"Why is your Kawakawa Balm more effective than other brands I have tried?"
This is a great question! We try to answering some of the questions we often get asked here in the journal. We figured if customers have asked these questions, other people are wondering the same thing.
We love that kawakawa is one of those native plants that's accessible to everyone. You can tap into its soothing, immune-boosting properties by simply popping a few leaves in boiling water and adding a little honey and ginger for a refreshing immunity tonic. It really is that simple to start enjoying the incredible benefits of kawakawa.
It's also great to see more people making kawakawa balm. Mīharo! And we know, like Aunty, they put a lot of aroha into it too. So what makes our Kawakawa Repair Balm different?
Why does our Kawakawa Balm get results that other products, including other well-known kawakawa products, don't receive? With over 1900 five-star reviews for Frankie Apothecary, and over 600 for Kawakawa Repair Balm alone, there's a good reason it's trusted by so many families for their itchy or sensitive skin.
1. Most other 'eczema balms' are a simple mix of wax and oils
Blending wax and oils may be fine for general skin moisturisation or mild concerns. But when you need to trap moisture to the skin - a must for eczema and any other types of dry, itchy skin - wax and oil won't cut it. The amount of moisture lost through the skin - called trans-epidermal water loss or TEWL - is higher for those with itchy, eczema-prone skin, meaning it dries out faster; and drier skin is itchier which makes people want to scrach, further damaging the skin - this means it is really important to reduce excess moisture loss from the skin with an effective barrier.
Our Kawakawa Balm formulation is a blend of butter, waxes, botanical extracts, rich kawakawa oils and specialty ingredients which help trap moisture to the skin, and reduce TEWL.
2. Many 'eczema balms' only use beeswax
Beeswax is great, but for effective moisture retention, we use a blend of waxes - not beeswax alone - that doubles down, protecting the skin barrier, so it doesn't lose moisture so quickly, which slows down TEWL, allowing the skin to repair more effectively.
3. Our research-based specialty ingredient
We also use a specialty ingredient in our Kawakawa balm that's proven to stop TEWL as effectively as lanolin which is right up there with thick petrochemical-based ingredients. Is it easy to get? No. Is it expensive? Yes. Does it work? Absolutely.
4. We choose a powerful calendula extract in our Kawakawa Balm
Calendula is an ancient botanical with a long history of use to relieve reactive skin and calm skin inflammation. We choose only the best quality extract to boost the effectiveness of our skin-soothing balm. Again, it isn't cheap, but it is wonderful.
5. Two kawakawa extracts, not one
We base Kawakawa Repair Balm on two potent kawakawa extracts, in two formats, to take advantage of the properties each brings to the table. Kawakawa has been used for generations for a number of concerns, including skin issues like eczema - with good reason.
From a scientific point of view, native kawakawa includes powerful compounds, including soothing myristicin and yangambin which fight inflammation, pellitorine which has numbing effects on the body which may explain kawakawa's traditional use for pain relief, and even dopamine. But that's just the start!
6. Our native Kawakawa is wild-harvested native using traditional methods
And last but not least, we love using traditional methods to harvest our kawakawa. We're pretty sure Aunty does this too. She believes, as we do, that traditional, mindful harvesting adds a unique goodness to what is created.
For us, it's about bringing together the old ways, and new innovative ingredients, that sets Kawakawa Repair Balm apart, and why it's trusted by so many families around the world.
