What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, our bathroom cabinet was packed with lotions and potions chock full of chemicals and additives we could barely pronounce. That all changed when we discovered Mānuka Oil! This hard working, all-natural product quickly became our skin’s best friend thanks to its amazing antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
Around Aotearoa and the world, the popularity of mānuka oil-based skin care is going gang busters (with Manuka Honey sales skyrocketing and the popularity of Mānuka supplements climbing, the humble Manuka Tree has never been hotter!). Evidence-based study after evidence-based study has confirmed Manuka Oil’s benefits and demonstrated how naturally effective it is as a treatment for all kinds of ailments and skin issues.
Of course, everyone is really just catching up on what Māori have known for centuries. It’s well-accepted that pre-European Māori used many parts of the indigenous Mānuka tree shrub in their traditional Rongoā Rakau (plant-based medicine) practice. It was valued for its versatility, its ability to seemingly treat anything from injuries and cuts to head colds and inflammation.
We turned to Mānuka Oil as a natural way to avoid the harsh chemicals often used in skincare designed for rugged outdoor conditions. We’ve personally put our manuka-oil based skin care through extensive real world trials. We use it to protect our skin every day, when we’re on the farm, out surfing, skiing, biking and hiking. It’s my go-to for all the kids scrapes and scratches and a few drops in the bath can soothe the aches away after a tough day.
The Mānuka Tree
Native to New Zealand, Leptosepermum scoparium (commonly known as mānuka) is actually a species of myrtle. This hardy shrub is supremely suited to Taranaki and can stand up to our wild weather. Back in the day Mānuka was considered a weed. Until quite recently farmers toiled to remove it to create pasture for grazing. We love that things have gone full circle and now we are dedicated to replanting those pastures back with Mānuka, though there may be a few ancestors turning in their graves.
Our Mānuka Oil
Mānuka Oil is produced by steam distilling the plant’s leaves and branches. At That’s It we use a vacuum distillation method which allows us to use a lower temperature. By reducing the temperature, we limit triketone damage. With less damage done to the triketones we are able to produce a higher potency essential Mānuka Oil.
Sweeter Than Mānuka Honey
You might be tempted to think a sweeter way to reap the benefits of Mānuka is slathering your morning toast with some delicious Mānuka honey. However, while they are both made using Mānuka as the key ingredient, compared with Mānuka Honey, Mānuka Oil is 1,000 times more powerful! Along with being antibacterial, Mānuka Oil is also a very potent anti-fungal and anti-viral agent, as well as being anti-inflammatory.
Mānuka Oil is also completely vegan, being produced solely from the NZ Mānuka tree — whereas Mānuka Honey uses pollen from bees.
Mānuka Oil saves your skin
As an adventurous, active lot we have our fair share of scratches and scrapes. We work and play hard outdoors and that takes a toll. Here’s some of the go-to ways we use Mānuka Oil to save our skin at home
- treatment of cuts, scratches and grazes
- Insect repellent AND bite treatment
- Relief for aching muscles and joints (put a couple of drops in the bath or into your favourite lotion and massage in)
- reduce/control oily skin
- Spot treatment for pimples if that fails!
- Soothing sunburn, windburn chaffing and chapping
View more skincare uses for Mānuka Oil here.
At That’s It, our mānuka oil-based products are as hard working as the people who use them and specifically designed to protect and heal in the most punishing outdoor environments.
Want to learn more about mānuka and our unique approach to outdoor skincare? Learn more about That’s It Mānuka Oil here.
