Emu oil: good carrier of active ingredients

Emu Oil

I first came across emu oil when a DIY ingredient supplier suggested that I mix it with seabuckthorn oil for better skin penetration. Subsequently, Susan of True Beauty passed me a small bottle to dab on my acne because of its anti-inflammatory and healing properties.  It did help to calm my angry inflammed acne to a certain extent but I found the healing slow until I used it in combination with tea tree oil and saw better results, proving that emu coil is indeed an effective trans-dermal carrier for other ingredients.  In addition, I used it a few times on my face and quite like how my skin felt with this oil.  So recently, I decided to purchase a full bottle from Garden of Wisdom through a spree.

Used thousands of years as a natural medicine
Extracted from the flightless bird, the emu, and rendered from a thick layer of fat on the back, emu oil is indigenous to the Aborigines in Australia and said to be used for thousands of years as a natural medicine for arthritis pain relief, to heal wounds, burns, sunburns, and to reduce the pain, itch & swelling of insect bites and stings.  

Gentle for all skin types and good for anti-aging
Emu Oil  has a complete source of essential fatty acids and is highly moisturizing, hence is a natural skin softener and has rejuvenating properties.  In addition, the oil has an extreme anti-inflammatory response and is a great healing aid.  It has no distinct scent, is natural, non-toxic, non-comedogenic, hypo-allergenic and hence, gentle for all skin types.  In fact, it is said to be good for treating wrinkles and fine lines!

Composition of fatty acids similar to those in human skin
Although emu oil is said to be non greasy, I personally found it feels rather thick and somewhat rich.  The new oil I purchased from GoW even has deposits of the fats but the surprising thing is that the oil absorbs very quickly into the skin and this is possible because I learnt that emu oil is almost 100% triglyceride lipid. Triglycerides is a type of fatty compound that are abundant in human skin lipids, meaning that the composition of fatty acids in human skin is very similar to that of emu oil. 

Highly penetrative due to its very small molecules
In fact, emu oil penetrates the skin better than any other natural oil as its molecules are much smaller than the molecules in human skin and it is said to be able to penetrate down seven layers of our skin!  In addition, since emu oil is high in oleic acid, this increases its ability to carry compounds through the skin as well. This is no wonder why my tea tree oil worked better with it on my acne than when I used it alone!

Vegans avoid emu oil
Okay, I’m no vegan so I have no issues using emu oil. My Marie-Veronique Organics Creme de Soleil has the ingredient too. Their Creme de Jour on the other hand, caters to vegans who do not want to use the oil at all. I’m not sure about the anti-aging claims of emu oil but I definitely think it’s a great oil to use as a trans-dermal carrier for your other ingredients. In fact, I’m currently using this together with a new Manuka Tea Tree Oil I got from GoW and I’m really pleased with the results. Perhaps I’ll get something else to tackle my pigmentation and see if the emu oil can enhance the penetration.

So any of you use emu oil? I know Ms Blacklace does as she has left very positive comments on it before. What about the rest?

Comments

  1. AtelierGal says:

    Emu oil was during my facial last week, the smell was not as strong was rosehip oil, which is a good thing. But I’m still not able to find it in local stores.

  2. ann says:

    I’ve been using emu oil since going to True Beauty. But as i’m using their whole range of products, its hard to tell what’s the effect that emu oil has by itself. But it’s definitely helpful in calming and desensitising my skin. Overall, my skin has made dramatic improvements and I’m really over the moon about it. It no longer gets red and flaky and the pores are smaller. Working on the pigmentation now. =)

  3. sesame says:

    You can try whoopeekiddies.com. It’s available there.

  4. sesame says:

    Oh that’s great to know! So you use emu oil under the TB’s creams? I started doing that now for the repair cream and was initially worried that my skin would have little bumps but so far, so good.

    Are you also having Susan help you with the pigmentation? Or you’re planning to use something else.

    Btw, would you be keen to give me your inputs on her products? I’m planning to write a review when I get the time and if you do not mind, then I’ll incorporate some feedback from you too.

  5. Florence says:

    I am using Emu oil to replace my night cream & I love it.

  6. Cat says:

    I love emu oil. Aside from using it as a night moisturizer, I mix a drop or two of vitamin c serum to the oil then massage it to my damp face. The result is just beautiful, glowing skin. ?

  7. sesame says:

    Oh that’s good to know! ? I think this is good for my night routine too.

  8. sesame says:

    I was just thinking if it will work well if I added my vit C powder into the oil for application. I think there shouldn’t be any issues so I would try. Hope I’ll get beautiful glowing skin like yours too!

  9. Ms. Blacklace says:

    Lol… Not only good for the face, but great for rashes too. I got a skin rash on my arms [ate too much cheese]. But after applying emu oil, the rash subsided.

    Even my brother is starting to like it. He says he just has to get used to the “bird” smell.

  10. sesame says:

    The smell is actually quite faint isn’t it. It’s not unpleasant at least.

  11. Jojo says:

    I have combination skin and my nose area would get really oily in the morning with my oil-free serum! My oiliness is usually worse in summer, but now it’s winter and it’s still very oily when i get up, so i started to think the cause might be my night time moisturiser. After reading various reviews about putting oil on combination skin and being fed up with my oily nose, I started putting oil serum on my skin.. i haven’t noticed anything different with the skin tone, however no more oily nose in the morning!! Which is a big step forward for me.. And you just got me into emu oil!!!! Thanks for sharing this!! Do you have combo skin? Do you think this would be suitable for me?? As I know not all oils are suitable for oily skin.

