Badger Balm Cuticle Care - If The Badger Needs It, So Do I!

My cuticles are not a sight to behold because they are very dry and tend to split often which is why I always carry creams to apply on my hands whenever I feel that they are dry. It also does not help that I work in a very cold and dry office. So you can imagine my surprise when I chanced upon a whole range of Badger products in Isetan, KLCC in the most unlikely of places....the childrens department close to where milk bottles and nappy rash creams are!

I have been interested in purchasing the Sleep Balm for my mother and meant to do it online for the longest time but never got round to doing it, so I was indeed thankful when I saw this last weekend. I quickly picked up the Sleep Balm for mum and chose the Cuticle Care Balm for myself as I liked the fact that it is small and convenient to slip into the sidepocket of my hand bag ready to be fished out when I need a quick touch up on the cuticles.

First off, I have to say that I find the smell of this balm totally relaxing. As soon as I opened the tin, I got a whiff of the smell and it was very soothing and not at all overpowering. Once I had worked it into my cuticles, the smell seemed even fainter to the nose. My husband took one sniff and asked me if this was to keep mosquitoes away! I gave him 'the look' of course,  but when I inspected the ingredient list, lemongrass oil was there - which explains why he thought it was to deter the mozzies! In Malaysia, some insect repellants use this as an ingredient and when applied on the hands and legs, effectively keep the bugs away and he was merely remembering the smell from the repellant our children use before they play in the garden every evening! 

The moment you put your warm finger into the buttery yellow balm, it melts. The back of the tin says that upon the heat of your finger touching the surface, pearls of shea rise to the top and you can see that the surface of the balm becomes shiny and oily.This however, allows you to pick up the product to apply on your cuticles easily without having to apply pressure. The Shea Butter in this product is from the seed of the wild-grown Karite Tree of Western Africa. Do not place this tin near warm computers, in your car or places where there is direct sunlight as this will 'melt' the product very quickly.

Once I massaged the balm into my cuticles and the areas surrounding my nails, the dryness disappeared and my hands look so much better. I do hope with prolonged use, this will improve my dry cuticles and keep them looking moisturized. I purchased this for RM 35 - may be a little pricey but I think the product will last for a long time and will work out to mere cents if you are looking at cost per use/application.

Here is a list of the ingredients:-

 

Vitellaria Paradoxa Sp. Nilotica (Shea) Butter, Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Essential Oils of Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium), Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass), Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Verbenone), Litsea Cubeba (Litsea), and CO2 Extracts of Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn Berry) Extract and Zingiber Officinale (Ginger).

I liked how it said "Carry Beauty In Your Hands" and "Clever Badger" on the side of the tin - very cutesy. 

Have you tried any of the products in this line? I have my eyes on the Cheerful Mind Balm (very good for pre-menstrual days!) ; Stress Soother (a nice strong whiff whenever the boss is around!); Sore Muscle Rub - Extra Strength (to ease the neck muscle tension from hours of sitting in front of a computer). There are also balms for babies - Baby Balm and the Night Night Balm. There were also some lip products which, sadly, I did not pay much attention to as I was in a hurry.....but there will always be a next time.....

Biotin - A Boon For Those With Hair Loss Problems?

A nail blog I chanced upon sparked my interest in a supplement called Biotin - http://getchanailsdid.blogspot.com/2010/02/biotin-users-talk-to-me.html. The blogger asked readers to let her know the effects of biotin on their nails and if it became stronger after taking this supplement. I was really intrigued because of what else I read about Biotin....that it can help stop hair fall too!

Pictured below are the Biotin supplements sold in bottles of 120 capsules of 5mg each:-

You see readers, I have suffered from severe hair fall since I discovered that I had an overactive thyroid many years ago. My thyroid function is back to normal but my hair still falls at an alarming rate! Which is why this product so excited me.

I did a quick snoop around and found that many people have taken Biotin and found that it helped with their hair loss problems and also gave them stronger and healthier nails. When I looked for this product at our local pharmacies/drugstore, I could not for the life of me find it! You can see biotin in small doses in your multivitamin tablets but in order for it to work its magic, you need to take this in larger doses.

I found a seller on Lowyat.net http://forum.lowyat.net/StuffForTheLadies who specifically sells Biotin as well this other miracle in a bottle which is Biotin fortified shampoo and conditioner by Avalon Organics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been using these two for almost two weeks and I am loving what I see. My hair is fuller and softer now and although its too soon to tell, I do believe that my hair will stop falling!

What I particularly like about Avalon Organics is its all natural ingredients. In every bottle of this shampoo, you will find the goodness of B vitamins - biotin, niacin and panthenol, saw palmetto and wheat protein, aloe and jojoba- to nourish the hair and scalp for added body and shine, increased scalp circulation and stimulation of hair follicles as well as to control hair loss. It also gives the hair more body and volume.

For those who care about what is in their bottle of shampoo here is a list of the ingredients:

Purified water, organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice(1), sodium cocoyl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, vegetable glycerin, serenoa serrulata (saw palmetto) fruit extract, panthenol (pro-vitamin B-5), biotin, thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, riboflavin, polyquaternium-10, wheat protein, soy protein, citric acid, soyamidopropalkonium chloride, jojoba oil, organic helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil(2), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, ethylhexylglycerin, organic rosamarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil(2) and other essential oils.

