Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Review: Lucas' Papaw Ointment




I was given a 25g tube of this ointment by a friend last year and I was immediately attracted to it's lovely bright red packaging. I had been complaining of flaky and dry lips and my friend assured me that this ointment keeps lips really soft and supple. I had up to this time been using the traditional petroleum jelly and found that the moment they wore off my lips, I would get that dry feeling again.

What is Papaw Ointment?
This is a product developed in Australia by T.P Lucas, a botanist using ingredients from the paw paw or papaya tree! Yes, papaya - a fruit that you either love or hate! Papaya contains Papain which is a natural remedy that heals wounds. Papain also contains antiseptic qualities.

What can it be used for?
The tube states that this ointment can be used to treat:-
boils, bruises, burns, cuts, dry and cracked skin on hands and feet, heat rash, insect stings, mosquito bites, open wounds, pimples, scalds, sunburn, swelling associated with injury and even offers temporary relief from some skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema.

What does the ointment look like?
This is a fairly thick petroleum jelly based ointment that is faintly yellow in color and has a slight smell which I find hard to explain. However, its not an unpleasant smell to me. It looks similar to petroleum jelly, the only difference being the papain added into the mixture. This smell that Lucas' ointment has is kind of fruity and medicine like in nature but don't expect it to remind you of papaya's though!

Is it good?
I started using it because I found that midway in the office, when my lipstick wore off, my lips would become very dry and chapped and I lick my lips to keep them moist - which I know I shouldn't but do anyway! The airconditioning really is NOT a girl's best friend as it really dies out skin. Since I do not like reapplying my lipstick on dry lips, what I usally do is apply some petroleum jelly on my lips to soothe them. I found that this does not do the job really well because after the petroelum jelly wears off, my lips still feel dry.

I tried Lucas' Papaw Ointment and once you apply the slightly thick ointment, it melts a little when it comes into contact with warm lips. This makes it easy to apply. The ointment made my lips feel soft and took away that chapped feeling and really moisturized it well. Before I reapply lipstick, I usually use a tissue and wipe off the ointment, rubbing gently to exfoliate and I find that my lipstick goes on really well after.

Another tip is to use it at night before you go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, you will have lips that are soft and ready for lipstick!

I initially thought that this product was not available in Malaysia until I spotted it in Tesco Ampang! It retails for RM18.90 and only the 25g tube is available.

The tube lasts for a long time and I have one next to my bed which I use just before I sleep. Remember, a little goes a long way.