Natural Product Problems

As you are all well aware I hand make all my products. The ingredients I choose are organic, unrefined (where possible) and I aim to keep them as close to nature as possible to ensure I bring the most health benefits to you. 
Each time I purchase a new raw ingredient it can have a slightly different base chemical profile as the plants they come from have had a different environment that they were grown in due to seasonal changes, heat, wind, water etc...
This slight change in chemical profile is one of the reasons I believe natural products are a powerful tool for maintaining healthy skin. Each batch brings a slightly different variety of nutritional profiles for our skin to draw on what it needs to maintain balanced health.
The draw back is that sometimes my products can have little quirks and when I'm making them they don't quite come out as expected, and then when you include the fact are hand poured, sometimes thing go wrong.

They can get air bubbles, are influenced by temperature changes, and because they are natural ingredients, they will eventually go off. You can tell when this happens because the product will start to smell not that nice (a bit like rancid oil). 

The benefits of a product that goes off (eventually) those ingredients have health benefits for you skin in the form of vitamins, and minerals, and they can feed and support the microbiome of the skin, rather than disrupting it.

I do my best to formulate products that maintain their efficacy during its life cycle, but I'll be honest, I've been doing this for 6 years now, and I'm still learning and tweaking my formulas, constantly improving. 
I really appreciate feedback from customers and it's important to me that your Catherine B product functions like that product should. This is why I have a 100% replacement policy.
If a product doesn't "Do what it says"  and is still in it's Best Before (BB) date, then please contact me and I'll replace it with a new one. 
I want to know if something has gone wrong with a batch. 

Here are some of the things that can happen to your products as they go through their natural life cycle and what you can do to still make your product usable. 

Products drying out.

Oil and waxed based product will over time dry out as the moisture content will evaporate.
Think of an oil bottle that's left on the bench with the lid off, eventually it dries out and goes tacky. With butters and waxes when they dry out they go hard. 
I am constantly tweaking my formulations to balance this out, but it is the nature of natural products
Can I mitigate this in your products? In some cases yes, others no.

Eyebrow pomade gone dry and hard?

To fix this:

Add some drops of oil to your pomade tin and then mix it around with the brush. It will revamp it and then you should be good to go again.

Lipstick gone hard? 

If its still in the BB (best before) date then I will replace it for you. I just need a photo of the bottom of the tube or tin with the colour name, lot number and BB date.

To fix it: 

 Apply a touch of lip balm or oil on your lips before application and that will revamp the lipstick again.  

I have tweaked the formula and my new batches of lipstick start out a bit more oily, knowing it will firm up overtime.

Products going grainy

What happens with this is the butter and waxes heat up and then when they cool the butters can seperate and leave a grainy texture. They still function fine, but you have to warm up the butters to melt it, and generally rubbing it in will warm it up sufficiently. 

Magic Salve gone grainy? This has no impact on the efficacy of the product. It just means you have to rub it a bit longer and warm up the butter and it will melt into your skin.

Tinted Lip balm or Lipstick gone grainy?
If the lumps don't bother you you can keep using it, but I know how annoying it can feel on your lips. As long as it in the BB date, I'll replace it for you I just need a photo of the bottom of the tube or tin with the colour name, lot number and BB date. 

Foundation gone grainy?
Take a bit out of the tin and then rub it on the back of your hand and it will warm it up. If  after doing that it's not melting down then please send me a photo of the bottom of the tin and I'll send you a replacement. 

If you have any other things happen with your products, like a lipstick breaks or smooshes, or the product doesn't function like you expect, please let me know and I'm happy to replace a product for you as long as it's still in the Best Before date 😀

Handmade isn't perfection and I want to make sure your product functions like you expect!

❤️ Catherine