Review: Patanjali Tejus Tailum

Patanjali Tejus Tailum

For healthy hair, muscular strength, beautiful and glowing skin.

Shelf life : 2 years

Net volume: 100 ml

Price: INR 60

Composition:
Composition of this oil as mentioned on the bottle:

Each 10 ml contains (in decreasing order of quantity used):
Sunflower oil - 2.5 ml
Sesame oil - 2.5 ml
Mustard oil - 1.5 ml
Soyabean oil - 1.0 ml
Olive oil - 0.6 ml
Walnut oil - 0.5 ml
Peanut oil - 0.5 ml
Castor oil - 0.5 ml
Almond oil - 0.2 ml
Frangrance

Benefits of each ingredient:

Sunflower oil - Sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used vegetable oils in the kitchen as it is very light - lighter than even olive oil. Owing to its light weight, it is also easily absorbed into the skin and hair making it a versatile oil for beauty treatments. Sunflower oil is richer in Vitamin E than almond oil. This makes it an excellent moisturizer to keep the skin soft, smooth and fight wrinkles and sun damage too. It is also believed to have skin lightening properties, so it makes it the best oil for massage prior to ubtan. Sunflower also strengthens hair follicles and promotes new hair growth, so it is very good for thin hair or hair fall. 

Sesame oil - Sesame seed oil is known as the Queen of oils. It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory meaning that it not only protects skin and treats skin diseases like acne, dandruff, etc due to germs and also environmental pollutants. It cures serious skin conditions like psoriasis and when applied to hair, it kills lice, so it is good for children too. It is excellent as a massage oil on its own as it not only promotes flexibility of joints but also muscular strength. It tightens skin and shrinks pores helping skin looks more youthful. It is rich in zinc, meaning that it lessens hair fall.

Mustard oil - Any Bengali will vouch for the potency of mustard oil. Regular oiling with mustard oil is almost like a ritual. Not to forget, it is a must for cooking that scrumptious fish! Massaging the body with this oil, especially during winters, keeps the body nice and warm. It also imparts a lovely, warm glow to the skin. Regular use can help fade scars and pigmentation and also lighten tan. Applied to the hair, it makes it healthy and grow long and strong.

Soyabean oil - If your skin's been damaged due to excessive sun exposure, look no further than this. It can reverse the damage and heal the skin. It can remove the tan, the dryness and the wrinkles associated with sun damage. It is extremely moisturizing to the hair as well, conditioning it deeply and making it soft and manageable.

Olive oil - Olive oil has been popularized quite a lot for its skin lightening properties. And it is true. Owing to its high percentages of vitamins A and E, it makes skin glow with health and increases skin cell's turnover, so that newer, healthier cells replace, darkened, damaged skin cells. And it is so light weight that it does not clog pores and lead to breakouts. Used on hair, it can make it silky and glossy.

Walnut oil - Walnut oil is quite a thick consistency oil and it can work wonders on the skin. If soft, glowing, youthful skin is your desire, then walnut oil is your genie. It can make skin soft and supple, transforming dry and rough skin to velvety smoothness. It can also help with lightening dark circles around the eyes. Applied to hair, it enhances the natural brown highlights/ pigments in the hair, so it is great for brownish hair. It is the ultimate when it comes to pampering the skin and hair.

Peanut oil - Peanut oil is one of the lesser known wonder oils in the skin care department. Nowadays, it is slowly and steadily garnering popularity due to its versatility in skin care regimen. It is the best face cleanser you could have ever dreamed of. You will notice all the dirt, oil, and make up just melting off as you massage with this oil. So, not only will it moisturize the skin like all other oils, but its rich iron content will help to keep the skin healthy and remove any pigmentation and skin darkening due to anemia. 

Castor oil - Castor is famous to make hair thicker and promote hair growth. It is a lesser known oil for skin care. Nonetheless, its presence in this oil concoction helps boost its use for hair care. 

