Koru Naturals - Skin and Hair Care Products from New Zealand

Usually the Schoolhouse Review Crew is trying out homeschool curriculum and resources to tell you about, but sometimes we get to try out products that are a special treat for us moms! And I was lucky enough to be able to review products from Koru Naturals over the past several weeks. All the reviewers received Emu Oil to try, and we also received Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner.

Koru Naturals is a company dedicated to bringing health and beauty products from New Zealand to their American friends. The people of New Zealand have been using what nature has to offer for health and skin care for hundreds of years. Many of the products come from manuka honey, manuka oil, lanolin, tea tree oil, and rosehip oil. By the way, they do not test any of their products on animals. 

Emu Oil from Koru Naturals is a fully refined, natural emu oil, and contains vitamins, minerals, and the fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6. The oil can penetrate the skin well for moisturizing, but its non-comedogenic (won't clog pores) and hypoallergenic. This is recommended for use on unbroken skin to moisturize and treat scaly or itchy skin; and it can also be used as a leave-in conditioner for hair.

We also received the Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner set. In addition to Manuka Oil and Manuka Honey, these hair care products contain lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and rosehip oil - but they do not contain parebens or sulfates. Manuka oil and honey act as natural antiseptics, and rid hair of impurities, leaving it shiny and healthy. The manuka tree is an evergreen shrub native to New Zealand, related to the melaleuca tree, and both are commonly called "tea tree". 

How did we use it? My daughter and I have both been using the shampoo and conditioner, and love it! I had been wanting to get away from using commercial shampoos that often contain chemicals that I'm not sure I want being absorbed into our bodies, so this was perfect timing. Kennady and I have similar hair type - straight and rather fine hair, but an abundance of it - and about medium length. Hers is a few inches below her shoulders, and mine is usually right at shoulder length. When we first started using the Manuka Oil Shampoo, I reminded Kennady (and myself!) not to use too much in an effort to get it to lather up the way we were used to. It does lather, but it's more creamy and less bubbly, if that makes sense. I really like the scent, which is very much like tea tree and a little minty; and I absolutely love how it feels on my scalp - slightly cool and tingly, and refreshing. The conditioner has the same scent, perhaps a bit sweeter, and also feels cool.

Before trying the Manuka Oil and Honey Conditioner, I almost never used conditioner in my hair because I didn't like how it felt - like it would never rinse out - and I felt like my hair had less body and volume after using conditioner. I was so pleased that my experience with this conditioner was much different! The Manuka Oil and Honey Conditioner not only felt good on my scalp, it rinsed out easily, and didn't weigh my hair down.

Kennady liked the shampoo and conditioner as well, and we were both pleasantly surprised at how long it has lasted! With two of us using it (we both shampoo three to four times a week), we are only now - after about six weeks - nearing the end of the 8 fluid ounce bottle. Since I don't use conditioner every time I shampoo, the conditioner is lasting even longer.

 I admit I was unsure how best to use the Emu Oil, and had to do a little research. Our first plan had been to use it as a moisturizing treatment for some of the mild skin problems we have. One of my grown sons has struggled for some time with red, chapped, and sometimes cracked skin on his hands (he works at a restaurant, often as a dishwasher). He has been using the emu oil to soothe and soften the rough skin.  My own hands tend to get itchy and dry during the winter, and I found that the emu oil absorbed well and did ease the itching. I sometimes think I must be the itchiest person ever, but without a good reason to be, so I am happy to find relief! I have tried it a couple times as a whole-body moisturizer, by adding just a teaspoon to my bath. Just a teaspoon is enough, and my skin really did feel better and less itchy than after a regular bubble bath. 

A couple other uses for Emu Oil are suggested at the Koru Naturals website, including using as a leave-in hair conditioner; and since it is non-comedogenic, it could be used as a facial moisturizer. Since we were trying the shampoo and conditioner as well, I didn't want to try Emu Oil in my hair; and as I have a tendency to have occasional acne breakouts, I have been reluctant to put Emu Oil on my face. But I was inspired by a fellow Crew member to try it on my cuticles, and this is by far my favorite use for Emu Oil! I hate the painful and unsightly hangnails and ragged cuticles that plague me, especially in winter with the dry air, but I've noticed a wonderful improvement after massaging a tiny bit of emu oil onto my nails and cuticles a couple evenings a week. Again, just a very tiny amount is enough - probably a pinhead-sized dot of the oil is more than enough. I use just the tips of my fingers to massage it in, then wipe my fingertips on a damp cloth afterwards. I've been doing this for only a couple of weeks, since I got the idea, and it has helped a lot already. It is definitely an effective moisturizer, and it does not have any smell at all, which was something I had wondered about.

What we liked best:

• shampoo and conditioner feel and smell great, and our hair feels great too!
• emu oil is a very effective moisturizer - we liked it best on cuticles and small problem skin areas

What I need to mention:

• the shampoo doesn't lather up as much as you may be used to, so don't use too much!
• only tiny amounts of emu oil are needed. The website suggests that if it feels greasy, you've used too much, and I'd say that's true. Even so, I personally did not like the feel of it on the palms of my hands, so I didn't use it as a hand moisturizer at all, and wiped my fingers with a damp washcloth after massaging the oil into my cuticles.

Our bottom line: I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked loved the conditioner as well as the shampoo, and Kennady did as well. Having found that the emu oil works so well in dealing with ragged cuticles and skin irritation, it's become a regular part of my routine to use it and I'm very glad I was introduced to this unique product!

Would you like to pamper yourself with Koru Naturals? Here's what you need to know:

Visit the website: https://korunaturals.com/
Ordering information for Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner and for Emu Oil can be found at the website. Shampoo and conditioner can be purchased separately or as a set, and the emu oil is available in several different sizes.

You can follow Koru Naturals on Facebook, or on Pinterest.

Visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews. Crew members reviewed other products from Koru Naturals as well, so be sure to check out all of them! 

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