Why are your product descriptions so brief? I remember them as being very thoroughly researched with links to scientific studies.
Due to legal regulations, we cannot tell you what a herb was traditionally used for, or allude to this in the product description. We also cannot imply that scientifically studied herbs will have the same impact in our products. Therefore, legally we cannot make any claims if we want to sell balms. If you have any questions about a particular product, you can research these herbs, or flick us a message and we can help as in a 'consult' we can let you know which product would be suitable for your needs.
How much does shipping cost and when will my order arrive?
Shipping is charged at a flat rate of $8.95 per order within NZ. Items are shipped using our choice of courier, normally within 48 business hours of payment clearing. Your order is posted out with overnight delivery if it's in a courier satchel, or using 2 day delivery for boxes. Please allow extra time for rural delivery.
If your order is urgent, please let us know. We can normally prioritise to get it out the same day, however you need to let us know BEFORE placing the order.
Do you use plastic for packaging or postage?
We love our planet! So use almost no plastic!
We post in compostable courier bag, or cardboard boxes, and use newspaper and cardboard to protect your goodies during transit. For rural, we do offer the option of a plastic courier bag, as this does keep postage more affordable for you, but can ship plastic free. Make sure you tick the plastic free option if you're rural & prefer no plastic.
Our glass spray bottle lids are plastic, however you can return these to us, and we will sterilise & re-use if possible.
Can I return my jars to you?
Yes absolutely!
Simply post to 338 Williams St, Kaiapoi, 7630 (Please wrap well to avoid breakages)
Or drop off to us at the above address. We also have a drop-off point in Silverdale, Auckland. Please message us for the address.
Unfortunately we no longer offer store credit for returned jars due to the time involved in cleaning and sterilising.
Are your products vegan? Do you do animal testing?
We never ever test on animals - only on our family & friends! Once we are happy with how the product is working on them, only then do we sell it.
Most of our produts are vegan, however a large proportion do contain beeswax to achieve a good consistency. Through research I have found that beeswax is the most sustainable and eco friendly wax. We source our certified organic beeswax from a family of beekeepers in Central Otago, that have been beekeeping for over 100 years! We are happy with their processes, and the quality of their beeswax. (It has that beautiful smell and colour that cheaper non-organic beeswax doesn't have!)
If you get in touch with us, we can happily assist you in finding suitable products from our range, or even custom make some products for you!
Do you ship overseas?
Yes, we can ship to Australia from only $20 flat rate for untracked.
As a bonus, all orders going overseas have GST removed at checkout, meaning that you will be saving 15% off the displayed price on all our products!
We unfortunately no longer ship to other countries due to the breakage risk involved in posting glass jars.
I have allergies - can you make me a custom order?
Sometimes! Just contact us, and we will let you know what we can do for you! A custom order charge will apply in most situations, but will depend on the product and the quantity you purchase. In times of high sunscreen demand, we will unfortunately not have capacity for this.
How long do your products last?
Most of our products are free from water, and therefore do not contain ingredients that 'go off'. The effectiveness may wear over time, and for this reason our sunscreens are generally best used within 12 months, and our other balms 2-4 years. You do however need to be careful that no bacteria is introduced into the balms, as this could cause them to go off earlier. If kept clean, and stored well, they can last years.
Our family has used sunscreen that was already 4 seasons old with no issues, and we have had customers give us similar testimonials. This is a call for you to make 'at your own risk' because we only guarantee our sunscreens for the season.
Being a natural product, if exposed to heat, your balms may melt & re-melt a little. This does not affect use, however your balm may become more clumpy.
How should I store my balms?
Balms should always be stored in a cool dark place. Avoid exposing to sunlight. If your balm is exposed, it may change the visual appearance, however will not affect use. Some seperation may occur if left in sun too long.
What rating is your Kawakawa Sunscreen?
All our sunscreens are at the high end of zinc formulations.
We have had our Kawakawa Sunscreen professionally and independently lab tested in Australia, and this gave us an indicative result of an SPF of around 18. This means that you can now stay out in the sun 18 times as long as you normally could without sunscreen. Ie. if you normally burn in 30 mins, you can stay out for 9 hours. However the Cancer Society recommendation is to re-apply every 2 hours anyway, with any SPF sunscreen, due to rub-off.
If you do burn easily, you may prefer our SPF50+ option. This achieved an SPF rating of 96 at the lab in Australia, meaning you can theoretically stay out 96x as long as you otherwise could - though obviously the Cancer Society still recommends re-application every 2 hours, and more often when in water or sweating excessively.
You may have seen an older Consumer NZ article where our sunscreen was reported to be an SPF of 12 - this is our older original recipe (From prior to September 2018). We had since increased the zinc content and improved production techniques - which is how we got our new SPF value of around 18.
Which of the sunscreens would you recommend for my baby?
All of our sunscreen recipes only use zinc oxide as the active ingredient, which is the only FDA approved sun protecting ingredient from birth to 6 months old, so all of them are safe from birth.
However, our Kawakawa Sunscreen uses non-nano zinc which can be gentler on the skin than nano zinc. Especially if your baby rubs their eyes with the sunscreen on their hands and such. Generally an SPF of 18x as long as normal is more than enough for even paler babies, due to re-application time, and the fact that they should be kept in shade where possible.
It is however a personal decision, and depends on whether you yourself prefer the higher lab-tested sunscreen.
If you or your child have eczema, then we would recommend sticking to the Kawakawa sunscreen, as this is 'skin healing' at the same time as being sun protecting. The others should not irritate the eczema, but the Kawakawa is fantastic at healing at the same time.
Is your sunscreen reef-safe?
There is no one particular agreed upon definition on what constitutes a reef-safe sunscreen, however our sunscreens do fit in with the various definitions avaliable, and therefore can be considered reef-safe.
Is nano Zinc Oxide safe?
The usual concern around nano zinc particles is that they may penetrate through the skin. Many studies have been done, and all have shown that this is not a concern with use in sunscreen. (eg. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30448212/) As mentioned in some studies, it is also possible that this is because zinc is also an essential mineral that our bodies need.
When asked, which is more 'natural' - the non-nano would be, as it's easier to get non-nano particles than it is to get nano particles, and they have been around longer. This is part of the reason why I also recommend the non-nano options for babies.
Nano does however have the advantage of being 100% clear - while our non-nano recipes rub in pretty clear, it's not 100% clear. Plus, because the nano particles are smaller & spread better, the SPF achieved is much higher. (18 vs 96)
Are your Shampoo Bars pH balanced?
Yes! Our shampoo and conditioner bars have a pH close to that of the skin, which makes them super gentle.
The all over body bars have a higher pH however, which makes them more natural, but can mean they don't leave your hair as soft as our hair-specific bars. Generally we recommend using the hair specific bars on your hair, and the all over body bars everywhere else (including on your face), however some people do prefer using the hair bars on their face & body due to them being defined as 'PH balanced'.
