Thursday, November 29, 2012

Review: Jac Olivol Body Oil

During my vacation in Kolkata in October, I thankfuly managed to curb my splurging habit. However, I had to buy a few useful things such as a bottle of Suthol and a bottle of Jac Olivol. 
The last product I just mentioned is the topic of discussion today. Not everyone has heard about this body oil, so I'l begin with a little description of the product.



Jac Olivol is maufactured by the Hannemann Laboratories of Kolkata. The company predominantly develops and sells homeopathic medicines and herbal products across West Bengal. I got a chance to use Jac Olivol, when my mum gifted me a bottle of this oil last year. I tried it and liked it because it was non-sticky, but being a chhotu, it finished bottle long back. So I bought a large one for the ensuing winter season this time.


It is a light yellow colored oil with a smell that may remind you of baby oil. As the name suggests it consists of oilve oil, coupled with neem oil and badam oil. Other ingredients are also mostly herbal which include daruhidra, manjistha etc. 


Price & Quantity: A 500 ml bottle of Jac Olivol cost me INR 140. 
The MRP is INR 165, but I paid less as I bought from a wholesale shop. 

Likes:
  • It is a very light oil with sandalwood odour, that seems like baby oil. 
  • Because its light, my skin absorbs it very fast. 
  • It leaves my skin smooth and glowing. You can use it as a massage oil too. 
  • The moisturized or oiled effect lasts for 3 hours. 
  • My skin becomes soft after I apply it. 
  • I apply 3-4 drops of this oil on my hands and feet and I'm done. 
  • It nourished my skin so well, that I can skip applying body lotion completely. 
  • It is made up of ayurvedic ingredients. 
  • It is quite pocket-friendly and lasts for 4-5 months. (I use it once a day that's why!)
  • It does not leave any color stain etc. 
·           Dislikes: Only one and that's the odor. I don't want to smell like a baby now!

 Points: 4.5/5. I deduct points for the odor.

 Will I buy? I have already bought and I'll continue to do so.

        Final Verdict: A good product at a very reasonable price.

   Pretty ladies pls give this body oil a try. Its a must during winters and I use it during summers too, as it gets really dry during summer in Pune. 

Simple Tip 1: How to Apply Shampoo?




Last week my friend Disha, came home seeming very sulky. On nudging her for a good 10 mins, I got to know the reason.

Disha had fell for a latest shampoo of a reputed brand, and bought the bottle,despite its steep price, because the bottle looked great! She did check the shampoo type (whether it’s suitable for her type of hair) alright. But… when she used the shampoo that morning, her hair turned dry and coarse,and felt like a bunch of straw. 

She cried - “Look! My hair feels like dried hay. All my money went down the drain!’’

Familiar story right? All of us had our share of  such bad (shampooed) hair days, when in our excitement to get the glossy mane, seen in ads/fashion magazines, we pour the shampoo on our crowning glory. Often it’s not the shampoo which is at fault, but our carelessness, that results in such bad days!

Result: A bad day and a gloomy, sulky mood an dnot to forget, hair feeling like straw!


So, what can you do to not feel like my friend Disha? Read on to know more about how to use shampoo, the correct way. 

Note that, I have also incorporated a few other handy tips that are not only smart, but less time-consuming as well.


1. Oil before:


How much ever busy you might be, never forget to oil your hair, the previous night or 2 hours before you shampoo. If your hair is dry, oiling previous night would be great!
If you have an oily scalp, oily hair or normal hair, you can oil your hair, 2 hours before you shampoo. 

Yeah I know this is a bad tip for all the girls who hate oiling, but its very healthy for the mane! :P

Tip: Warm the oil in a double boiler. You can double-boil by placing a vessel of oil in a saucepan/large bowl filled with water. Pour enough water so that the oil vessel can float.
  
What I do: I oil the night before as I have dry hair. I have a steamer that I use to heat water. When water seems hot enough, I place the oil vessel on top to heat oil.

Result: After shampoo, your hair feels nourished, moisturized and squeaky clean too! 


2. Before you shower: 

Washing hair with normal water is preferable. If normal water is very cold, you can mix hot and cold water as you like. But never shower in steaming or very hot water. It rips hair off all the natural oils. Use warm water. 





3. Mix it: 


The thumb rule is to always mix two parts of water and one part of shampoo and then use this solution to wash your hair. You can mix one part of water as well, if your scalp is oily.

