What are your hours?
Webstore is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may order at anytime.
Our order processing office is open Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Closed Weekends & Holidays. Any orders placed when the office is closed will be processed in the order received the next business day.
Do you give free samples?
Because we are a small company, it is not cost effective to give out free samples. We do however include samples in your order. If you are here for the first time, the best thing to do is to order something little like a soap before ordering something bigger.
Does Serenquility ship outside of the US?
Right now, we only ship our goods across the United States.
How come shipping charges are more than orignally quoted when I first ordered?
If you are located in Alaska or Hawaii, this more than likely is the reason for the increase in shipping charges. Depending on the weight of the item, sometimes we have to adjust the charge manually to cover the cost of shipping to your location. Fortunately this does not happen very often, usually with larger orders and baskets.
This may also happen if you ordered items that require more than one box to ship or the flat rate box is too small and we ship in a standard USPS box. If either of these situations is the case, we will contact you to let you know about the extra shipping charges.
How long will it take for my items to be shipped?
Your order can take anywhere from 3-10 business days before it is ready to ship. Larger orders or holiday orders may take a little longer.
One of my deliveries resulted in two packages. Why?
Sometimes it is necessary to deliver your order in more than one package. This may be due to a couple of circumstances:
-The order is large and requires more than one delivery or package.
-The ingredients we need to create your item are out of stock and you wished to wait for a back order.
-The items you ordered may need more time to be prepared (as in our baskets)and we sent out what was ready to ship so you do not have to wait.
When this happens, you will be notified of each delivery and tracking info as each order is filled. The shipping charge quoted on your final order confirmation is the charge you pay, any charges accrued after you receive your final email order confirmation is at our expense.
Again: You are not charged extra for shipping after you receive your final order confirmation.
When this happens, we let you know on your email confirmation or when we send you your shipping information to expect more than one delivery. The shipping charges that you see when you receive your final email confirmation are the only charges you pay, we do not charge you more for shipping the same order in more than one package. Any other shipping charges that incur AFTER you receive your final order confirmation is at our expense. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot add items to an order that has already been placed. You must place a separate order.
I can't see the images on your site/Site is slow to load or will not load at all.
Sometimes, an image might not load correctly. Usually a refresh or two solves the problem. If after 2-3 refreshes you still do not see an image, contact us at serenquility@prodigy.net and put "image problem" in the subject line.
As for the slowdown/site not found issues, our webhost guarantees us a 99.9% uptime with our site. Most of the time it is a latency problem with various ISP's, and not our webhost. If you are having slowdown issues or our site is not loading at all, visit http://www.internethealthreport.com and see if there are latency problems in your area. If everything seems fine then email us and we will see if the problem is on our end.
Do you have a wholesale or drop ship program?
Sorry. We do not have a wholesale or drop ship program at this time.
Shopping Cart Troubleshooting.
When I press "Continue Shopping" in the cart, I get an error page."
I have gotten a couple of customer emails about this. When I first opened up the store, I was testing the shopping cart and came up against the same problem. I would get "Forbidden" messages, "Access Denied" messages, or "There are no items in your Shopping Cart" even though you just added an item.
First, check the following functions are enabled on your computer:
1: JAVA:
Go to START > CONTROL PANEL > INTERNET OPTIONS or
TOOLS > INTERNET OPTIONS on your taskbar on top of your browser.
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
Scroll down to "Java"
Make sure "Java Console Enabled" is on.
2: Make sure you have your browser set to accept cookies:
Go to START > CONTROL PANEL > INTERNET OPTIONS or
TOOLS > INTERNET OPTIONS on your taskbar at the top of your browser.
Click on the "Privacy" tab.
Adjust the bar to Medium or Medium-High so that your computer is able to accept cookies. The cart needs cookies in order to function properly.
Then check your cart. This usually solves the problem. If there is still a problem, read on.
"Shopping cart problems also involves the users computer settings, especially the security software packages. The 403 Forbidden or Directory Listing Denied errors are caused by Internet Security software high security settings such as 'Anonymous Browsing.'
This setting is often enabled by default in Firewalls and Internet Security software bundles such as ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm, Norton Internet Security/Firewall or Windows Firewall, and may need to be disabled in order for the Shopping Cart to work.
You can usually find these settings under the headings 'Privacy Control' or 'Personal Firewall', but if you have trouble, just click to your software package 'Help' section and search for 'Anonymous Browsing' or 'Privacy Control' and you should be able to pull up instructions on how to enable/disable this setting."
What is a Freesia?
Freesias are garden (or windowsill) plants grown for their clusters of beautifully scented flowers. Color varieties range from yellow, white, pink, red, color mixes and my favorite purple(blue). I chose the freesia for my bath logo because it is such a beautifully shaped flower, it is my favorite flower and because of the fragrance's relaxing effect (to me anyway) on quiet spring and summer days.
Your pretty pictures are filled with flowers. Are they real? Do you grow them yourself?
