Beauty brands are constantly looking for innovative products to attract customers. Today camel milk, which has omega 3 fatty acids and is rich in vitamin C, seems to be gaining greater popularity as people move to more natural-based skincare. The first products we tried were home-grown skincare brand Faith & Patience’s camel milk shampoo and conditioner (available on Faithandpatience.co.in). The brand claims to use ethically sourced camel milk from the Raika herders of Rajasthan; you can also save on plastic by buying their refill pouches once you finish your bottle. Then we came across Aadvik, a camel and goat milk brand. Their skincare products, unfortunately, were sold out.
Instead, we tried the camel milk soap (lavender and rose geranium) from the Dubai-based Camel Soap Factory (purchased on Amazon). Their products come in different price ranges.
Faith & Patience has promising, clean ingredients in both products. In the list of ingredients in its conditioner, though, camel milk comes much after argan oil, jojoba oil and tiaré flower infused in coconut oil. So it’s not just the camel milk working, it’s also other oils and ingredients such as wheat protein.
We enjoyed Faith & Patience’s conditioner more than the shampoo. On its own, the shampoo leaves the hair a little too squeaky clean (you feel the pull when the hair is wet) and feels a tad drying, but it works when used with the conditioner. The fragrance is a bit strong and might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It manages to keep the hair colour looking fresh, though.
The conditioner became a favourite, particularly as a conditioner beard rinse. The hair instantly soaks in all the conditioner as you massage it in and it’s easy to rinse off. The best part: It doesn’t leave a slimy layer on the hair. For the thick, wavy hair type, it manages to soften the curls and reduce frizz. It leaves straight hair extremely shiny and manageable. We give the shampoo the benefit of doubt as it might not be suitable for our hair types. Faith & Patience’s conditioner, however, is light yet moisturising—a repeat purchase could be tempting.
The Camel Soap Factory’s soap is handcrafted, using a traditional cold-press method, and the ingredients include nourishing names such as olive oil, beeswax and essential oils. We tried the soap on two skin types, dry female skin and sensitive male skin that tends to dry easily. The soap creates a soft lather that doesn’t dry the skin and leaves a lingering fragrance. Unlike several other natural soaps, it doesn’t disappear too soon either. Unless you prefer fragrance-free products, The Camel Soap Factory can make for a good gift or buy for both men (they have other fragrances) and women, and we wish they had more aroma options available for purchase in India. We also tried the Camel On Trend treated hair shampoo and Camel in Tahiti deep conditioner (both cost ₹1,100 each) on naturally straight female hair and thick, wavy male hair. The shampoo comes in a bright colour (from food colouring) and has hydrating ingredients such as vitamin B, biotin, honey, hemp and aloe extract.
All in all, camel milk products seem to hold promise.
Dhara Vora Sabhnani is a Mumbai-based journalist.
