USING OUR PRODUCTS

What is the best way to apply a facial oil?

There are a number of great ways to use a facial oil blend! Their use often falls into two categories: either to be used as part of a cleansing routine, or to moisturize and protect the skin:

What is oil cleansing, and how do I do it properly?

Oil cleansing is used to clean the skin and remove excess dirt, sebum, makeup, exhaust and other pollutants that have been picked up throughout the day. It can be done directly to dry skin in need of cleansing. Given the special properties of oil, the oil itself will pick up dirt from the skin, without harsh surfactants that strip skin of its natural oils. This process also helps to maintain the delicate acid mantle of the skin, by not stripping away natural sebum (slightly acidic in pH) which protects against bacteria and contaminants.

How to oil cleanse: To cleanse skin, apply 2 pumps of facial oil to the palm of clean hands. Using fingertip, gently pick up some of the oil from your palm and dab it along key points of the face (apples of the cheeks, bridge of the nose, chin, jawline, temples, and center of forehead). Gently rub palms together to distribute remaining oil on your palms, and gently begin massaging your face working from center outward with even strokes.

How do I incorporate facial oils as moisturizers?

Another great use of the facial oil blends is to moisturize and protect the skin. This can be done after cleansing, and before applying other products such as makeup. I love to do this routine at night, for a delicate and pure moisturizing effect.

To moisturize with a facial oil: After cleansing the skin, gently towel dry so that skin is still slightly damp. If skin has been thoroughly dried, you can re-dampen skin with a light splash of water or a spritzing of our toning hydrosol spray. With clean hands, apply 1-2 pumps of oil to your palm. Using a fingertip, gentle dip into the oil and apply to key areas of the face (apples of the cheeks, bridge of the nose, chin, jawline, temples, and center of forehead). Gently rub palms together to distribute remaining oil on your palms, and gently begin massaging your face working from center outward with even strokes.

Why use an oil instead of a traditional cream moisturizer?

Traditional moisturizers are made up of two key parts: oil and water. Since oil and water don’t like to combine easily and stay emulsified (equally suspended together), companies need to incorporate additional emulsifying ingredients to keep the two together. Another downside of this mix is the incorporation of water. Water provides a perfect moist environment for bacteria and microbes to thrive, which means that creams also need to incorporate some form of preservative to inhibit the growth of these contaminants. While there are some naturally derived additives out there, we prefer to stick with the purest formulas, free of unnecessary and potentially skin-sensitizing ingredients.

When you apply a facial oil following any of the steps above, you are effectively creating that gentle emulsification each time you apply the product. This helps the oil to penetrate more deeply into the skin, while avoiding unnecessary ingredients.

I’ve tried oils before and they always just leave my skin feeling oily—how do I avoid that?

This is such a good question, and something I struggled with when I first started using facial oils! The main reasons for oils not absorbing and blending into your skin are either that you are using the wrong type of oil for your needs (using a more rich moisturizing oil intended for dry skin on oily skin, for example), or that you are applying to dry skin without enough moisture to help create that gentle emulsification that will soften the oil blend into your skin and allow it to penetrate more deeply.

The first way to change your routine would be to apply the oil blend to clean, damp skin and see if it changes the feeling of the oil blend for you. This is a great thing to do after a shower, while there’s a bit of steam in the room.

My favorite option, though, is to spritz my face with hydrosol after cleansing and immediately before applying a facial oil. This has a gentle toning effect, and allows for a perfect emulsification of the blend, for the best moisturizing results.

Oils may feel “oily” for a few minutes after application, but should blend in with your natural oils within ~5 minutes. If you’ve applied your oil with the steps above and still find it feeling oily, you may be applying too much product or using the wrong blend for your skin type.

OUR PACKAGING

What is your packaging made of? Is it recyclable?

Yes! most, if not all of our product packaging and shipping products are 100% recyclable or biodegradable, and made from recycled or left-over product where possible. Currently our pumps and sprays have a plastic mechanism, but we hope you’ll order our plastic-free refills and turn that ‘single-use’ plastic into a long-term applicator for your products.

Here’s our current setup:

Oils: Glass bottle with plastic serum pump (plastic-free refills available for Daily Ritual & Sunshine)

Hydrosols: Glass bottle with plastic spray pump

Refill bottles: Glass bottles with aluminum caps (Sunshine & Daily Ritual)

Lip Balms: 100% recycled and recyclable paper tubes

Product labels: All of our labels are made of compostable plant material produced in the US by Elevate Packaging. They are fully compostable in accordance with both ASTM D6400 and EN13432 standards. This means that the material disintegrates within 12 days in standard composting environments, and completes biodegradation within six months. We ask that you kindly peel off the labels to add to your home or commercial compost before recycling packaging.

While we realize this isn’t the perfect solution, these labels can hold up with oil-based products, while providing a completely natural, plastic- and chemical-adhesive- free label that is 100% compostable, and that actually adds value back into the soil. All inks are water based and earth-friendly.

Shipping packaging: 100% recycled, and recyclable post-consumer paper-based packaging, made in the USA. I package each order with paper tape and a water-based-ink hand stamp.

All of our packaging products are made in the USA from the best ethically-sourced materials and processes currently available. As a small business, I promise to always continue improving the packaging of products and making changes towards more sustainable advances wherever possible.

RETURN POLICY

Due to the handmade nature of Kintsu products, we can not accept returns on our products. That said, if you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, please reach out so that we can find an alternative that will suit you. Exchanges will be offered on a case by case basis. As a small company, I will do whatever I can to make sure that you are happy with your order. My mission is always to provide products that care for your body effectively and naturally—products that you truly enjoy using.

Don’t hesitate to ask if you’re unsure of which product to choose, and we’ll be happy to assist you to help ensure that you get the most benefit from our products!

SHIPPING

We are currently shipping packages each week on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Most orders will ship within 1-2 days of placement. We are currently working on providing local pickup options for those based in New Orleans - to keep things convenient for those that want to pick up in person and not pay for shipping. We’ll keep the site posted once we have a time and location confirmed for local pickup! Until then, we will do our best to get your orders to you as efficiently and affordably as possible.