Biotique Carrot Protective Lotion {Product Review}

I have already said that I am a fan of Biotique products but the 'fanhood' is limited to some ranges only. So, I was and have been since a really long time in search of a herbal sun screen which is equally effective and less harmful as compared to its chemical counterparts. I have already used the sandalwood one from Biotique too. So, I'll just review both of them together.

Price: 280 INR for 210 ml

Ingredients

How do 1% and 3% ingredients do their work??

My Experience

I have same thing to say about both the sunscreens. They both are really effective when it comes to protection. But, the main problem arises when you apply. I found them really sticky and in case you are living in a humid climate, these are definitely not for you coz your skin will just feel sticky and damp and oily. But, I have applied this lotion in hills too where I found that the lotion did not feel sticky at all. It got absorbed very easily into the skin and it protected well from the sun which was surely never a question. But, these sunscreens are strictly for the body and not for face. I did make a mistake of using them again and again on face but they just make the face oily but they work well there too. So, if you have really dry skin or staying in really cold climate, you can definitely use this in place of a moisturizer and a sunscreen. Otherwise, I just wish they had not been that sticky and I would have been really glad to use them. 

The one question I always have for Biotique products is that what it the base cream which they use??? Does that come under the listing process of Biotique or they just buy the base material and make their own Ayurvedic formulations on top of the base material because of which they do not have to list down the ingredients of their base material. And, also, how can a product stay for so long as 3 years without any preservatives or does the base material come with preservatives too. I would definitely love an answer for that. But, their products do work (some don't though)!!

My Recommendation

Kinda tricky coz I would love to recommend it as a safer sunscreen but its pretty sticky for most of the skin types. So, in case you are a dry skin type or live in colder climates (only in hill stations and not winters in Delhi), this might work out.

READ MORE - Biotique Carrot Protective Lotion {Product Review}

How to treat Sunburns? {Skin Care}

Well, I know that summer is long past in Hyderabad but apparently Delhi is still very hot. Now, this is an impromptu post which I am putting up coz my dad just faced a sunburn yesterday after being exposed to the sun for a long time. So, what should be done to avoid and cure sunburns.

Avoid Sunburn

• Always apply a sunscreen of spf 30 or higher when you know that you would be in the sun for a very long time. Don't forget your sunscreen even if you are going ot the hills. You can get easily burnt in the hills as compared to plains (except beaches where there is a lot of sun rays reflection which are equally bad) simply because the rays of sun are much more damaging on the hills because of the distance from sea level.
• Wear proper clothes and try to keep all the areas covered specially the sensitive regions like the neck and back.
• Always carry an umbrella not matter how many layers of clothing you have put on yourself. 
• Try to be in shade whenever you can.

Now, I would also mention that sunscreens are meant to prevent skin cancer but you skin can still burn or get tanned so do not rely completely on the sunscreens.

Treat Sunburn

• Apply cool things like ice packs. If ice pack is not there, apply cold water. Just pour it over the body. Don't use a wash cloth or a sponge. Leave the sunburnt area to maximum air and make sure the air is cool. 
• Wash the sunburnt area immediately with cold water and do not rub the area at all. In fact don't touch the area. Avoid using soap on the affected area and do not apply any moisturizer or astringent or toner too even if they claim to have cooling properties. 
• Wear loose-fitting clothes to avoid irritation and aid proper air circulation.
• Take a soft cloth and soak it in cold milk and cover the sunburnt area with the cloth for 30 minutes or so. This provides relief.
• Aloevera gel is extremely cooling so always carry aloevera gel in your toilet kit no matter where you go - on the beach or on the hills. It is useful for cuts and nicks too. 
• Sandalwood paste can be applied to the area but be careful to just tap the paste ont he area. Don't rub to spread it.
• Slices of cucumber, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelon can be used.
• A paste of mint leaves also helps in cooling the skin. 
• A paste of apricots is also helpful.
• Spraying green tea or taking a green tea bath (mix green tea in bath water) is also helpful as tannins in the tea helps control inflammation of the skin.
• Do not scrub the sunburnt areas even if you feel they have healed. Give it two weeks at least to heal properly and a week more to ensure there is no sensitivity. Stay out of sun in the mean time.

