Disclosure: We were given a free bottle of GREEMU Oil by Devonian, distributed by Koru Naturals to review.
I first learned about emu oil back in the ancient times when I would ride past an emu farm to get to school. The emus are quirky, cute, ostrich-like birds, only slightly smaller. The one I liked best I named Elmo. Elmo the Emu.The emus were used for their oil.
The fatty acid make-up of emu oil is essentially the same as that of human skin cells. That is why it is considered a prime product for skin care. Makes sense, right?
The problem with emu oil is that you don’t merely wait for Elmo the Emu to deposit a load of oil in your lotion bottle like you would, for example, wait for an egg. The oil is extracted from the fat of the emu, and, as those of us know who have done more thigh lifts than we care to think about (that’s, like, three for me), the only way to get the fat out is to “extract” it.
In other words, dead Elmo.
Devonian has developed a plant-based product that mimics emu oil. The combination of oils and butters has the same basic lipid profile as that extracted from Elmo the Emu, but Elmo can live on.
Win-win.
It’s called GREEMU. Catchy, ain’t it?
GREEMU works for skin and hair, so that’s how we used it.
Without telling my family (and you know, it’s hard to keep secrets in a 30-foot travel trailer), I applied greemu to one side of my face and one hand. Over the course of a few weeks, I asked my family to guess twice which side of my face was being treated. They guessed correctly.
I tried to take a picture for you, but this blogger’s camera s-t-i-n-k-s.
1. The first benefit I noticed was that my skin wasn’t as dry.
2. Next, I noticed that my smile lines around eyes seem to have softened. My son said my skin was softer on that side as well. Perhaps that’s the massaging, perhaps the oil, perhaps I haven’t been smiling enough lately. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t an unwelcome result.
3. Surprisingly, I saw that my “mask of pregnancy” had faded on one side. That was a shocker, and maybe a coincidence. Who knows. I don’t spend a lot of time studying my face, but it was definitely lighter on one side–for how long, I have no idea!
4. I also used it on Eliana’s crazy hair and my own frizz. It calmed our hair until we washed it again.
5. Finally, I used it on Eb’s rash on his back and dry skin under his lip (teething and drool). It may have helped with the rash, but I would need more experiments to know for sure. The dry skin under his lip definitely benefited.
Other products may have had this same effect, but one of the main benefits of GREEMU is the ingredients. They’re tame. In fact, there are only five ingredients:
- macadamia seed oil
- organic palm oil
- shea butter
- sunflower seed oil
- rice bran oil
Notice that they are all pronounceable, and, while GREEMU oil is not edible, it comes almost entirely from things you wouldn’t mind eating. That makes me feel more comfortable using it on my little guy. Go here to learn the benefits of each of these ingredients.
Remember, this is oil, and it doesn’t absorb as readily (in my opinion) as lotion, so don’t expect lotion. I don’t lie down soon after applying, because some of it is still there on the surface of my skin. Despite the slower-than-lotion absorption rate, I have to tell you that I really like the feel of it going on–smoooooooth like a good Swiss chocolate. I can’t stop rubbing my face–is that weird?
I intend to test it a bit further. One of my children has extremely dry skin on her hands. Lotion isn’t making a dent. Another has small scars on her face that I want to fade. I’ll update this review if I’ve discovered any improvement. ‘Kay? ‘Kay.
(By the way, I don’t agree with the Devonian time period info on the website; plants were created on the third day. Science supports Creation in many ways. Just because I like their oil does not mean I stand behind the comments on their home page.)
Additional Thoughts for My Fellow Travelers:
A little bit goes a loooooooong way. That means you have a whole lotta oil in a small space. Plus, because it offers multiple benefits (skin and hair), it requires fewer bottles than if you had a hair oil and a facial moisturizer.
Finally, the bottle seems sturdy. It is flexible, so it takes the occasional beating fine–we’ve all been down those roads that are so bad they launch our products out of the cupboards and onto the floor!
Read what other reviewers have to say right here:
