Note ~ this might be a tad longer of a review than usual, as we want to share the highlights of each product. There will be a section for each product, but first, a little about Koru Naturals. Get a cup of tea to sip, or grab a piece of fruit to nibble on, these are superb products worth your time!
Koru Naturals has been around since 2002, helping customers in the US, Canada, and parts of Europe and Asia experience the benefits found from using natural-based skincare (and haircare) products. When our girls were little, I began a search for skin care products that did not rely on petro-chemicals as their main ingredients. Back then, using a nature-based approach to skin care might get you the nickname of Granola, today you’d be labelled a Crunchy Mama. Whatever nickname it garners, the principle is still the same. I want to use products that utilize the healing properties God has put in nature, over products man made in a lab.
From their unusual soaps of New Zealand section, this Manuka Honey Propolis Soap smells divine. It comes in a cute little wrapper reminiscent of a bee hive. What is inside the wrapper will have you hooked in no time. This soap is a great cleanser, while being gentle on skin. Honey is a wonderful defense against bacteria, and Propolis is currently being studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. I enjoyed using this as a general bath soap. Know that it will need to be kept in a well-draining soap dish so as to not turn to mush. The soap is quite large at first (almost 5 oz) and might be difficult for small hands to get a good hold on. Do not be discouraged by this, we have found it to lather nicely throughout its usage, so you might consider cutting the roundish bar in two to make it easier for small hands. This could be used as a face soap, especially by teenagers who tend towards oily skin, as it deep cleans gently. It would be wonderful to use as a hand soap in the bathroom or kitchen, partly because of its cleansing, partly because it smells so good!
NZ Fusion Botanicals has added even more naturally healing ingredients to this 20th Anniversary version of their Skin Clear Cream. It includes honey, manuka (tea tree) oil, and a host of other healing ingredients.
Note: it should not be used during pregnancy. Also, you should test it out on the inside of your arm for at least a day or two before using it on your face. Some people are sensitive to manuka oil. We tried the skin test first. We had no problems.
Emily and I have both been using this daily for just over a month. It has really helped my skin to retain moisture better, and has helped clear up Emily’s blemishes. The first ingredient is Aloe leaf juice, making it a featherweight cream that glides over your skin. The jar comes with an insert to seal the cream in the jar & keep it out of the lid, as well as a small scooping tool so you don’t transfer anything from under your nails into this gentle concoction. Both girls have commented about its unusual smell. It is not a bad smell, just different than they are used to. The Skin Clear Cream includes several essential oils, and the combination is unlike any other I have encountered. I find the smell pleasant, if a bit strong, so when I use it again in the evenings, I try to remember to put it on at least 15 minutes before bed so it is not distracting whilst I’m trying to go to sleep.
Emily has noticed that after prolonged use (more than a week,) you don’t need as much because it quickly improves the hydration level of your skin. I agree. I have also been using it on my décolletage area and have seen vast improvement in the texture of the skin. After about a week and a half of daily use on her face, Emily came up to me and said “Mama, feel my skin, its so smooth.” This is a huge compliment to the skin clear cream, as Emily has psoriasis and her skin is often dry and scratchy. With the success she has had with this cream on her face, I will recommend she try this on any small psoriasis spots that surface this Fall and Winter.
Ok, I’ll admit it ~ I begged to be chosen for the review of this product! I have been eyeing Blue Tansy for several months, but hesitating when I saw the high prices. A little back story: I work at a physically demanding day job. I have done this job for over eight years and my joints are not as young as they once were. For the past 6-12 months I have been plagued with increasing pain in my shoulders, especially my right one. I have done a lot with nutrition, avoiding inflammatory foods, I’ve kept my regular appointments with our Chiropractor, and I’ve been using some essential oils known to help with inflammation. While all of these have helped, nothing has caused any vast improvements, until we received the box from Koru Naturals with this Emu Oil and Blue Tansy Oil Cream. (From now on I’ll usually shorten it to Blue Tansy Cream.)
Super Important note: NOT for use by pregnant women, or those who plan to get pregnant soon. Some of these ingredients do not mix well with babes. If you are pregnant, please choose one of Koru’s other quality products instead!
This Tansy Cream is like an apothecary in a jar. When I read the ingredients list online I was shocked at how many anti-inflammatory and joint helping essential oils they pack into one product. If you’ve ever researched Blue Tansy oil you’ll know that it’s highly prized, seasonally available, and expensive! By mixing this potent oil with so many other quality healing ingredients, Koru Naturals is able to offer you a stupendous product at a fantastic price. I love this stuff!!!
I joke with the girls that I need to go use my blue spackle every morning and evening to glue my joints back together! The Blue Tansy oil gives this cream a lovely light blue hue, and the mixture of essential oils gives it a delightful scent. I plan to use this product forever! It is recommended that you use this thick cream at least twice a day for the first 2-3 weeks, then as needed. You rub it into your sore joints. I had a lot of those, but they’re much better after a month of using this Blue Tansy Cream!
How well does it work? Amazingly! It has been at least six months since I could sleep in any position besides flat on my back. My right shoulder would hurt too much to even fathom laying down on it, and if I tried to sleep on my left shoulder, the pull of gravity on my right arm would have me waking up in pain in only an hour or two. This cream arrived and I started using it that very evening. I used it three times a day for the first five or six days, and then I packed it in my bag for our camping trip. I awoke the second night at camp realizing I had fallen asleep on my left side…and my right shoulder wasn’t screaming out in pain. I played tennis several days during camp, and my elbow didn’t get any worse. Both of these were wonderful discoveries. It took longer for my right shoulder, but now I can safely sleep on my right side without waking in agony!
Am I completely healed? No. Am I better than I’ve been in the past year? Most definitely!!! I had been concerned that I might be developing arthritis in my right shoulder, but didn’t want to fathom what that might entail.
I am so blessed to have found this AMAZING product at such a critical time!
You should read the entire ingredients list yourself. It contains so many great ingredients found in the natural world around us, without having to scour the globe to find and mix them yourself: Aloe Vera Juice, Coconut oil, Australian Emu Oil, Arnica extract, Sweet Basil Leaf Oil, Black Pepper Berry Oil, Roman Chamomile, German Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Lemongrass, Sweet Fennel, and of course Blue Tansy just to name a few!
The Crew has been busy reviewing seven different products from Koru Naturals this Fall, click the banner below to find out all about them!
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