Food for Sunburns

Not only the remedies but diet is also very important to speed up the recovery.

• Eating a proper balanced diet is very important.
• Drink lots of milk and fluids.
• Increase the intake of Vitamin C and E, betacarotenes (found in carrots and all orange and yellow colored vegetables and fruits) and Zinc (peanuts, dairy products, beans, brown rice and bread, potato, yogurt and pumpkin seeds).

READ MORE - How to treat Sunburns? {Skin Care}

Do you feel too oily after applying sunscreen?

Well, I hate applying sunscreen because it makes my skin feel like a frying pan even though I have normal to dry skin. None of the sunscreens suit me and I am always in search of new ones. These days I have shifted to Biotique sunscreens and lets see what I have to tell you about them. Now, every day after my bath, I apply a moisturizer (no particular brand) then follow up with sunscreen after 5-10 minutes. So, the fresh feeling which comes to my skin after having my bath vanishes the moment I slather on anything on it and my skin turns dark on its own accord. Ok, I want to say that this does not mean that I apply loads of product. I use very little product but still it happens. So, today, similar kind of thing happened and I was not in a hurry so I took time out to try out a simple trick to curb the oiliness. 

I used tissue paper to blot out the oiliness. Spread the whole tissue paper on your face and press gently but firmly. If the skin is too greasy, tissue paper would stick to it. So, keep on blotting till the stickiness in your skin disappears. Do not forget to blot your neck and chest areas too. And, the result was a soft skin with a glow on the face. My face was no more sticky and greasy. If you also suffer from the peculiar problem of skin darkening after applying anything on skin, that would disappear after this step.While choosing tissue papers, go for paper ones instead of mixed ones or cloth ones. Probably a toilet paper would be even better for this job but I have no idea. The best would definitely be blotting papers if you find them. And, finally, if you want, you can do a little touch up with a compact and face spray or mist. 

One more thing I want to add is that do the blotting of your skin every time you find your face becomes greasy. It will also help you remove the dirt and extra product from your face which would otherwise be blocking your pores. And, it also helps you look fresh and dewy all the time. So, make tissue papers a part of your essentials-on-the-go. You might even be wondering why I did not opt for refreshing wipes. Frankly, I do not like them. They leave a film on my face which I absolutely loathe and then it becomes drying for my skin. If it suits your skin, you might want to go ahead with them but then contain a lot of alcohol (most of the times) and preservatives which I prefer to avoid. Hope this helps you as well as it did help me :)

READ MORE - Do you feel too oily after applying sunscreen?

Do you check the expiry dates of your products?

Checking Expiry dates of the products is really very important. Be it a face cream or a chocolate or any other processed eatable, there is a limited time in which these products should be used up. Otherwise, there are just worth discarding. It is very obvious that one spends a lot of hard-earned money buying favorite edibles or cosmetics and no one really feels like discarding the stuff. So, always make sure you buy only the required amount of things and finish them before buying another lot. This applies for both cosmetics and eatables. And, before you buy, make sure that the product is fresh so that you would not have to end up discarding it.

Expiry Date poses problems most for eatables and sunscreens. And, any other product which has active ingredients in it like enzymes or vitamins. Sunscreen formulations always degrade with time so it is always best to buy a fresh product and use it up before you buy another batch. Similarly, check on the expiry date for the eatables because generally the eatables are in edible condition for only six months from the date of packaging. So, next time, pick the freshest batch of snacks or biscuits. Even the fresh veggies have their own expiry date as you well know. So, do not bother keeping foods in your refrigerator. Instead, go and buy the freshest vegetables and fruits you can. And, do not forget to compost all the raw food if you are discarding instead of throwing into the dustbin.

READ MORE - Do you check the expiry dates of your products?