All these three ingredients are just 1.5% of the composition. So, you can see that the herbal ingredients in this fairness cream are just a fraction of the composition and even then they are mainly for skin softening and smoothening and not primarily for skin lightening. The base material is cream base, purified gold, vitamin B3, C, and E (keeps skin healthy, moisturized and glowing), fruit extracts (help skin glow and lighten tan), soya peptide, fragrance, diazolidinyl urea and IPBC (preservatives), water q.s.

White insides of the jar and the off white cream

I have been using this for at least two weeks, and I don't know how long I have to wait to see the "visible fairness". It is not even helping reduce discolouration or pigmentation on my face. I have few acne scars and they are still the same as they were before using this cream. I don't rely heavily on moisturizing creams on the face, so I don't really need this cream because that is the only thing that it is doing well. Even home remedies for skin lightening or sun tan/ pigmentation removing work much better than this over priced cream. Home remedies wont cost more than INR 50 or so per application (even the most indulging, luxe ones), but one single application of this cream will easily cost INR 60 if you are using just 2 grams of the product. In fact I am so unhappy with this product that I forget to use it. If you see results, you will be attracted to use it again and again, but if it does not work, who will keep on using it?

If you have had good results with this cream, do comment below. Who knows that it might work on some skin types?

Monday 6 June 2016

FASHION 101: Peplums



Peplum comes from ancient Greek women's costume known as Peplos. It evolved during the Doric and Ionic periods and was made using a rectangular piece of cloth which was folded at the top and dropped full length to the ankle.

  
Images source: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/radical_romans/snorri/greek_clothing.htm

Peplum lends a slimming look when used with soft fabrics. It works best with pencil skirts and skinny jeans.

Image source: www.lulus.com/products/pleased-to-chic-you-bright-peach-lace-peplum-top/191306.htm

Peplum is an evergreen fashion item on the red carpet. It suits every body type, petite, tall, slender, athletic, curvaceous, every possible shape and size! It makes the waist appear smaller and visually shifts the weight downward where it ends. Even broad hips are visually slimmed down as the focus shifts upward to the hem of the flowy peplum.

Peplum on curvier frame

Image source: nordstrom.com/s/belted-peplum-top/4292178
Peplum on petite frame

Image source : http://www.polyvore.com/banana_republic_womens_seersucker_strapless/thing?id=166144205

Delicate neck pieces or jewellery go very well with the slimming peplums. Chunky pieces or statement jewellery steal the peplums' delicacy and add more weight, which is great on skinnier frames. Same with handbags and shoes. Clutches and strappy shoes add an elegant touch to the peplum ensemble.

Image source: http://www.anntaylor.com/Petite-Strapless-Peplum-Top/326286
On the contrary, it can add weight and some bulk if the material is stiffer or heavier. This is ideal for girls who are skinnier on the top.


For a casual yet feminine, flirty look, opt for a light material peplum top in sheer fabrics. Put the look together with skinny jeans and strappy wedges. Dress it up with stilettos.

Image source: glamradar.com


With skirts, it goes best with pencil skirts that graze the knees or long, maxi skirts that hug the hips and legs . A line, umbrella skirts kill the whole flare game going on with the peplum top.

Image source: glamradar.com

There are casual peplums too which don't flare as much and give a very nonchalant look. These are perfect for running errands in, or going to college, etc.

Image source: anthropologie.com
Peplum dresses almost always come with a tapering bottom. The most common collar for the peplum is a simple 'U' neck which sits just below the collarbone. However, it is so versatile and different necks offer a classy look to the outfit.

Image source: boohoo.com


It can create an interesting silhouette with a high - low hem combination.

Image source: nastygal.com

Off shoulder tops instantly make a classy attire, and add peplum to it, and you have a fun and flirty, classy yet demure combination.

Image source: https://www.modaoperandi.com/monique-lhuillier-pf16/pebble-jacquard-one-shoulder-peplum-top

Pair it over a sari with the drape to the front and you have just created an interesting cocktail of Indian and western wear. Similarly, it pairs well with dhotis, salwar, and ghagras as well.

Image source: holichicbymegha.com

Image source: ebay.com

Image source: jivacouture.com
Give any outfit, the edge of a jacket and glam up the jacket with a peplum. Ideal for any occasion.

Image source: burberry.com
Play with the peplum, because the sky is the limit. It is so versatile and goes well with any fabric, design, and combination.

Fashion is an art and there are no hard and fast rules, so have fun experimenting with different collars, fabrics, prints, textures, and hems.

Wednesday 1 June 2016

REVIEW: Patanjali Herbal Suhag Teeka


A safe formula has a unique combination of precious herbs, vegetable oils and waxes. It does not irritate and harm the scalp.

Water proof sindoor. Herbal sindoor with natural dye. Provides a soft, smooth and beautiful look.
Claims: No smudge, restraint to perspiration.

The ayurvedic composition is as follows:
Each 1 g product contains:
Castor oil 390 mg
Wheat germ oil 10 mg
Rakht chandan or red sandalwood powder 5 mg
China rose powder 5 mg
Amahaldi extract 0.1 mg
Manjistha extract 0.1 mg
Turmeric extract 0.1 mg
Saffron powder 0.05 mg
Base material: ointment base, natural waxes, vegetable oil, vitamin E, BHT, colour CI 15880 (red).

Shelf life: 2 years
Net weight: 3 g
MRP: INR 75

Beautiful maroon and gold bullet with a conical teeka
It comes in a beautiful maroon and gold combo bullet that looks much like a lipstick. In fact even the Patanjali herbal kajal comes in a similar bullet (review here). It is rightfully called teeka as the consistency is that of a thick teeka, creamy and a bit waxy. The colour is a deep maroon in the bullet which is shaped as a sharp cone.

Maroon teeka with pink undertone and tiny gold flecks
It is easy to apply. Just part your hair and swipe a line along the parting. It does not smudge and it completely water and sweat proof. On the skin, its colour pay off is not too good. It looks a pinkish maroon on the first instance. After 2 - 3 minutes, the colour oxidizes and looks a bit darker but still has a tinge of pink undertone. It has tiny gold shimmer in it, the kind that you see in some Holi colours. The gold shimmer are because of the added red pigment. It has a slight red sandalwood fragrance to it. I did not experience any hair loss or skin irritation with it although I have been using it for over a year.

Teeka after one wash in soap and water

Although it does not disappear in water, it is easy to wash off with a little bit of soap/ besan. In the above picture, I used a little soap with no hand pressure and it washed off like that.

Overall it is a safe alternative to the traditional teeka and quite convenient and handy to carry around. It is lasting quite a while and it can easily come up to more than a year even f used regularly.