On Edge Edging Balm

Out of all of the brand new hair products from Lush, this was the one that confused me more than any other. As somebody who has never heard of an edging balm before, and certainly never used one, I had no idea what to do with this cylindrical piece of blue. If I'm going to be honest, after using it for a couple of weeks, I'm still not 100 per cent sure that I'm using it in the right way.

Simply put, On Edge Edging Balm is a tube made up mostly of waxes, and some oils, that you use to keep the edge of your hairline in check. Usually, this type of product comes as a wax or a putty, and seems to be designed for those with thicker, wavier hair. Women who have cornrows are particularly drawn to edging cosmetics because they can help protect the hair around where the braids have been fixed. 

Using an edging wax, balm or putty can both prevent the drying out of a person's hair, as well as preventing any fraying from occurring due to the pressure of the fixtures. As someone who doesn't have braids, doesn't really tie their hair up at all; and certainly doesn't tie it up tight enough to be worried about breakage, this product wasn't really one designed with me in mind. However, I do have enough frizz to win a few awards so I thought I'd give this one a go anyway.

Firstly, while there was a light fragrance accompanying this product, it was so mild, as well as being thwarted by the smell of the wax, that it came across as rather nondescript. Secondly, the edging balm itself can be quite intimidating for those of us who don't really know what we're doing, as it's very rigid to the touch, and feels more like something you'd want to either melt in a wax burner, or use to seal holes in the bathroom.

To use, you simply take the bar and begin to smooth it around the edges of your hairline, starting from the outside and swiping it backwards as far as you wish to go. On Edge is not the most generous of products so you will have to push considerably hard to transfer the product from the tube to the hair. However, it is evident straight away that some of the wax does make its way onto your hair.  

Then with either your fingers, or Lush suggest a toothbrush, you can smooth the product backwards and across the areas you wish to keep in place. As someone who has frizzy 'horns' on either side of the head, I decided to focus on these two parts, and was impressed when On Edge managed to not only hold my frizzy bits in place, but also seemingly removed the frizzy element completely. 

In all fairness, I wasn't exactly surprised when I saw that my hair now looked (and mildly felt) pinned down to my head. There are some serious strong waxes that have gone into making this product, so it's no surprise that your hairs will stay rooted to the spot after receiving a hit of this product. There's no denying that on the outside, this product works.

After researching quite a lot about these 'edging' products, the one key concern that came up time and time again was how the continual use of such an item could lead to hair damage long-term. While Lush have included a high dosage of organic jojoba oil, shea butter and castor oil to ensure that the hair stays hydrated and conditioned when the product has been applied, the way On Edge felt on my hair led me to believe that the consistency of this product could still cause a few issues in the future.

It took almost two hours for me to not feel the 'wax-like' layer of product across my hairline, and while my locks stayed in place and certainly didn't look like it had the product on there, I was aware of the coating every time I went to run my hands through my hair. After using a lot of hair wax a good few years ago, I distinctly remember how it weakened my hair over time, and I can envisage the same thing happening here as well.

Hold-wise, I found that my hair stayed in place for over six hours, and the wispy bits only started to reappear when I got my hair a little damp in the rain. If I had kept my hair dry, I think that On Edge would have seen me through until the evening. This is definitely impressive when compared to what I've learnt about a lot of other edging products on the market.

However, I feel that this balm might well dry my hair out a little too much to use it regularly (which is sort of the point with most women who use these edging products), and you would definitely need to wash it out in the evenings to ensure that your hair has a breather before application the next day.

Given how many uses I was able to get out of the bar, and seeming how little it changed shape and size, this would definitely rival that of the potted balms, waxes and gels that I have seen. However, On Edge is not really a product that I can see myself using in the future: I would much rather have another bottle of Shield to help me with my frizz. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides, Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum murumuru), Water (Aqua), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Japan Wax (Rhus succedanea), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Rapeseed Wax (Brassica napus), Silica, Glycerine, Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita), Kaolin, Cetrimonium Chloride, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2018 Price: unsure.
2019 Price: £8.95 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.