First Water Mandarin Lip Balm

 As salaam u alaikum to all those reading this!

Today, I would be reviewing another lip balm from my Lip Balm Series which is from First Water.

First Water Solutions is known for making personal care products that are made using 100% natural and plant based products.Their high quality products are also gluten free which makes them a very inclusive brand. They believe in a holistic approach to skincare.

Claims: First Water Mandarin Lip Balm is 100% natural, plant based and infused with mandarin which keeps the lips soft and moisturized all day long with its hydrating formula. The Mandarin Lip Balm is gentle on the lips and does not cause irritation.

The Lip Balm is free from parabens, animal roducts, petrochemicals and PEG.

Price and Quantity: INR 199 for 8 grams.

Availability: Nykaa

Ingredients: Edible Plant Wax, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Castor Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Flavour.

Shelf Life: 18 months from the date of manufacture.

Directions: Use through the day and night for keeping your lips soft and hydrated. Take a tiny amount on fingertip and smudge on the lips.

Packaging: The packaging is a plastic tub with a plastic screw cap. overall. a very simple packaging.

My Experience

First Water as a brand is very new to me and I am sure, it must be new to many of us. I wanted to give this brand a try and what better than a lip balm!

As mentioned earlier, the lip balm comes in a plastic tub, with its manufacturing, ingredients, expiry and other details at the back.

It has a very citrusy fragrance to nice it and is because of the added Mandarin flavour. The fragrance is refreshing, I would say.

Coming to the consistency of the lip balm, it is slightly thick and the colour of the lip balm has a tint of orange.

I noticed two things, which are very weird and I would like to mention it: First, if a little bit extra product is taken, the application becomes difficult and the colour changes to creamy white. The a lip second weird thing is that, the lip balm stains the fingers 'yellow'; a picture of which is inserted below.

I have no clue as to why this happens, but it is not acceptable because there is no such ingredient which would leave a stain.

I have this product for over 3 months now and everytime I use it, I am left confused.

Now, coming to the moisturization it provides is nothing extraordinary. If one has extremely chapped lips, then they have to coat it with another lip balm or a lip oil.

Once applied, it stays on the lips for about 3-4 hours and is completely gone if one has a full meal.

As per its claims, it did not irritate my lips but also did not prevent my lips from being chapped.

It is just another ordinary lip balm.

Pros:

• Paraben, petrochemical, animal products and PEG free
• Doesn't irritate lips
• Refreshing fragrance

Cons:

• Difficult application
• Stains fingers
• Doesn't stop lips from chapping

Would I recommend it: NO

My Ratings: 2/5

Wow Red Onion Black Seed Oil Hair Mask

 As salaam u alaikum my ebullient geeks. 

This is my first blog of 2021. I hope that the year ahead proves to be in our favour.

So today, I would be reviewing about Wow's Red Onion Black Seed Oil Hair Mask.

Wow is a well-reputed brand that is dedicated to redefining beauty, health and wellness with extensive range of natural and herbal products, with any harmful chemicals. They are based in Bangalore, India and the brand aims to nature friendly beauty and healthcare, while lining up products that suit both men and women with all types of skin and hair products.

Claims: The Wow Red Onion Black Seed Oil Hair Mask claims to help strengthen, soften and smoothen dry, damaged hair and prevent breakage. The mask also claims to restore shine to dull hair and add volume to limping hair. Further, the mask is nourishing and moisturising. 

It is free from mineral oil, silicones, parabens and colour.

Price and Quantity: INR 499/- for 200 ml.

Availability: Wow website, Nykaa, Purplle, Amazon, Flipkart, etc.

Ingredients: Only the key ingredients are mentioned on the tub and also on their website.

The first five key ingredients are: Purified Water, Cetostearyl Alcohol ( Fatty Alcohol and Consistency Builder), Glycerin (Vegetable Derived), Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolysed Wheat Protein [Gluten free] (Cleansing and skin/hair conditioning agent) and Behentrimonium Chloride (Hair Conditioner).

Out of the 24 key ingredients mentioned, Red Onion Seed Oil Extract is 16th on the list, whereas Black Seed Oil is 17th on the list.

The hair mask does contain Fragrance, which is the 5th last ingredient.

Shelf Life: 2 years from the year of manufacture.

Directions: Shampoo and squeeze out excess water. Apply the hair mask from tip to root. Finger comb the hair and emulsify the mask through the hair to allow it to penetrate the shafts. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and then do a final rinse with cold water to seal cuticles and add shine.

Packaging: The packaging is a tub, which comes in a cardboard box. For the amount of the product offered, the size of the tub is normal/medium. The packaging is sturdy.

My Hair Type: Normal Scalp with Dry Hair.

My Experience

 To be honest, I bought this hair mask only because of two reasons. First, it's strengthening claim and second, because it is a wash off hair mask. I need not shampoo my hair after applying it.

For any product, the first noticeable thing is its fragrance. As for this product, since it has added fragrance, it smells good, not at all like onions. The smell is mild but stays in the hair for about 4-5 hours post wash.

Talking about the consistency of the product, it has a slightly runny consistency. the hair mask spreads evenly on the hair strands.

I prefer keeping the mask on my hair for about 15 minutes and washing it off with plain water.

Post wash, the feels soft upon touching. Thus, the hair mask stands at its claims of softening and smoothening the hair.

Also, as per its claims of adding volume, I do feel that it adds an extra volume to the hair.

As far as the breakage of hair is concerned, I did not notice any difference in my hair-breaking pattern. My hair breaks at the same rate. No changes noticed.

Further, the Wow Red Onion Black Seed Oil Hair Mask claims to add shine to dull hair. However, what I noticed was completely different. Even though the hair mask adds volume to my hair and makes it soft and smooth upon touching, my hair looks very unhealthy and frizzy (even though its not).

At last, the strengthening claim, I did not notice any changes in my hair fall.It is the same.

So, lets quickly sum up the pros and the cons.

Pros:

• Sturdy Packaging
• Mineral Oil, Silicones, Paraben and Colour free
• Makes hair soft and smooth
• Adds volume to hair

Cons:

• Does not help in stopping breakage
• Hair looks unhealthy

Would I recommend it: No (Only because hair looks unhealthy)

My Ratings: 3/5

If you found this helpful or if you have tried this mask before, do comment.

See you all with another review really soon, In Sha Allah.