Summer is officially here! I hope this post finds you enjoying a little downtime with your favorite people at your favorite places. 

Today, I want to share a yummy summer recipe and answer some of your most frequent questions. Let's get started!

Q: Are your products safe to use on babies and children?
A: We get this question every week. Though most of our products are considered very gentle and nourishing for those with sensitive skin, we can all have an allergy (especially the very young) to any ingredient -- even natural ones.

• We have lots of mamas using our products on their children, but we do recommend that parents wait until a baby turns one before they try any of our products with essential oils.* This recommendation is only for our formulas and products. 
   
• We strongly encourage a patch test first by applying the product to a small area on your child and watch for any skin reaction over 1-2 days.
   
• We purposely formulate with very low percentages of essential oils and recently even added a couple of unscented options in our body oil and facial oil. 
   
• Children quickly fall in love with our Original scent (citrus/vanilla) and I recommend you try products from this scent profile when choosing to introduce your wee ones to RPB.
  
  *mint julep is not recommended for children under age two

Q: Why are there sometimes changes in texture in some of your products?
A: We have received this question mostly about our wonderful Bee Cream and the answer is both simple and complicated. 

Due to the nature of our ingredients, the texture of some of our products can change for a couple of reasons:

• The percentage of fatty acids can vary in shea butter which is one of our most used ingredients. Stearic acid is a fatty acid that is not only responsible for the thick texture of the shea butter but also adds to the wonderful protective barrier quality of our creams and butters. Since the percentage of stearic can vary slightly from one lot of shea butter to another, it may (but not always) affect the texture of the end product.
   
• Extreme temperature changes/fluctuations may (but not always) affect the texture of our natural products too. And again, it's usually the shea butter (specifically the stearic acid) that may occasionally cause cute little granules to form in a product.
   
• The little granules are solidified shea butter that will melt easily when worked into the skin and they in no way affect the benefits of the product. We recommend storing all of your RPB products at room temperature away from heat sources.

Q: I don't get the name. Why Rachel's Plan Bee? 
A:  If you are newish to our brand, you might not know the backstory, but in short, RPB is a play on words.

• I worked as a full-time Physical Therapist up until the birth of our son in 2001 and it wasn't until his birth that we learned of his special needs. 
   
• The trajectory of my life took a sharp turn when he was born as Little Ric faced many challenges that required 24/7 hands-on care.
   
• A few years later, I used my passion for baking and my knowledge of the body and science to formulate several soothing recipes that nourished and calmed my son's very dry skin. 
   
• Simple evening skincare rituals with my son strengthened our family bond and allowed us to see a way forward for our little family.
   
• As the years passed, I chose to not return to my career in healthcare and focused on creating a life that I would never have imagined...My Plan Bee.
   
• In 2012, with the support of family and friends, RPB launched with two products that included beeswax as one of the nourishing ingredients.

RPB is our family's way of sharing the importance of nurturing ourselves and those around us. We do that with simple yet effective formulas, a lot of love and a big helping of hope for a better tomorrow!

Sometimes things don't go as planned but I believe that it's in these uncertain adventures that we find true joy.  XO

Wishing you a great weekend. Thank you for being here!