Almond oil - Poor little almond oil is the least quantity used in this product. Almond oil is popular as rich in vitamin E, however like I mentioned previously, sunflower oil is richer in vitamin E than almond oil. So, it peanut oil. So, this guy sits in the concoction boosting the concentration of vitamin E in whichever way that he can help. It also helps lighten skin tone. However, it tends to settle in the skin pores and lead to breakouts if not washed off properly. It can also lead to skin puffiness by penetrating into the skin layers. Therefore, sparing use is actually good.

Review:

Let's leave the packaging aside for a while. It is not worth raving about anyway. Let's just rave about the product. After all, we paid money for the product right?

So, the golden oil comes in a flip top bottle with a tiny opening to ensure you don't spill out more than you need. The first thing you will notice after pouring some oil onto your palms is the fragrance. Some people are very sensitive to even the tiniest bit of fragrance; like babies and some grown ups. Those kinds will find it too over powering, else it is a not that strong actually. Quite frankly, it is much milder than your shampoo. Bet?

For use as a massage oil, it is not that oily or greasy, and actually absorbs into the skin very fast, so it is not awesome as a body massage or baby massage oil. No matter how much oil you use for massage, it all sinks in to the skin so fast, that you will have more friction than massage.

The same absorbency power is this oil's forte. Because it disappears into the skin, without leaving any greasiness, it works great as a moisturizer for normal to oily skin types. It is best to apply a layer of oil on the skin - face, neck, hands, elbows, legs, toes, anywhere that you have problematic skin and allow 5 minutes for it to soak in. You don't need to worry about staining your clothes with the oil. It won't. Best time to use this oil is at night before retiring to bed, on clean skin. Wake up in the morning and amaze yourself with the glow on your face and skin. If you have acne, it will help control it. As it does not clog the pores being so light, you don't have to worry about new breakouts. Also, it helps fade away acne scars and pigmentation. If you are upset about the tan on your skin, let this oil gently erase it. You will be surprised to see it faster than any fairness/ anti-tan/ anti-marks product ever! If you have rough, dry skin, this oil will make it softer with each use. Therefore, it is especially useful for softening and lightening dark elbows, knees, and neck easily, and without scrubbing. I do not recommend oil or oil based creams as such for under eye dark circles as the oil tends to get into the hair follicles and puff them up as eyelash hair is very thin and so is its follicles, so even an oil drop is heavy enough to clog it. Therefore, water based products like aloe vera, cucumber, potato and tomato, etc do not puff them up and work better for dark circles  than oils, even this oil. This oil is soothing on the skin, and feels light and cool, and will soothe inflammations and skin irritations. Skin flare ups like eczema and psoriasis will find some relief with use if this product. However, do not use it as the only treatment. Better use it as a follow up along with your current routine and you will definitely see good improvement.

Indirect uses of this oil can be together with ubtan mixture for body scrub, mixed with regular hair oil or body oil or baby oil for massage.

Some FAQs.
Is it safe to use for baby?
Some of the most popular foreign brands of baby oil available in the market are made of mineral oil which is nothing but liquid paraffin which is nothing but a petroleum by-product. If most mothers or care givers see no harm in applying such toxic chemicals on a baby, how would an all natural product such as this one do any harm? Use your intuition and mother's instinct while choosing a product for your baby. Always do a patch test before committing to use any kind of product on the little one. Benefits of massaging with this oil will be smoother, softer skin, along with stronger muscles and bones as some of its ingredients are good for muscular strength. Some areas of a baby tend to get darker, such as the bum and knees due to crawling and sitting/sleeping for long time. This oil will help moisturize and lighten the skin. As mentioned earlier, it is not the right oil for massage as it quickly gets absorbed, so better use in together with some coconut oil or mustard oil which are good for baby massages.

