How to Care for Your Product

HOT

1. Always maintain proper hygiene when handling products.

• Wear gloves and a hair net, and sanitize all implements and equipment used.

2. Immediately open your products to release the hot air and pressure, and stir until homogenized.

3. Dry off and clean the inside lid of your container.

• Use lint free cloths or paper towels with alcohol and let dry before reclosing the container.

4. Place your product in a room temperature or cooler environment for a minimum of 24 hours.

5. Once your product has cooled, reopen and stir again.

6. Pour off your products into resale or smaller storage containers.

7. Store your products in tightly sealed containers with minimum "headspace".

8. Protect your products from moisture, extreme temperatures, and direct UV light. Preferable temperature is always room temperature around 65-72F

• Any essential oils or Vitamin C products should be stored in opaque containers (glass for the essential oils).

COLD

1. Always maintain proper hygiene when handling products.

• Wear gloves and a hair net, and sanitize all implements and equipment used.

2. Immediately open your products to release the cold air and pressure.

3. Dry off and clean the inside lid of your container.

• Use lint free cloths or paper towels with alcohol and let dry before reclosing the container.

4. Place your product in a room temperature environment for 24-48 hours.

5. Once your products have warmed up, open and stir to ensure it's completely homogenized.

6. Pour off your products into resale or smaller storage containers.

7. Store your products in tightly sealed containers with minimum "headspace".

8. Protect your products from moisture, extreme temperatures, and direct UV light. Preferable temperature is always room temperature around 65-72F.

• Any essential oils or Vitamin C products should be stored in opaque containers (glass for the essential oils)

You’ll find that by following these directions, most finished products will usually balance their composition.

BONUS - We use 100% sorghum starch packing peanuts which are all-natural with no toxic chemicals, easy to dispose of (please compost!), and high-humidity proof.

Why Does Temperature Affect Your Product?

Why do Essential Lab's emulsions viscosity change in extreme temperature fluctuations, but then resolve their viscosity once the hot or cold air has been released and the product has been placed in a room temperature environment?  Why can temperature fluctuations influence the rheological behavior (how the product flows) of cosmetic emulsions, potentially causing shear-thinning effects among others?

First, I think it makes sense to define Newtonian. Newtonian fluids are products that have a constant viscosity regardless of the applied shear rate (e.g., water), whereas Non-Newtonian fluids have a viscosity that changes when a force is applied. Essential's emulsions fall into this category. This non-Newtonian property is what gives our emulsions their smooth and spreadable texture.

Non-Newtonian emulsions will have certain behaviors that allow products to spread and be applied to the skin much more efficiently and provide a more luxurious feel upon application. These behaviors include the following:

• Shear-Thinning (Pseudoplastic): Most cosmetic emulsions exhibit this behavior. They become less viscous under shear (like when you apply and massage them onto your skin) and return to their original viscosity when the shear is removed.
• Shear-Thickening (Dilatant): Less common, these become more viscous under shear. We do not often experience this in our emulsions. 
• Thixotropic: These emulsions decrease in viscosity when sheared and take a finite time to return to their original viscosity when at rest. This is why we provide information in the form of packing inserts when you receive your order. 
• Rheopectic: This rare behavior is the opposite of thixotropy; viscosity increases with shear over time. In the same fashion of Shear-Thickening, we do not often experience this in our emulsions. 

Now the science behind this and if I bore you, I apologize, but isn't learning and understanding the most fun and fundamental part of life?

So why does this non-Newtonian situation occur? Well for one, the internal structure of the emulsions changes under stress. For instance, the alignment of particles or structural breakdown of certain bonds can lead to varying viscosity. Extreme temperature changes can cause this molecular structure change. Some of the most common non-Newtonian products you are probably used to are ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. When you squeeze these out of the container without shaking the container first, you will notice water or oils coming out first. There is a reason we shake before we squeeze. So don't worry about the viscosity change, just follow our instructions above and rest assured that the product effectively delivers the ingredients and maintains stability during use.

If you have any questions, you can always reach out to us at (503) 917-0887 or contactus@essentiallabs.com. We are happy to help with this or any other questions you have about your Essential products.