It also contains no:-

Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, or other harsh chemicals; No parabens, harsh preservatives, or grapefruit seed extract; No synthetic fragrances or colors and no animal testing

It is:-

pH balanced and contains 100% vegetarian ingredients

To get the most out of this shampoo, I use very little because it lathers well and apply to my hair and massage into my scalp. I follow with a good rinse and then apply the conditioner which has similar properties too. I was initially not too keen on the conditioner because I thought it would weigh down my thin and fine hair but that did not happen at all.

Totally loving the benefits of the shampoo and conditioner now and waiting to see what else is in store after taking Biotin pills.....fingers crossed!

Boots Expert Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover

This is another one of my purchases in Bangkok recently. I hit the Boots store and I hit it hard! And I went back and hit it again!! My husband thought I was crazy but hey, I got really excited looking at all the yummy products on display. Besides, we do not get Boots products here whereas our neighbours up north who are only a hop and a skip away do. Not fair!

I am a bit of a Konad junkie and love as well as collect nail colors with a passion and I had read much about acetone free nail polish remover. However, I was never able to find this product here. Or perhaps I have not looked hard enough, so correct me if I am wrong ladies.

The reasons for choosing a remover that is acetone free is the fact that it is deemed safer and is more gentler on the cuticles. Whereas a nail polsih remover with acetone actually dries out the nail bed and cuticles. There have been studies that link prolonged exposure to acetone to certain types of cancer.

The key word here is "prolonged" and if you are a serious user of removers with acetone then perhaps there could be the danger of suffering from its after effects.

However, if your average use is once every couple of weeks then I guess it would not pose much of a problem. (This is entirely my personal opinion.) 

Acetone-free removers are made from a milder solvent called ethyl acetate as you can see from the list of ingredients in the picture here.

When I first used this product a couple of weeks ago I was taken aback by a strong chemical like smell which went straight to my head. (Note to self: DO NOT put bottle close to nose when opening!)

It surely smelt strong the first time I used it but as I kept going, the smell turned to something sweet, almost like a flowery smell but just much stronger. I told myself that I would not use it as often because the smell was rather off putting but gave this bottle a second chance another day. I discovered that it was not actually that bad a smell. I figured that the chemical smell was something that came out of the bottle the first time I opened it because subsequently it was not there. 

This is a fairly easy to use liquid which cleans as well as other popular brands. My favourite is Sally Hansen's remover but this does the job just as well. It costs around RM16. A little steep for my liking! I will stick with Sally Hansens for now.

Sadly, once my bottles (yes, I bought two out of sheer "kiasu-ness") are used up I would not repurchase unless we get a Boots Pharmacy here! 

Nailing It!

Nails!

When I was younger, I always had lovely nails which I took pains to paint and keep looking healthy. This sort of took a back seat when I put my energies into taking care of my two little girls. I would occasionally get a pedicure if my toenails looked particularly bad but that was it. It was not until my husband commented on how much he loved my smooth hands and feet and that he missed how they were glossy and painted did I realize that I was neglecting them. It was a real boost for me to hear my husband say that about my skin!
I have since taken an interest in keeping my toes painted and well groomed between pedicures (whether done at a salon or by myself). Even my nails are kept buffed and shined. More so because when I take care of these small details, I feel good about myself. As I get older, I find that it is these little things that keep me going.

My interest in nail care also was rekindled when I stumbled on blogs which featured NOTD’s – nail’s of the day. And wow, can some ladies do their nails!! Kudos to prettybeautiful and konaddict for this. I was particularly taken in by Konad products and the ability to achieve salon perfect fingers and toes with the tools that the range carries. Now it seems like just plain painted nails are so boring and making a statement with your nails as a means of self expression is in!

I was really excited to learn that Etude house carried some Konad products – mainly the tools to get you started with doing some serious stamping designs on your nails. However, I was disappointed to be told by the SA that the stamping tool was unavailable and has been so for 2 months. I guess this nail craze must be catching on in Malaysia! The SA’s were really wonderful in showing me how the Konad nail art is used and took the time to suggest colors as well as some techniques on stamping. If there were fewer customers that day, they would have certainly spent more time teaching me the tips and tricks!

I did come away with some Konad plates and I ordered the stamping tool on http://konad.com.my/index.php . A quick e-mail to the company confirmed that they indeed carry the tool and I ordered it together with some special nail polish which is used to transfer the nail art onto the nail. I will be doing a review on that once I get the products but before that here is some eye candy on the nail plates as well as some nail polish which I bought from Etude House as well as the Face Shop.

The nail plates that I purchased were :- M41, M50, M57 and M62. Etude House does not carry the entire range of Konad plates. They also don’t sell the special nail polish to be used together with the plates. The SA’s at EH used their own in house brand of nail polish which they claim does the same job as the Konad special nail colors. It worked in the shop, but if you read some blogs out there, it is understood that only certain brands of non-Konad nail colors will do the job of transferring the design. So proceed with caution if you are going to invest in this.