Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Our family is plagued with skin issues. As a mom, I grew up with sensitive skin, rashes, hives, and acne. I've even been blessed enough to obtain a nasty toe fungus after a shady pedicure. Our son was born with eczema and continues to fight the battle of itchy, sensitive, infected skin. Our tween daughter (who is hormonally challenged) has been battling mysterious facial bumps and rashes for the past 2 years and our dermatologist has been unable to prescribe anything that helps. I'm not one of those mom who solely believes in natural, non-prescription products. I'm a level headed, experienced, mom who has seen benefits from both the herbal/natural and western medicinal sides. When making a purchase decision for my children's skin, it typically comes down to three issues: side effects, safety, and efficacy. After reading rave reviews about this product and researching its safety and natural ingredients, I decided to pull the trigger. The three of us are using Manuka oil for different reasons. It's trial use on my son's eczema/wounds and on my toenail fungus is still ongoing and I will be sure to report back and update this review once sufficient time has passed to determine it's effectiveness. Fortunately (I scream with excitement), we've already seen immediate, positive results on my daughter's skin, so I felt compelled to share this review in hopes that it helps others with similar issues. Our daughter (who is now 12) began getting small whitish/red bumps pop on on her skin around her nose, mouth and chin area about 2 years ago. It was extremely embarrassing for her as it made her skin red, itchy, and noticeable to peers. (This is horrific for a female tween.) In desperation, I tried everything: prescription dermatologist-recommended ointment (Protopic), tea tree oil, coconut oil, anti-fungal prescription medication (Nystatin), hypoallergenic lotions, creams, and antibiotic ointment. We saw a slight improvement with tea tree oil and protonic for a few days, but nothing else really helped. The rash would come and go causing much stress and humiliation. I won't lie....my daughter HATES the smell of Manuka oil. She loves the smell of tea tree oil. They are two entirely different products. While I don't mind the smell of either, she literally won't put the oil on her finger to apply it to her face. It makes her nauseous. Being the loving, controlling mother that I am, I did it for her. I love that it has a dropper applicator. We've used other oils that require shaking and it wastes too much oil. For the first week, we applied the oil in a thin layer around her nose, mouth, and chin, twice daily. Within a day of use, it began drying out the rash and leaving peeling skin behind. It took the red out almost immediately but the white, dead skin it left behind caused further embarrassment. We supplemented with another product found on Amazon that also includes Manuka oil in lotion form (Honeyskin). It helped to hide and moisten the dry skin through it's stages. Within a few days, the dry skin began to slough off and beautiful, clear skin could be seen underneath. If we missed a day in treatment, the bumps would begin to show through again. I can't stress enough to be consistent with use, especially during the first week. Within one week's time, we knew the product was 100% effective. It took about 2 full weeks for the rash to disappear completely. I still encourage (with force) my daughter to use this oil every night after she washes her face with a mild cleanser. She still doesn't like the smell, but recognizes and appreciates it's effectiveness. She uses the honey skin lotion to minimize dryness. This Manuka oil has made a huge difference in her facial appearance and self esteem. Very few products we've tried have worked this quickly with minimal side effects. I would say the only real side effect we encountered was very dry, peeling skin. Be sure you have a good lotion to counter this healing process because the oil isn't enough. If you happen to travel with the product, I'd recommend double bagging it as it does leak and you don't want this smell in your suitcase. I highly recommend the use of this product for Tweens and teenagers facing hormonal changes. We love our dermatologist, but he really missed the boat on diagnosis and treatment of this issue. Had it truly been eczema, we would have seen improvement from the medicine he prescribed that works wonders on our son with eczema. I feel this was truly hormonal and likely would have developed into acne. I've attached before and after photos of my daughter's skin problem. Take it from an exhausted mom who spends 100% of her time and salary on skin care products. This one is worth a place in your medicine cabinet.