What I do: I take a pea sized amount of shampoo and mix it with twice or thrice the amount of water in a small bowl. After I have mixed this quite well, I wash my hair. ***(See below)

Do's and Don'ts:

1. Never over-wash your hair. After you've washed your hair once, check your scalp to see if the grease is gone. If not, then wash again. But do follow the diluting tip to wash your hair each time.

2. Shampoo solution is meant to be applied on the scalp only. Gently massage the scalp while you shampoo, and after you have cleaned your scalp, work the lather downwards to the ends of the hair and rinse lastly.

3. Don’t pile up your hair. This will lead to knots.

4. Never apply conditioner to the scalp and hair roots. Apply it from a little above the mid-length.

5. Never brush your hair while it is wet. Use a wide-toothed comb instead and comb only once. Don’t try to de-tangle the knots, while it is wet.

6. Deep conditioning treatments and hair masks are essential for your hair. You can do these twice a month.

***Super Tip: You can mix one part of shampoo and 2-3 parts of water in a spray or applicator bottle.  Then, shake the bottle and spray onto the scalp to wash your hair. 











Advantages of diluting shampoo: Diluting the shampoo in this way helps you to:
  • Apply the shampoo to the roots and scalp directly and easily
  • Reduce the harshness of the shampoo and the resulting dryness
  • Lather and spread the dense/creamier shampoos
  • Use less amount of the product and save money

So girls, Yeh thee khabarein aaj tak, ab intezaar kijiye kal tak! :P (This was the news for today, now pls wait till tomorrow.)

Please let me know your suggestions about this post and the topic too! :) Love always.  

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Kesh Kanti Reetha Hair Cleanser


I laid my hands onto yet another Patanjali product, after I had finished the Kesh Kanti Milk Protein shampoo earlier. Though I planned to buy the original Kesh Kanti shampoo(reviewed here), my eyes caught this bottle, that seemed to be a new addition. So I decided to try the Kesh Kanti Reetha hair cleanser. The main reason being, I have been using reetha to wash and clean my hair, ever since I can remember, as my mom never liked chemical laden, store bought shampoo.
















The Company claims: Usefulness in dryness & roughness of hair. Prevents hair fall & improves hair shine. 

Price & Quantity: So, without delay I bought this shampoo and all I spent was INR 85 for a 200 ml bottle.

Likes:
  •    It is a herbal based product and natural.
  •  The one thing that I have noticed with all the Patanjali shampoos is – I do not experience hair fall at all. Without jumping the gun, I’ll tell you the entire story in a nutshell though. 
When I had used Head & Shoulders, Pantene or Garnier shampoo, I could see many hair strands fall off while I was rinsing my hair. The bathroom floor would be full of my hair. Of course this made me sad! Then I decided to switch to Patanjali shampoo. Initially, for the first 2 weeks, I could see lesser hair fall of during and after shampooing, but not anymore.

  • The shampoo does not lead to dryness of hair and scalp, considering I have extremely dry hair. **
  • Hair looks voluminous and bouncy and full of life.
  •  It makes your hair super-clean.
Dislikes:
  •  Honestly, I don’t like the color of this product. Its pitch black and looks like I am applying dark pitch used to construct roads, on my tresses. I’m sure this can be worked upon.
  • Practically no fragrance. I believe a nice fragrance gives you a ‘feel good factor’.
  • It contains chemicals, so its not entirely herbal and natural. 


Points: 3.5/5. Points deducted for the color of the product and for lack of fragrance.


Will I buy? Hmmm… I guess no. My next purchase would the Anti-dandruff shampoo from Patanjali that supposedly contains aloe vera.  

Final Verdict: It’s a good product at the price, but I wont use it on a regular basis, for I don’t like the color and the absence of fragrance demotivated me totally. However, it does its job well! 

Pls do share your thoughts about this product in the comment box below. 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Review: Patanjali Coconut Oil



Few months ago, I noticed my hair fall problem got worse! So then I decided to change my hair oil from the one I was using, which was - the Parachute Hot Oil. Initially the Hot Oil seemed to work fine, but seeing the rate of thinning hair, I told myself ‘enough is enough’. My research enlightened me about the benefits of pure coconut oil and I fell for it. I began hunting for the same and finally, I zeroed in on the Patanjali Tejus Coconut Oil. (I can see a lot of my blog readers raise their eyebrows in surprise, thinking oooo Patanjali sells a coconut oil too!)


