Here At Pretty Queen Candles we're dedicated to keeping our products 100% natural and free of harmful synthetic chemicals. We do not use synthetic stabilisers and we do not formulate our light and fluffy body butters with any beeswax.
As a result, our delicate natural products packaged plastic jars are sensitive to temperature changes.
During very warm weather, products may soften or even melt in transit as they sit in warm mail trucks and mailboxes.
We use more protective packaging in the heat of summer, so most products do make their journey safely.
Unfortunately, melting is a natural reaction to heat and we have no control over the conditions during transit or delivery. We have the same problem as companies who make and ship fine chocolates during summer months.
In an effort to be as transparent about our ingredients and methods as well as to educate and better equip you, our wonderful customers, below are some tips and tricks to keep your Shea Butter whipped to perfection!
WHY DOES THE MELTING PROBLEM EXIST?
One of my biggest challenges as a formulator of natural skincare products is controlling the effect of the outside temperature.
Many commercial products contain phthalates to stabilize and maintain viscosity (thickness), cocamide DEA, MEA to thicken, stabilize and emulsify, petroleum-based oils and waxes to thicken and stabilize and other additives to ensure that their products maintain the same consistency through all temperature variations. Our natural organic products do not contain these or any other synthetic additives.
Our Whipped Butters are high in natural oils and butter are formulated to be a semi-soft solid at room temperature. When applied to our warm skin, they instantly melt, providing an emollient, nourishing and penetrating product.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT MELTING
On sunny or warm days it is best to refrigerate BEFORE opening the jars. If you open items, check if melting has occurred, they may spill out and make a mess!
**The quality and healing properties of our products are not affected by melting.**
Whipped Butters: Place it in the refrigerator. The melting will not affect the quality of the whipped butter as a great moisturiser, but the whipped consistency will change. It will become more like a body balm.
Whipping adds tiny air bubbles (just like whipping cream) that increase the size, lightens the density and changes the texture, making the butter light and fluffy. If a whipped product melts, the air bubbles are collapsed, so the volume is decreased. So although the jar was filled to the top, if the butter melts, there will be less volume in the container. The container may actually look half full.
We have had customers scoop out the butter and whip it back up with an electric whisk beater. The butter has to be very cold for this to work.
WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP THE PROBLEM
During hot weather, we do our best to protect our products from melting in transit.
As a result, most products shipped in warm weather arrive without melting. But please understand, there is no way that we can ship products and completely control the high heat temperatures of summer, trucks and mailboxes.