Will regularly using this oil promote thicker hair growth on the body?
Some believe that if oiling helps hair on the head grow longer and thicker, it will also make hair on the face and body grow similarly. Contrary to the hair on the head, facial and body hair is much finer and much much much shorter. Their follicles do not need food to grow like the head hair follicles do. The purpose of the hair on the body is to keep the body warm by preventing excessive loss of body heat. So, depending on the person's body temperature, hormones, and other health factors, the hair on the body is thick or scanty, and this is controlled by the body'd internal mechanism. Outer factors like oiling, face masks etc. won't send the body any more signals to grow it longer or thicker than it already is.

Review: Livon Serum

Livon's new catch phrase, Pretty Girl Swag, really hits the spot! Even Kangna Ranaut looks ravishing with her thick, glossy hair in the commercial. And she says, Goodbye uljhe, frizzy, toote hair. Hahaha. What an amazing alternating combination of an English and a Hindi word. Really cool. So the ad has captured attention, but does the product deliver? Read on, babes. Read on.

Now, Livon is not really a new hair care product in the market. It's been around at least for the last 10 years or so. I remember slathering on some Livon every time I wanted to feel pretty pretty. Wink!

Livon was popularized as a hair serum that would prevent tangles and keep hair silky smooth. Let's first have a look at the ingredients that help deliver what the product claims.

Ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane - It is a silicone which gives a silky, almost slippery feeling when applied on the hair. The quintessential ingredient which gives serum, the texture of a serum - oily yet non greasy, easy to apply and slides on smoothly. It repels moisture, therefore, controls frizz very well. It is light weight so it is apt for leave in conditioners without weighing the hair down and making it look flat. 

Cyclopentasiloxane and Dimethiconol - Dimethiconol resembles dimethicone which is a heavier silicone and it is well transported by the lighter silicone, cyclopentasiloxane. It is also an excellent hair conditioner just like the cyclo guy. As it is heavier, it can fix fly aways. As mentioned previously, these guys hate water, they repel it, so for the same reason, they cannot be washed away with plain water. They need to be rinsed off in a "sulphate" shampoo. 

Diphenyl dimethicone - This little guy is misspelt on the label. I take such typos very seriously as they speak a lot about their credibility, don't they? Anyways, this guy is another member of the hair conditioner family. He sits comfortably with his peers assisting in what they all do best - making hair sleek and polished looking.

C12-15 Alkyl benzoate - It is an intense softener. Want hair soft as a velvet cushion. Just look out for this guy to help you out.

Tocopherol acetate - It is an acetate of Vitamin E. What does that mean? A cheap alternative to using similar amounts of Vitamin E oil. Whenever I see this ingredient on a product's label, I roll my eyes. Cheap tricks and big bucks.

Fragrance

Review:

Earlier, this product came in a decent sized bottle but now it is a smaller bottle. Talk about commercialization. The product's craze, as I have noticed hasn't waned a bit. Thanks to its claims and promises targeting what every girl desires, it has remained in the most wanted list. Hehe.

The colorless serum feel pretty oily on the hands, but quickly absorbs into the hair leaving no trace of oiliness at all! It can be applied on damp or dry hair. Damp hair helps to evenly distribute the product better than dry hair that is all. If you have just treated your hair to some loving heat from a straightener or curler, apply this product after, not before. As there is no water based solvent in the product, it does not "spoil" the newly set hair. However, do not confuse it with a hair setting serum. It will only soften the hair and not set the hair straight or curly as you have set it.

Only a very tiny amount is needed - actually, much lesser than you would think. Too much serum will end you up looking like an oily mess. Apply only to the hair shaft and not to the roots or neat the scalp or it will turn hair oily. It works well on all types of hair. I was afraid that it might weigh down hair and turn flat hair even more limp. However, contrary to my worries, it has added a fluffiness to the hair. Hair feels light and fluffy, the kind you would imagine flying gorgeously in the wind. At the same time it tames frizz and fly-aways', so that hair looks good and well kept. Its effect lasts surprisingly long too - my hair is dry and the product fares well even on third day hair. Hair tangles visibly reduce. I donno what kinda magic it might be but it does. So hair combing and brushing is no more a pain, literally! Less hair breakage means less hairfall. Other than that quality, it does not strengthen hair. I cannot rave about the shine it imparts to the hair as I have noticed none. It does soften the hair, so dry and rough hair will surely love this one. And not to forget its fragrance, it just lingers on in the hair and its a beautiful one.