A few of them are silk, usually if we take pictures in the winter and can't find really pretty blooms. Some of them we do grow. A lot of them we just buy at the corner Farmer's Market or garden center. Adding a fresh flower to our pics shows my love of flowers. It gives the products a little more of a feminine touch and shows just how wonderful I think our bath and body products are and how they make me feel and how I hope they will make you feel...pretty.
What is Glycerin Dew?
On warm and humid days or in places where a lot of moisture is present sometimes you might see a crystal "dew" or "sweating" on your glycerin soaps. This is normal and is a natural reaction of high glycerin soap in a humid environment. The glycerin in the soap actually pulls moisture out of the air, making for a soap that is not drying to the skin and does not affect the quality of the soap in any way. Washing with the soap removes the surface dew. Keeping them tightly wrapped also helps to prevent the dew from forming.
How can I keep my soaps fresh?
More than likely if you are buying only one soap you are going to use it right away. (I know that when I make a new test soap it is agony to wait for the last bar to be used up so I can try the new one--AG-O-NY!)
But if you are buying more than one soap, keep them in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight and well wrapped.
Most of our soaps are shrink wrapped which is the ideal way to keep your soaps fresh. A few exceptions, like our Crystal Leaves and Rose Petals Soaps are placed in a cellophane bag (guest soaps get used up pretty quickly so such elaborate shrink wrap storage and packaging is not necessary).
If you happen to purchase soap bars that are just wrapped in plastic wrap (cling film), be sure to replace the wrapping periodically, either place in a plastic bag, push out the air and seal tightly or use heavy cling film(plastic wrap) to protect your soaps.
I have been told many times that our soaps are way too pretty to use. And I thank you and blush at the many compliments. But I urge all to indulge and pamper yourselves and enjoy them! We are always ready to make more!
What do you use to color your soaps?
We use FD& C approved, skin safe cosmetic soap dyes, mineral micas and oxides (the kind you would use in mineral makeup) to put color in our soaps.
For the soaps that are brush detailed (Ballerinas, Victorian Bouquet, Fairies, etc), we use natural mica colorants (skin safe mineral colors that are present in all sorts of cosmetics for pearlizing and frosting lipstick, nail polish, powder and lotion and is used in glitter gels and mineral makeup). We call this a "Colorwash" or Dry Brushing". Soaps colored in this manner typically lose their color in a wash or two.
Some are given a complete colorwash, and others use a combination of dye and dry brushing to put detailing on some of the designs, eg, our Fairy soaps are dyed then given a wash of golden color to highlight the stars.
Some of our soaps also have a sprinkling of glitter that is also skin safe and are used in glitter gels and lip glosses.
Remember: If you want no color or fragrance, just email us with your order number and let us know.
Help!! My soap/scrub/lotion etc. has changed color!!
Sometimes, soapmakers will add botanicals to their soaps and they will turn brown. Peppermint, lavender, hibiscus and many others perform this "botanical bleed", releasing their properties into the soap, and that is what you see. It's like putting tea leaves in a cup and pouring hot water over them. This is normal and does not adversely affect the soap in any way.
To prolong the color of your soaps, keep them out of direct sunlight, that can cause some soap colors to fade.
Another discoloration that tends to alarm people who are new to either soapmaking or purchasing fresh made soap or body products is that pretty white or light colored soap or scrub that you just made or purchased will slowly start to turn brown. If an extract, absolute or a fragrance like patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla or any fragrance that has more than 1% vanilla in it has been used, then that is the reason. Again, it is normal and does not adversely affect the quality of the soap in any way.
What kind of herbs do you use in your products?
We use only "Tea Grade" herbs in our products. Tea Grade is a term we use for dried botanicals that are normally used to make a cup of tea. We find these are the safest herbs to use as we are sure that the steps used to process the herbs are fit for human consumption. Right now we use the following herbs in our products:
Calendula
Lavender
Green Tea
Jasmine Flowers
Osmanthus Green Tea
Yin Zhen White Tea
Rose Hips
Matcha Green Tea
Lemongrass (cut)
Orange Rind (cut)
Chamomile
Honeysuckle
A Note about Shea Butter and other oils we use
These are the fixed oils and butters we use in our products:
Sweet Almond Oil*
Jojoba Oil
Evening Primrose Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Cranberry Seed Oil
Pomegranate Seed Oil
Abyssinian Oil
Rice Bran Oil
Hemp Seed Oil
Shea Butter* **
Cocoa Butter
Olive Oil (Olive Squalane)
Soybean Oil*
Sunflower Oil
*It is advised that those who are allergic to nuts should either do a patch test or avoid those products that are derived from nuts.
**Those who are allergic to latex should either do a patch test or avoid Shea Butter.
Please read our Policies Regarding our Products before using.
Essential Oil FAQs and Guidelines
We have introduced a essential oil bath and body line using pure essential oil blends. Our products use these essential oils carried in a base of jojoba oil or are blended into our body cream or soap so they can be used directly on your skin. Following these guidelines will help you understand the wonder of essential oils in everything you use. Please note that this is not a complete list of guidelines, just basics for use in our bath products. Please read carefully.
Never take essential oils internally.
