Previously, I had mentioned about getting the Simmons Pawpaw Salve HERE. And as I mentioned, shipping cost from Australia is ridiculous! But after many days of persistent research (i hate research), I found a local seller & ordered it online.
They have other brands of Pawpaw ointments, but I decided to go ahead with the Simmons Paw Paw Salve because I saw that it contains 51 mg/g of fresh fermented pawpaw.
wait a minute, how can fermented be fresh? hmmm...
It has the highest amount of fermented pawpaw & contains no petrochemicals.
I paid SGD$8.50 (includes shipping cost) for a 25g tube of Simmons Paw Paw Salve.
Pawpaw is actually papaya & my family loves eating it. It is a delicious fruit that has antioxidants which can help boost our immune system with Vitamin C. However, if you are allergic to latex then you should be aware that the unripe papaya contains latex fluid.
The pawpaw ointment can be used for boils, bruises, minor burns, pimples, eczema (yes!), dry skin, heat rash, insect bites & itchy mosquito bites. Some websites even state that it can treat ringworm, whitlow & open injuries. Nursing mothers can use it for dry cracked nipples (oh god that must be painful) while breast-feeding their newborns. You can even use the ointment on babies to prevent diaper rash or treat it.
The Simmons Pawpaw Salve is a very thick hard balm. I find that I need to exert some force to squeeze it out of the tube, or maybe it’s just my weak twiggy fingers.
If you play with it between your fingertips, it appears quite sticky. But why would anyone want to play with it, right? I dunno. Just thought it would be fun.
I bought it because I wanted something to soothe my eczema that appears as a flaky patch at the corner of my lips, but I hardly find it useful. It did provide some comfort with the dryness, but the eczema is still there & sometimes, it gave me a small zit. And other times, it appears to have developed some bumps over that area. =\ When I stopped applying the ointment, the bumps went away. I think the bumps were rashes, but I thought this product is supposed to treat rashes & not create them?
I also tried it on my bf’s heat rash on his back, but no improvement after a week.
I applied it on my zits as well & while they did not go away, I think the paw paw made it easier for me to pop it. hahaha… ok, I shouldn’t have done that.
However, I find that it works extremely well as a lip balm! I was suffering from the worst kind of dry cracked lips from the cold air-conditioning in the office. It was so dry that it was peeling off my lips & it was so unsightly that I tore out the flabby skin & it results in some bleeding. (-_-) Anyway, I cannot put on any other lip balms because that would probably activate my cold sores & no amount of water binging could take the dryness away. Out of desperation, I took out the Simmons Pawpaw Salve & applied sparingly over my lips (trying to avoid touching my skin in case the bumps & zits came back). By the end of the day, it was no longer chapping, cracking or flaking and my lips are happy, soft & smooth once again. Just 1 application is all it takes & it lasts with not much need to reapply the pawpaw unless I wash my mouth.
I also tried to rub the pawpaw on my hands, feet & other dry areas like neck. It works great as a protective moisturizer if you can ignore the slight stickiness, but it will sink into your skin after a while. And because it does not smell girlish, I stuck to my Jurlique hand cream which I have reviewed HERE.
I have no idea why the ointment did not work as well as it should for my skin as zits & bumps appeared each time I used it.
Ingredients:
fermented pawpaw (carica papaya), water, Rhus Succedanea wax (Japan Wax Tree), glycerine, canola oil, hydrogenated castor oil, beeswax, corn starch
Everything looks ok.
So at first, I thought it would be that my skin reacts to the wax. But upon further research on the internet, I realized that it could be the corn starch that caused those bumps on my skin.
Paula Begoun says “Starch obtained from corn and sometimes used as an absorbent in cosmetics instead of talc. However, when cornstarch becomes moist, it can promote fungal and bacterial growth.”
That is what I managed to find out. It could still be the wax as people can be allergic to it. Maybe it is the cornstarch reacting in our humid weather after I applied it on my skin. I wouldn’t know for sure at this point.
But for it’s amazing performance as a lip balm, it deserves a Berry Mii stamp.
A journey thru this world in Berry Mii style. If I have used it / seen it / eaten it / done it / learnt it / thought about it, I will blog it. May contain crude or graphic contents (just kidding... or maybe not). I promise to try & keep this PG-rated.
Berry Mii 