All in all, I love Livon for its magic on the hair. However, girls who have had their hair chemically treated - colored or straightened/permed, may not have the same result. I had used it when my hair was newly re-bonded and the results were anything but pleasing. I noticed that my hair was turning lighter in color every time I had used it. But now that all that re-bonding and chemicals have worn off, the serum works well on my hair. 

REVIEW: Parachute Scalp Therapie

Parachute Advansed Scalp Therapie 

with active protein complex clinically proven for hair fall control 

tested by dermatologists.

Quirky fact #1: The name is "Advansed", not advanced. There is no such word like that. Therefore, it is not advanced. Hehehe

Quirky fact #2: The name is "Therapie", not therapy. There is no such word like that. Therefore, it is not a therapy. Hehehehehe

Some falls are fun. Like falling in love, or nightfall. But some falls are not so fun. Like Humpty Dumpty's fall or our own hair fall. Hair fall is one of the most common woes and one that is very pesky and not easy to fix. Hair fall can be caused by many conditions - be it poor diet or eating habits, physical/mental/emotional stress, medical conditions, environmental pollution, hormonal imbalance, allergies, dandruff etc. The fix to all of them may not be one remedy, but the general rule of thumb is that a healthy scalp means healthy hair.

Parachute is a very loved brand, famous for its pure coconut oil for hair care in India. In the recent years it has spiced up its plain coconut oil and has launched a number of new concoctions under the names like hot oil, ayurvedic oil, jasmine oil, etc. Its new launch the Parachute Advansed Scalp Therapie claims to arrest hair fall with visible results in 7 weeks (less than 2 months!). So before delving into its detailed analysis and reviews and pros and cons, lets first look at its ingredients, coz a product's potential is what it is made up of. It has quite a list of impressive hair fall control-repair-growth ingredients, so read on to find out what they are and what powers they bestow.

Ingredients:

Coconut oil - Coconut oil is one of the best loved hair care oils because of its versatile properties. It moisturizes dry and frizzy hair and makes it soft and manageable. It is an excellent pre-shampoo hair conditioner that also makes hair super glossy. It is high in fatty acids that provide the hair proper nourishment to keep it strong and healthy. It is anti-bacterial and fights scalp infections including dandruff. It is widely used in south India, and pretty much every damsel uses it regularly to maintain those ever praise worthy thick and luscious locks.

Mineral oil - Mineral oil is popularly sold as baby oil making it look harmless and often misleading people by its name which tricks one into thinking that it is rich in minerals. Contrary to what one may believe, it is actually a petroleum derivative; liquid vaseline. It does not absorb into the skin or hair, merely sits on the surface like a plastic cling wrap blocking the pores and making it difficult for the skin to breathe. There is no real benefit of using this oil as such, it is merely used in products as a cheap means to "fill up" the product.

Isopropyl palmitate - It is a colorless and almost odourless liquid. It is derived by processing palmitic acid from coconut oil. As such it is an all natural substance. It can not only moisturize the hair, but also eliminate static which makes hair frizzy and unmanageable, making it a versatile ingredient in humid climates. It is used in hair care products to make it look glossy and also make it smooth and silky to touch. However, it can cause adverse reactions on sensitive skin or skin which already is suffering infections or cuts. 

Isopropyl myristate - It is a synthetic substance and is used in hair care products for softening and conditioning properties. It lends a silky feel to the hair whilst conditioning it. It's unique characteristic property reduces the oily or greasy feeling of the oils giving the product an oil-free, light feel. It absorbs quickly into the skin and scalp, thus delivering the results quickly and also taking along with it, the other ingredients in the hair care product. However, it does tend to clog pores if used excessively. 