Do your research! If you are unfamiliar with essential oil use, or are not sure about an essential oil's properties, look it up or ask your doctor.
Essential oils are very concentrated substances and should be diluted before applying them to the skin. All of our essential oil perfumes are diluted with pure jojoba oil which is an excellent carrier for these and Fragrance Oils (FO) or mixed into other mediums such as cream or soap for use on your skin.
Keep essential oils away from your eyes.
Keep essential oils out of the reach of children, infants and animals.
If skin irritation occurs or an allergic reaction occurs with any essential oil or product with essential oils in it, discontinue use.
Our perfumes are not to be used as a medical treatment, massage treatment or an aromatherapeutic treatment. These are to be used as a perfume only.
Please note that use of these essential oils, or anything else on this site is to be used at your own risk. (See our Company Policies Page). If you are unsure about any of our products, do a patch test first or better yet, consult your doctor or allergist.
Why do you use preservatives?
I know there are a lot of products on the market that claim to have no preservatives in their products. Products that use absolutely no preservatives and contain water need to be refrigerated and tossed out after 2 weeks or so like you would fresh produce. After that, harmful bacteria grows in these products which may be harmful to your skin and your health.
Serenquility creates bath and body products that contain water and lots of beneficial oils. Because we have no knowledge of how these items are stored once they are shipped, opened and used these items must be paired with a touch of preservative to inhibit harmful bacterial growth and contamination in your product, providing you with a safe product to use on your skin.
How come none of your products say Hypo-Allergenic?
The claim hypo-allergenic is used a little too freely these days. In the strictest terms, "hypoallergenic" means that the product or the ingredients contained in the product are unlikely to cause allergic reactions or has a low tendency to cause an allergic reaction. This is not an FDA approved term simply because ANYTHING can cause an allergic reaction to anyone.
Actually, something as simple as shea butter may not cause an allergic reaction in the thousands or so people that use it, but it may cause an allergic reaction in one. Even though it is an extremely small percentage of people, there are even allergic reactions to water! Since everyone's skin and body chemistry is different, to me it seems irresponsible and unfair to label something in this manner if you are not sure that it is 100% unlikely to cause a reaction.
Your best bet is to read the ingredients of the products you buy. The internet is full of glossaries and directories that have the meaning of a lot of the ingredients that are commonly used in cosmetics. We urge all of our customers to do a test on all of the products they buy whether they come from Serenquility or they are purchased from other companies. We have a sampler pack so that you can test out our products for feel, quality, fragrance, reaction etc. and determine if it is right for you.
Remember, just because it says "hypo-allergenic" does not necessarily mean that it is right for you. Be cautious and test your tolerance to the product or go to your doctor or allergist.
This product looks different from the picture. What gives?
Because our products are made to order, there may be slight differences in color and fragrance intensity. Also, because each persons body chemistry is different, the perception of fragrance from bottle to skin may change. Also, because fragrances are created according to different "notes", fragrances combined to form a new scent, the scent may change as it matures on your skin. For example, a fragrance with notes of Jasmine, Sandalwood and Orange may start with a floral fragrance upon first application and end with a musky sandalwood as the fragrance dries and interacts with your body chemistry. There are many websites that describe fragrance notes and body chemistry. Do a little research. You'll be glad you did and you will be much more informed when it comes to picking the perfect fragrance for you.
Whats the difference between a Fragrance Oil (FO) and an Essential Oil (EO)?
An Essential Oil is an oil extracted from roots, flowers, leaves, fruits, etc of various plants found in nature. Used in aromatherapy, herbal medicine and more.
A fragrance oil is a combination of synthetic, absolutes , fixatives and essential oils to achieve a fragrance not found naturally in Nature, like your favorite perfume blends and fruits like watermelon, strawberry, etc. We love using fragrance oils because of the huge variety of them and we have a list of suppliers that are truly adept at mixing wonderful fragrances (not to mention a few that were blended by us here at Serenquility!)
How do I store my bath products?
Ideally, you should store all of your bath products in a cool, dry place away from humidity and moisture no matter where you purchase them. In the case of our bubble bath powder, fizzy bath powder and bath salts they should be kept as dry as possible as these items may clump when exposed to moisture. Keep your bath fizzy powder (or any bath fizzies) dry or the fizzing action may begin. Soaps should stay wrapped up until you are ready to use them to retain their fragrance and quality.
How do I make my glycerin soaps last longer?
Soaps last longer when they are allowed to dry properly. Most soaps turn into a goopy mess when allowed to sit in a puddle of water after washing. Invest in a good soap dish that allows drainage so that air is allowed to circulate around the bar and dry throroughly. In a pinch, until you can get a good soap dish, use a couple of skewers or chopsticks. Cut two - four chopsticks or skewers to a size that will allow them to sit on your soap dish (if you can get them to sit inside the dish but so that they don't touch the bottom that's even better.) Glue them together in a grid pattern then place it on top of your soap dish and set the soap on top of them. Also make sure you clean your soap dish periodically (this is good to help prevent bacteria growing in the standing water in your soap dish.) You'll be able to enjoy your soaps a lot longer!
|