Yes, pretty ladies Patanjali sells a coconut oil, which can be used for eating as well. The label clearly mentions – ‘100% Edible’ (Note the little text below the image of the coconut in the pic above).  When I first opened the bottle, the smell of pure coconut oil reminded me of Shalimar Coconut Oil, another similar product, widely popular in West Bengal. My grandmother still swears by the Shalimar Coconut oil. Now, let me list the pros and cons of this product right away.


The Company claims: The label says:
'Made from the mature & fresh coconuts, Patanjali Double Filtered Coconut Oil is a premium cooking and consumer oil that is pure and non-RBD... Patanjali double filtered coconut oil is pure and without any preservatives offering you the great taste, aroma and goodness of Natural Coconut Oil.'

The claim seems true and the oil itself is a proof of it. I'll talk about this later in the Likes section below.

Price & Quantity: INR 42 for 210 ml

Likes:
            
               
·         The smell of the oil will tell you that it’s pure coconut oil.
·         My hair feels smooth and moisturized, when I apply it after warming the oil. I have extremely dry hair by the way.
·         I did see some baby hairs growing in areas, where hair had begun to fall, after 2-3 weeks of using this oil.
·         The purity is proved by the fact that it solidified, as soon as the temperatures have begun dipping now.
·         I trust the brand and the product, since it’s purely herbal and natural.
·         It is cost-effective and the oil is not too thick as well. However, I use little of this oil, considering it's pure. And little oil does not lead to 'chip-chip' or stickiness. 


Dislikes:
               
·         Because it’s pure, it solidifies during the winter.
·         It is multi-purpose oil. I’m not advising you to cook food with this oil, but you can definitely use it to massage your hands and feet during the winter.
·         It can double up as a moisturizer too for people with dry skin. (I won’t dare to do so, since I have combination skin, with a really oily T-zone.) 
Points: 4.5/5


  • A genuine product at a very cheap price and the bottle lasts for 2 months, for someone who oils regularly, like me.


So would you buy this wonderful oil? I'll continue to buy this. Please do share in the comments below.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

What I did during my hibernation?

This is no review today, pretty Ladies! Rather today’s post is all about the confession I must make to all of you for being MIA so long. I agree I’m guilty of not providing enough time to my blog.

After coming back from my superb vacation, I got quite busy with Diwali celebrations at work and home, tidying and placing the stuff that I got from my city Kolkata and inlaws’ place in Jamshedpur/Tatanagar, at home. Also, unpacking takes so much of your time isn’t it?

Okay so coming to the point – during my vacation and even after it (right before Diwali) I bought some random stuff such as a Body Oil from Kolkata, an Elle 18 lipstick in gorgeous mauve color for regular usage, yet another shampoo from the Patanjali brand, a Himalaya Neem pack , a moisturiser and Mint gel from Somi's, and lastly two deos from Avon, etc etc and the list goes on.

This reminds me that I'm presently eyeing an eye shadow pallette of at least 40 dark shades that wont burn a big hole in the pocket. I'd like to use the pallette for smokey eyes, so girls, your suggestions are most welcome. Also my preference would be online shopping! So please suggest the sites I can buy the pallette from. 

I’ll be doing a review of all the above stuff pretty soon girls! 

By the way, I’d like to show you my newest desktop plant that I got, as part of the Diwali gift hamper at work. Coupled with this, I got an amazing light, that I refuse to take off, even after Diwali is long gone. I love the effect it creates, when all the lights are shut off. 
In my next post, I’ll share the pic of the light too.



Meanwhile I had a super pre-Diwali and Diwali celebration with friends and cousin. We ate and laughed till late in the night and made merry. What more can you ask for?

And for Dhanteras, we bought a Microwave and got a toaster and a blender free with it. Terrific isn’t it? 

Now I’m baking, steaming, grilling and making delicious food with the help of the micro. I’m elated for sure!

Handy Tip for Housewives/Single working girls who cook at home:
A blender is a must for all of you, as it chops vegetables in no time. All you need to do is cut the vegetable in 3-4 large pieces and chop them with the blender. It can easily replace the mixer grinder any day. 

See you all soon, till then atke care and be gorgeous!