Koru Naturals: Natural Skin Care with Emu Oil and Lanolin Cream

I think EVERYONE on the Schoolhouse Crew was hoping for a chance to review some of the natural skin care products from Koru Naturals. I know I was excited to find our name on the list! We received the Emu Oil and the Koolpurrie Restoring Balm from Koru Naturals.

I have to admit that I really didn't know about emu oil before this Koru Naturals review opportunity. Admittedly, it's been awhile since I looked into natural skin care and hair care, so I'm a bit out of the loop. The emu oil comes from the body fat of the blue emu. Yes, the big bird from Australia. Once it's processed, emu oil is a very light oil that is easily absorbed by the skin.

I did know about lanolin already, and have used lanolin creams in the past. Lanolin is also a natural oil, secreted by wool-bearing animals to protect their wool. It's a heavy oil, good for protecting and healing skin.

Pure Emu Oil

We received a little bottle of Pure Emu Oil to test. The bottle is  about 3 inches tall, containing 2 ounces of pure emu oil. It's hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. I decided to be brave and use it on my face, even though I usually use oil-free lotions for sensitive skin. It only took one drop in the palm of my hand to moisturize my face. I rubbed it gently into my face with the fingers of my other hand, and then there was still oil left in my palm to rub into my hands, as well. I usually added a second drop to finish my hands.

It spread around my face smoothly, and it didn't look oily, but it would feel a little oily if I touched my skin later. I did this every day for a couple weeks, and it didn't increase my pimples or blackheads. I still got them occasionally, but that was normal and it didn't get worse. I was curious to see if it would reduce the crow's feet around my eyes, since I had read it could reduce fine lines.

Okay, so bear with me on these pictures. Here are my baggy, wrinkly eyes, which I usually hide behind my glasses. The right side of my face was moisturized with emu oil and the left side used my oil-free moisturizer. Neither side looks oily, and both sides still show wrinkles.

Left side = oil-free moisturizer.  Right side = Koru Naturals Emu Oil.

Emu Oil. This eye always wrinkles more.

Oil-free moisturizer.

So, what did I think? The Pure Emu Oil is an excellent, all-natural moisturizer, but it isn't a miracle worker. I still have wrinkles, no matter which moisturizer I use. It does work well on my hands and face, as well as some trouble areas like elbows and knees, but it didn't seem to be heavy enough for my cuticles or heels. The emu oil helped keep dry flaky winter skin at bay, but I definitely needed to use it each morning. I didn't need a night cream while using emu oil, which I usually do need each winter. I am not sure if I'd want to use it (or need to) in the summer months, but it works great for the winter months.

You can buy the Pure Emu Oil in 2 oz., 4 oz, or 8 oz. bottles. The 2 oz. bottle is currently priced at $9.85.

Koolpurrie Restoring Balm

The Koolpurrie Restoring Balm is a thick yellow ointment in a shallow tub. The ointment is an all-natural mixture of emu oil and lanolin. It is excellent for cuticle care, calloused heels and rough elbows and knees. I used it mostly on my elbows and feet, though at times I also rubbed it into my hands.

When you rub it in, it does leave your skin feeling greasy for awhile, before it soaks in. I preferred using it at night, for that reason. If I did use it on my nails or hands during the day, I usually followed it up with a little bit of hand lotion which seemed to help it soak in faster and feel less greasy. (That's probably an incorrect use, but I just wanted to minimize the greasiness.)

I tried to get my daughters to use the Koolpurrie Restoring Balm on their red, chapped winter hands, but they didn't care for the greasy ointment feeling. They prefer using a cream, and would have probably liked the Pure & Simple Lanolin Cream on their hands better than the Koolpurrie Restoring Balm.

I didn't take pictures of my heels or elbow callouses, because I didn't take a starting picture to compare with where they are now. They're doing much better than they usually are in the winter, but my heels are always a problem area, so they still aren't exactly pretty and soft. I should have done a before and after shot, but I wasn't thinking far enough ahead.

So, what did I think, in a nutshell? We own other products that are similar in feel and healing benefits, but they have a much longer list of non-natural ingredients. The Koolpurrie Restoring Balm is an excellent, all-natural healing balm, with only two ingredients. It works well, though I prefer it for treating calloused and very dry areas. Its greasiness makes it more of a night-time treatment, in my opinion. I can't put it on my hands and then sit down to the laptop without putting on gloves first.

Koolpurrie Restoring Balm is sold in 1.4 oz. tubs, which currently are listed at $12.50. First Class shipping from Koru Naturals is free for orders over $35 to the US.

If you're interested in learning more about the uses of emu oil and lanolin, you can find helpful information at the Koru Naturals website, as well as finding great ideas on their facebook and pinterest pages.