NS Skin Care Review

A few weeks ago, I talked about why skin care is important for everyone – especially for people with diabetes (read the post here). I was also lucky enough to have been provided with a few samples from the guys at Plunkett Pharmaceuticals to test. I have now seen these products in action for several weeks now and am pretty convinced and happy with the quality of them. Before I go through each of these products, I wanted to mention that I was not paid to write this review and opinions of these products are all mine and mine alone.

NS-8 Heel Balm Complex 60g, RRP $11.45

As the name suggests, this lotion is predominantly for rough, cracked, dry or thickened heels and feet. As I’m usually on my feet for the majority of my day, they are usually in need of some TLC. It is not very often that I do get cracked heels though, because I tend to be very vigilant with my feet care. This lotion is very light and as advertised, doesn’t leave that greasy feel after use nor does it have a very distinctive smell. It is recommended that this balm is to be used three times a day, which sounds incredibly silly to me. I mean, if I am out and about throughout the day, how realistic is it to be removing my socks/shoes/tights to rub some cream on my feet?! Therefore, I tend to fit this more into my bedtime routine. Despite only using this once a day, I started to see and feel some improvement in my poor feet and heels in just over a week. My skin is now softer and smoother. No sign of any peeling skin or dryness! Pretty impressive! Plus, you only need a little squirt of it, so a whole tube will last you a fair while.

NS-3 Lip Complex – Natural Honey 12g, RRP $6.95

This little treasure here is probably my favourite of the three samples I trialled. What girl doesn’t love or need another lip balm? Like all other products in the NS range, the lip balm uses all natural products including beeswax, honey and zinc oxide, which provides a natural sunscreen. I am always on the lookout for a good lip balm as I have the worst habit of peeling my dry lips till they bleed. And for a clarinet player, this is makes it a hundred (if not, a thousand) times worse. Since using the Lip Complex, my lips are now a lot softer and don’t tend to peel as easily, which is great. It has earned a permanent place in my diabetes bag to make sure I have with me at all times. The only thing I dislike about it is the fact that it comes in a little tub. I naturally tend to stay away from these packagings as I don’t like getting lip balm on my fingers. I would have much preferred it to come in a Chapstick sorta thing as it’s quick and simple to use and won’t get your fingers dirty. On the plus side, I now have one finger now that is also really nice and soft from using that to apply the lip balm! Also another issue with it being in a tub is I’m not sure if it’ll melt during hot weather. But I’ve had beeswax  lip balm before that has melted in the hot weather, making it very messy to use. But for now I don’t mind using it and it’s my go-to lip balm. If you’re fussy like me, you may want to give their NS-3 Lip Balm a go instead as it does come in a tube. However, it doesn’t have the light honey flavour in it.

NS-21 Skin Repair Treatment 60g, RRP $18.95

To be honest, this product scared me a little because of how ‘strong’ it sounded. This treatment is for ‘problem skin conditions, damaged and chronic dry skin’ and is a ‘natural cortisone-free cream suitable for eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis’. I have none of these stated conditions. Yes, I have dry skin but it isn’t terrible and I get very apprehensive when it comes to using very specific products on my skin. I did know someone who has ridiculously dry skin and would benefit from this though. So I got my dad to try it. It was good timing too as we had only recently been discussing his dry skin. I was very concerned at how dry and flakey it was and looked like it would tear the moment you touched it. He may not have diabetes but as I stated before, once the skin is broken, it’s an open invitation to infection. Of course, mum or I had to remind him most days to put it on and after two weeks or so I asked what he thought of it. We got the typical response of ‘yea it’s ok’. But after looking at his arms and legs, mum and I were both fairly impressed with the results! There was no signs of flakey or dry skin. His skin was intact and smooth, basically the best it had been for a long time.

Overall, the simple packaging and colour use definitely doesn’t reflect on the quality of the NS range. The prices these products are at also make them much more affordable than some other products that are out there. Particularly for those who love using natural products that are not heavily scented, the NS range is definitely a range I would highly recommend trying!

Thank you again to Plunkett Pharmaceuticals for allowing me to trial some of these products 🙂