  12. babysaffron says:

    hi…i’m glad that your skin is in-tune with emu oil… Well…I’m not one of those lucky person. Yes, i break out and develop small bumps after using emu oil…. I just couldn’t afford to continue using it…Although i have gronw to love EO because it brings smoothness and glowing when i woke up each morning. I even switch brands…but its still not good. i even mixed it with other oil…

  13. ann says:

    Sure sesame, not a problem. I’ll be glad to give you inputs on the products.

    I use the emu oil only at night and last after applying the other TB essences.

    I’m using their cell luminous essence now for pigmentation. My freckles have definitely lighten after about a mth. So I’m persisting and hopefully, I’ll be rid of them!! In general, the skin has whitened.

  14. sesame says:

    I have combination skin as well. When your skin is oily, it could also be because of a lack of proper moisture like mine sometimes. So oil is fine…just choose one with fine molecules that can sink into your skin. If you want to try emu, I suggest starting with a small area first and see how it works. If okay, then you might want to try using it on the entire face. Best to use in the night though.

  15. sesame says:

    Oh that’s a shame. Small bumps are not good…the oil is too much for your skin then. I experience that with products I find too rich for mine.

  16. sesame says:

    Wow, pigmentation lightened! That is something I want to get. I don’t use their essence but as a whole, after using their products for 2 months or so now, my skin is more even toned.

    Can you send me your inputs on the products to vivawoman[at]gmail.com? No need to be a full write up. Just some brief points that I can incorporate.

  17. Ms. Blacklace says:

    To: Jojo

    I have oily and combination skin too! More oily in fact. But i use oils to moisturise my face day and night.

    in the day, i wet my hands with mineral water and pat my face, then i use just two drops of camellia seed oil, pat it on my face, then use one drop of emu oil and massage it in. the water helps make the oil more easy to spread so not much oil is needed. then i apply a thick layer of sunscreen. i must admit, my face gets really oily because of the sunscreen. but i get no breakouts. Well, oily skin is better then dry wrinkly skin.

  18. sesame says:

    Hey Ms Blacklace: I’ll like to try using the water sometime. I used to do that with rosehip oil which was quite oily but I’ve forgotten all about this. Thanks for bringing it up again!

  19. hunbun says:

    hi
    which vit c powder did you buy?
    how to make sure it dissolves into the carrier oil?
    or any other good vit serum to buy?
    thanks

  20. sesame says:

    The one I have is from La Soie. It’s easily dissolved into lotion or oil. You can get vitamin C powder from Marie-Veronique Organics too. Alternatively, get the L-Ascorbic powder to make your own.

  21. fry says:

    which seabuckthorn oil better to get?
    from MRH is cold pressed and from seed + berry.
    from GOW is c02 extract and from seed.

  22. Jojo says:

    To Ms. Blacklace,

    Thanks for the tip!! I surely will try it out. I am now trying to find a good emu oil supplier in Australia!

    I have one question tho… are the emu oil that you are using 100%?? Does it mean that emu oil doesn’t need preservative? And I would think that you won’t put it in the fridge either, cos it will solidify….. am i right?

  23. ffrenchfly says:

    what is the propotion of vit c to oil?
    thanks

  24. sesame says:

    Hi Jojo:

    I’m not sure if Ms Blacklace will reply as she might not read your post but for emu oil, you should put it in the fridge and take it out before you use it. It may solidify but that’s not a problem and it’ll return to liquid state at room temp. The best is to keep a small quantity at room temp.

  25. sesame says:

    Sorry I don’t have the answer to this. The vit C powder I use is slightly different and I can just shake some into my oils or lotions.

  26. Jojo says:

    Thanks for the tip sesame! Also, I heard that eating emu oil capsules will also help with skin conditions! I think I’ll try both internal and external!#k8SjZc9Dxk0#k8SjZc9Dxk

  27. sesame says:

    I haven’t heard about eating emu oils though but I imagine it might.

  28. Jojo says:

    Hi Sesame,

    Apparently it is just like taking fish oil capsules, if not better! I just thought you might be interested to know!

  29. sesame says:

    Oh that’s not bad. I don’t mind fish oil. I’ll check out the next time I head to the pharmacy. I don’t remember seeing it or maybe more like I didn’t take notice…

  30. yings says:

    Hello there! You mentioned that there is emu oil in the MVO sunscreen, and that it’s a good carrier for the products. Sorry if this sounds silly, but would the emu oil help transport the mineral sunscreen products (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) deep into our skin? Or are they too big in size to enter our skin?
    Thankyou! (:

  31. sesame says:

    That’s a valid question. I doubt so cos the size of those particles would be quite large and they’re non-micronized so they’ll still stay on top of the skin. But if it’s nano sized, then there’s a possibility they’ll enter even without the emu oil.

  32. wessy says:

    Emu oil made me break out bad!

  33. Sesame says:

    There is an issue of the quality of the emu oil…some sources are not very good so you got to be careful.

  34. Sally says:

    Hi, I’d like to know if you have tried mandelic acid for treating acne before, i heard it’s great, specially a product called ephiderm, do you know anything about it?

  35. Kajal says:

    Can we use emu oil as our regular hair oil ?
    And leave in condition after hair wash ?

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