Emu Oil Review (From A Low Maintentance Mom!)

I am not a beauty blogger.  My beauty regime consists of taking a shower and air drying my hair.  “Beauty” is really not my bag.  (Do people still say that?  “Not my bag”?  Maybe not…)  However I do like to look good.  I put on makeup maybe once a month – less in the summer when it’s hot – and it makes me feel pretty.  But I’ve owned all that makeup for way too long.

What I do love in my “beauty” routine is a good moisturizer.  During the day I always wear something with SPF, but at night I go with something more moisturizing or rejuvenating (depending on the season and how my skin feels.)  And that’s where I’ve added Emu oil to my routine.

*I was shipped a bottle of Emu Oil by Koru Naturals for free so I could use it and create this review.  All opinions are my own.*

Emu Oil was first used by the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.  They discovered it’s talents for healing, hair care, and skin health.  The benefits of this cream come from the wealth of Omega fatty acids and antioxidants that naturally occur in Emu fat.  It is wonderfully moisturizing, but I can’t say it’s smoothed out my crows feet just yet.  Maybe in time that will be more obvious.  I did get a large bottle, so I can keep using it over the winter!

Using oil on my face is feels so backward to me.  My skin is oily, acne prone, and large pored.  It’s never looked smooth, flawless, or any of those things.  I’ve accepted that now, but it was very unpleasant in my teenaged years.  And I never mastered makeup.  Even now, my make up is mascara, maybe a swipe of eye shadow, and a lip colour.  I never use foundation or powder, or anything as a base, because the few times I tried it just slides off my face.  I know, eww, right?  But there’s a first time for everything…

The first day I got the oil I washed my face at bedtime and smeared it on.  Looking back (and after a week’s experience) I now know I used too much that first night.  I’ve got it figured out now though.  Just a small squeeze is all you need, and then massage it in to your face before bed.  In the morning your skin will be glowing, and not at all greasy.

Emu oil is thicker than I thought it would be.  It’s not a clear oil, it has texture – almost like a “styling gel” for hair.  It’s really easy to get too much, so start with a tiny bit, then add more if needed.  The nice thing about it is if you do have too much, use it elsewhere – legs and feet, belly stretch marks, or just rub it into your hands and nails.  I do find I have to wait a few minutes after applying it to my hands because it does need to soak in for a short time before the greasy feel goes away.  But it’s an oil, right?  That’s totally normal.

An unexpected use I have found for this product, so far, is in my hair. 

This is strange for me because I never do anything with my hair.  It just grows there, on my head, and I wash and (sometimes) brush it.  It generally behaves, and when it doesn’t it goes into a ponytail.  That’s it.  The idea of adding oil to my already oily hair goes against every fibre of my being.

I’ve been using a tiny amount of the oil, rubbing it on my hands, then running my hands through my hair.  It just barely gets in the ends (I’m still afraid to put it close to my scalp, though it’s supposed to help with thinning hair and dandruff) and makes my hair look shiny and smooth.  My goal is to hydrate my ends, get the flyaways under control and maybe help my very reluctant waves to be more prominent.

Final thoughts on Emu Oil.

I left this part until right before posting.  I want to give my last thoughts on this Emu Oil and how it’s working for me in all it’s various uses.

Hair – I’m still nervous about applying this product to my scalp.  In the evenings, I still hydrate my ends and middle sections of my hair with the leftover oil from my face.  I can’t really decide if it’s helping my hair long term, as I still wash it and it sometimes still is fluffier than I like.  I do find it doesn’t make my hair feel greasier any sooner than when I don’t use the oil, so that’s something!

Face – I will say I have seen a slight improvement in my face.  It looks beautiful every morning when I get up, and now it’s holding that plumped up look longer through the day.  I know I said earlier that my crows feet haven’t been affected, but now I’d say they have.  I especially notice it on my forehead.  I’ve been blessed with a forehead that creates furrows when I raise my eyebrows.  This leaves horizontal lines that don’t always fully go away.  But after a week of Emu Oil I find these horizontal “lines” (I can’t bring myself to call them wrinkles) are much less prominent!

Other uses – My cuticles are more hydrated now that I massage the excess oil onto my hands and nails.  I’ve also been applying some to my belly stretch marks, but not consistently.  I don’t see a change there yet, but it might happen!

The only drawback I’ve found to using this oil regularly is a bit of lingering greasiness.  It doesn’t matter on my face overnight, but sometimes I apply it after my morning shower (on those stretchmarks) and even when I wait a bit to get dressed I can still feel a layer of grease.  It doesn’t seem to transfer to my clothes, but it is a bit off-putting.  I’d recommend applying either at night, or when you’re not in a hurry to get dressed.

If this oil sounds like it’s for you, pick up a bottle here.  Then be sure to let me know what you think of it, and how it worked for you!  I would also love to hear any makeup tips you have for oily skin.  If you know of ways to keep makeup where I put it for a full day of wear, please share!

I plan to create a follow up post after about 6 months of use.  If there is anything specific you’d like to know about Emu oil, leave it in the comments and I’ll try to address it after long-term use!

~Jess

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