Troubleshooting Your Products

Hi there, it's Gabi Day, CEO + Founder + Formulator, here to give you some tips + tricks when it comes to getting the best possible results from your Bright Body + Bright Body Baby products.

I'm going to cover some common questions and issues and how to resolve them. I've also made this handy dandy clickable table of contents below so you can skip ahead to the relevant question and answer.

I'm having trouble getting used to your shampoo + conditioner products. Help!
What order do I apply my skincare?
I think I chose the wrong formula for my Facial Wash or Facial Oil. Help!
I think I'm having a reaction to your products. Help!
Which of your products are pregnancy and breastfeeding safe?

I'm having trouble getting used to your shampoo + conditioner products. Help!

Switching to sulfate-free and silicone-free wash products is definitely a process that takes time and patience. You will most likely feel oily and "out of whack" for a few weeks before your scalp and hair feel "normal" again, but I promise your hair will thank you for it and you will have healthier locks in the end.

Check out this comprehensive blog post to answer all of your questions + give you helpful tips and tricks for transitioning to sulfate and silicone-free hair care.

What order do I apply my skincare?

We've made a simple PDF that gives you the lowdown on:

• What order to apply your skincare
• How much to use at a time
• When to use (AM vs. PM)

You can save this PDF to your phone while you're still getting the hang of our goodies. You'll have it down pat soon!

I think I chose the wrong formula for my Facial Wash or Facial Oil. Help!

Our Ayurvedic Facial Washes and Ayurvedic Facial Oils come in three different formulas - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha - which correspond to 3 different skin types and to the seasons.

We have this handy dandy quiz to help you figure out your Ayurvedic skin type, which does take into account the current season. HOWEVER sometimes you just end up choosing the wrong formula for your skin as it is right now.

Here are a few key signs you chose the wrong formula:

• If you got Vata and now you're noticing you're too oily or moisturized
• If you got Pitta and now you need more nourishment
• If you got Kapha and you need more anti-inflammation
• If any formula is clogging your pores (they are noncomedogenic so they shouldn't be doing that - it's likely a formula choice issue)

If you got a mini size, go ahead and send us a note to process your refund - we offer a money back guarantee on our minis. You don't even need to ship it back.

If you got full size, hold onto it for the season it matches (Vata is fall, Kapha is winter and spring, Pitta is late spring and summer). Then get a mini for the one that you feel is the better match for your skin right now.

I think I'm having a reaction to your products. Help!

While we use a mixture of multi-beneficial plant and herbal ingredients alongside safe synthetics, sometimes people are just allergic or sensitive to certain goodies! We always recommend trying our mini sizes if you are new to our products, since we offer a money back guarantee on our minis.

When we formulate our products, we think carefully about the benefits vs. risks of every ingredient, and although people are more likely to have allergies to certain plant based and herbal ingredients (vs. synthetics), overall we feel that their benefits outweigh the risk of allergy.

Sensitivities and allergies to any topical product - Bright Body or otherwise - can happen upon first exposure or after repeated use. Always ask your physician and/or allergist for any questions or concerns you have about particular ingredients, and seek emergency medical attention if you experience a severe reaction. Please scroll to the bottom of this section to see common cross allergies to keep in mind when shopping for any skin or hair care product.

If you just introduced one Bright Body product into your routine and you developed a sensitivity, please stop use and reach out to us to let us know. If you purchased a mini size, we can process your refund - we offer a money back guarantee on our minis. You don't even need to ship it back. If you bought a full size, please reach out and we will be happy to offer you store credit to use for another product, per our return policy. We can recommend products that might be better alternatives for your sensitivities.

If you introduced multiple Bright Body products into your routine and you developed a sensitivity, please discontinue the use of any that contain whole herbal infusions, like the Ayurvedic Facial Wash, Ayurvedic Universal Toning Mist, and Ayurvedic Facial Oil. Once the reaction has subsided, if you feel comfortable, you can try adding back in one product at a time until you can isolate the product that you are reacting to. Most of the time we find that customers react to our products with herbal infusions, though of course it is possible for anyone to be allergic or sensitive to any ingredient.

While allergies to the below ingredients are relatively rare, here are some cross allergies for ingredients found in many Bright Body products to keep in mind:

• Aloe has cross allergies with latex, onion, garlic, and tulips
• Chamomile has cross allergies with ragweed and mugwort
• Apricot kernel seed oil has cross allergies with several nuts and stone fruits
• Quinoa has a cross allergy with chard
• Sunflower has a cross allergy with several nuts
• Sesame has a cross allergy with several other seeds and nuts
• Shea butter has a cross allergy with several other nuts

Which of your products are pregnancy and breastfeeding safe?

Technically, all our products are pregnancy and breastfeeding safe because they are free of retinols, but the question of skincare safety pre- and postpartum is more complex than you might realize. The main concern about skincare ingredient safety is when it comes to active ingredients like exfoliating acids (AHAs, BHAs, etc).

Everyone - OBGYNs, dermatologists, and aestheticians alike - agrees that oral and topical retinols should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Beyond that, aestheticians tend to be much more conservative in what they recommend to their clients.

Ultimately, safety relative to pregnancy and breastfeeding has to do with how likely the active ingredient is to penetrate skin's deeper layers and get into the bloodstream and therefore to baby or breastmilk. The smaller the molecule, the deeper it goes and the more likely it is to get into the bloodstream. The larger the molecule, the more superficial it stays and is much less likely to get into the bloodstream.

Most aestheticians are only comfortable using plant enzymes and mandelic acid (the gentlest of the AHAs) on their pregnant and breastfeeding clients. That's because these molecules are so large that they do not penetrate deeper layers of skin.

Meanwhile, if you ask an OBGYN or dermatologist, most will say that any AHA or BHA is fine to use.

Another concern people often have with skincare safety during pregnancy is with essential oils. All essential oils used in Bright Body products are in such small concentrations that they are highly unlikely to cause any issues with pregnancy or breastfeeding. The main concern with essential oils during pre- and postpartum is using more highly concentrated roll-ons and/or ingesting essential oils (please, never ingest essential oils whether you're pregnant or not).

The only product of ours that might be slightly controversial among aestheticians would be our Clear Skin Potion, which contains 10% azelaic acid. This is not an AHA or a BHA, but rather a dicarboxylic acid. It is a large molecule and therefore not going to penetrate deeper layers of skin or reach the bloodstream. I (Gabi Day, Founder + Formulator) personally used the Clear Skin Potion throughout my fertility treatments, pregnancy, and breastfeeding journey and had no issues.

We always recommend consulting your OBGYN or dermatologist for peace of mind.