Vegetable protein mix - Protein deficiency is believed to cause hair loss. Hair is also made up of keratin which is a type of protein, so it makes sense to feed hair some protein if it lacks it. However, the exact ingredients are not mentioned but the source is vegetarian. 

Sorbitan oleate - It is an emuldifying agent that keeps ingredients hugging each other where they normally would'nt. 

Fragrance - Fragrant oils tend to linger on for a long time and can cause headaches to sensitive peeps.

Herbal blend (Hibiscus, Amla, Brahmi) - All the three ingredients are age-old beauty secrets in India for beautiful hair. Hibiscus feeds the hair roots making them stronger and resilient to hair fall and damage. Amla is a rich source of vitamin C and fatty acids to nourish the hair follicles to stimulate hair growth and also fights scalp infections while making hair shiny and strong  Brahmi is another famous hair care ingredient to make hair thicker and promote hair growth.

Mineral blend (zinc, copper) - Zinc is an essential mineral that maintains hormonal balance. Zinc deficiency can also cause deterioration in the protein structure. As mentioned before, hair is made up of protein called keratin, so zinc deficiency can be linked to loss of hair as well. Copper not only strengthens hair follicles making hair resilient to hair fall, but also promotes hair growth at a fast rate. All this while boosting melanin production in the hair, thus helping reverse hair greying. So, it is an all win-win situation. 

Vitamin E - It is anti-inflammatory in nature and thereby protects hair from external free radical damage. It also keeps hair soft and nourished.

Vitamin B - Vitamin B or B complex if the single most crucial vitamin vital for overall good health. For more information on the importance of vitamins for health and beauty - what are those vitamins and how does each vitamin exactly help in beauty, read my blog here.

Review:

Surprise, surprise! The oil is yellowish brown in color and not colorless like all the other Parachute oils in their range. Also, it is non-sticky unlike the rest. So, obviously, curiosity spikes and expectations hike just thinking that it must be so different from the rest. The fragrance is of lavender and is pretty overwhelming first off. I just couldn't stand it and thought it was the first and last time that I would use it. The whole time it was in my hair, I felt like I was walking with Airwick Lavendar on my head. Not kidding! But hey, the results were great with just the one day's use. The next day my hair fall definitely reduced so much so that I could notice it was not falling all over the place like it usually did. Even as I ran my fingers through my hair, it didn't just break and fall off. So, I was happy with the product and forgot to oil my hair again that day. The next day hair fall was back to square one. So, I realized this product and this problem needed daily regular attention. So, I now slather on some every day. It takes about 10 ml (around 2 tsps) quantity for my scalp. I apply it concentrating on the scalp and the hair roots get some product on them too. It is best to leave it overnight before washing it off. If you stay indoors and can avoid shampooing every so often, then just leave on the oil. The fragrance does get bearable with regular use, I guess the olfactory organ just learns to ignore it well. It is a pricey product for how much quantity you get. But. I guess all these hair fall repair products tend to cash in on the consumers "weak" point. The one other con that I see with this product is that you will need another oil to oil the rest of the hair. Although the hair shaft does not need oiling, I feel oiling the shafts and the ends help moisturize it better and prevents dry, rough hair and split ends. So, it has just been a week since I have started using this product. The results are good enough to keep me using this product for now. I had severe hair fall problem and I would lose bunches and bunches of hair just like that, and hair would just shed off everywhere. Since the time I have been using this oil, it has at least  stopped shedding as much as before. I haven't experienced thicker hair or faster hair growth. I hope it reduces hair fall eventually and makes hair thicker in the long run. I will post an update in 6 weeks time to let you guys know if the product has lived up to its 7 week claim.

P.S> It has been more than 6 weeks and I used up the entire bottle. Results were unsatisfactory! Very disappointed for its claims had risen my expectations and a total waste. However, its lesser known cousin, Parachute Ayurvedic Hair Oil worked like magic. Review here.