May I have a show of hands, who are fans of the very popular Lucas Papaw Ointment? I bet some of you are. It was one of the first beauty products I purchased when I moved to Australia 6 years ago and is a chapped lips saver.

But you see, as much as I like the Lucas Papaw ointment, it has its drawbacks. Firstly, it’s difficult to use in winter because when it’s cold (when I say cold, I mean a room less than 20C), the ointment hardens up and it’s a pain in the arse to dispense. Secondly, it contains petrolatum, which a lot of people aren’t keen on. I’ve since moved on to other brands of paw paw ointment that do not contain petrolatum and are much easier to dispense. Hey, if a similar papaw ointment can do a great job without the nasties and is easier to use, why not?

One of the brands I recently discovered is Little Bird and their organic paw paw balm is pretty damn awesome. It’s free of petrochemicals and contains no added preservatives. Regular papaw ointment usually tastes of papaw. It’s not offensive but if I have a choice, I’d prefer a different flavour. And that’s what Little Bird has done. Next to the original papaw balm, they also have a tangerine and pink grapefruit flavours. Yum!

When squeezed, the tube dispenses the balm easily like a gel, even when the room is below 20C. I haven’t tried it out in proper winter yet but I’ll let you know how that goes when it gets a whole lot colder. For now, it’s easy to use and keeps my lips very well moisturised throughout the night. It doesn’t look gloopy on the lips; in fact, it looks like clear lip gloss leaving a lovely sheen on the lips.

The papaw balm can be used on the cuticles or any dry spots on your body too. If you find it strange putting tangerine or pink grapefruit flavoured ointment on any other parts of your body other than your lips, go for the Original. Me, I’m not fussed. I like that my fingers smell of tangerines. 🙂

All in all, these papaw balms get two enthusiastic thumbs ups from me!

Little Bird Organic Paw Paw Balm retails at AU$4.50 for the Original and $4.99 for the Tangerine and Pink Grapefruit flavours. You can get them at Coles (*ahem* groceries *ahem*). Cheap as chips, I tell ya!

Are you a fan of papaw ointment? What’s your favourite?

Disclaimer: These products were provided for editorial consideration.