Why is my Terressentials product a little different in color, consistency, and aroma?

Q: I've ordered your products multiple times before, and I've noticed that they sometimes are a little bit different in color, consistency, and aroma. Why is that?

A:

Since our USDA certified organic products are made from truly natural ingredients that come from and – in the instance of the clay – are the earth, there is always some natural variation in aroma, color, viscosity or opacity. It takes a tremendous amount of artisan skill to work with the great variety of USDA certified organic and truly natural materials that we receive and attempt to replicate a recipe exactly each time we craft a batch of product. Though it is quite a challenge, we are proud to say that, over the past twenty-two years of crafting our products, we have had much success in maintaining the consistency of our recipes despite the curve balls thrown our way by Mother Nature and we have many loyal, long-term customers who are quite happy with the results of our efforts!

For example, is every single apple the same? Even if you're staying with just one type of apple from one single apple tree, some are more crunchy, some are more sweet, and some are more juicy. Does a loaf of artisan sourdough bread look exactly the same each time you bake one from your treasured recipe? The same ideas apply to the ingredients that we use and the products that we make. Even if we get the same type of ingredient (for example, cocoa butter, clay or lavender oil) it may be a little different in color, aroma or consistency from lot to lot. This doesn't mean that the material is a lower grade, it's just a natural variation. It's important to note that all materials have variations. In particular, organic botanicals vary widely depending upon how and where they grew – the amount of sunlight, rainfall, soil conditions, altitude, time of harvest, etc.

We carefully handpick every single organic ingredient in our products and always search for the highest certified organic quality. We don't and won't make anything but top-notch USDA certified organic body care products with the finest ingredients. After all, we actually do use all of our products ourselves and we don't want anything less than the very best! So don't worry if your newest bottle of Terressentials product is a little bit lighter or darker in color, or a tad thinner or thicker, or the aroma blend is slightly different – it's all good and genuine organic. No matter what, you are selecting an effective product that will be good for both you and the environment.

Oh, yes, and please always do remember to shake your Terressentials product before using it – be it hair wash, body wash, lotion or deodorant – since we do not add any chemical emulsifiers to our products, natural separation may occur. 

Why doesn't the Terressentials Hair Wash come in a wide mouthed jar?

Q: Why doesn't Terressentials Hair Wash come in a wide-mouthed jar that I can stick my fingers in and scoop the mud out of? It can be hard to get out of the bottles.

A:

Unfortunately, for such a large quantity of a water-based product to be packed in a jar that would require that fingers be repeatedly inserted into the product over several weeks to dispense it demands significant additions of chemical preservatives to maintain that product's stability. As we are a certified organic company, the use of such chemical preservatives is not in alignment with our organic mission or our natural philosophy and, importantly, the use of chemical preservatives in organic products is forbidden by the federal USDA National Organic Program regulations. Also, we are a very small company and packaging options that are available to us in the smaller quantities that we can afford to purchase are limited. After 20 years of business, we have found that the best bottle for the Hair Wash is the one we currently use. However, rest assured, as we do believe in constant improvement, we are always searching for and open to new and improved packaging ideas.

For now, here are a few tips that we can share with you for successful dispensing of the Hair Wash are:

1. Store your Hair Wash bottle upside down (with cap closed, of course!).

2. When the product gets low in the bottle, gently tap the bottle (cap down and closed) against a tabletop a few times to move the Hair Wash from the bottom of the bottle towards the cap.

How do I get the last bit of hair wash out of the bottle?

Q: Help! My hair wash is stuck in the bottle! Can I add water to it?

A:

As our hair-wash is made with clay, it is unavoidable that some will stick to the bottom. We would never want to add synthetic ingredients just to make it come out easier.

Our advice:

1. Store your bottle upside-down

2. Think ketchup! Hold the bottle upside-down with the cap closed. Hit the sides with your palm or tap the bottle on the counter with enough force to move the hair wash but not break the cap.

3. For cleanliness reasons, we do not recommend adding water directly to the bottle unless you are going to use the rest up in 2-3 days. If you are, add a small amount of water and shake gently to help mix the hair wash with the water.

4. If you want to add water to make application easier, squirt enough hair wash for one use into a cup and add a bit of water to the cup. We recommend using distilled water.