After I place an order, how long with it take before my items are shipped?

OBN makes every effort to ship orders as quickly as possible. Our standard protocol is for orders received by 12:00 p.m. we will ship within 48 hours. If we are unable to ship your order within that time frame, a Customer Service Representative will contact you. A UPS tracking number will be provided to you after shipment of your order so you will be able to locate your package at any time during transit.  Any damages incurred during shipping need to be reported immediately to our Customer Service Department at 440.498.1180.

How does OBN ship orders?

OBN uses UPS ground service to ship orders unless otherwise specified by the customer.

May I use my own UPS account to ship my order?

Yes - we can utilize your UPS account to ship your orders.  You will need to fill out an authorization form giving us permission to use your account.  We will validate the account before use and keep the authorization on file until further notice.  If your account becomes invalid or if any charges are reversed to OBN, your credit card will be charged immediately along with a 10% penalty fee. During the checkout phase of your order, click on the "Input My Own UPS Account" choice in the shipping drop down menu to bypass the shipping calculator.

How can I calculate my shipping costs before I place an order?

At any time during your shopping experience click on the "Check Shipping" link located under the "Current Cart Contents" box in the upper left hand corner of the web page.  Enter in your zip code and you will see a pop up window that will outline your shipping choices and charges.

Do you ship to locations outside of the Continental U.S.?

Yes - we can ship orders outside of the United States. The web site is equipped to accept international orders. Enter in your information normally and complete the shopping cart information. Your order will be forwarded to an OBN Customer Service Representative. Your shipping charges will be calculated and you will be contacted for authorization of those charges. After authorization, your order will be processed for shipping.   Please note, insurance will automatically be added to shipments made through USPS along with a $5.00 processing fee.

Can I pick up my order at your location?

Yes. We are happy to accommodate those who wish to pick up their orders at our facility. During the checkout phase, click on the "In-Store Pick Up" in the shipping drop down menu to bypass the shipping calculator. When we receive your order, we will contact you when it is ready for pick up. Please note that this is an office and warehouse facility, not a retail location. All pick up orders must be placed in advance. Hours of pick up are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

May I purchase a Gift Certificate?

Oils by Nature can offer you or your recipient a Gift Certificate in any amount.  Contact our Customer Service Department at 440.498.1180 for further information.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit cards - VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express as well as Certified Bank Checks and Money Orders as payment.  If you would like to pay for your order with a check or money order, please contact our Customer Service Department at 440.498.1180 and they will help you complete your transaction.

What if I need to return an item?

Due to the nature of our products, we can only accept returned merchandise that has not been opened and has the original seal intact.  If your merchandise has not been opened, it can be returned for any reason within 30 days of receipt with the approval of an Oils by Nature Customer Service Representative.  You will receive a full refund of the total purchase amount, less any shipping fees and a $5.00 return processing fee.  The credit will be issued to your credit card and will appear on your statement within the next two billing cycles.  If you paid by money order, we will mail you a refund check within 15 days.  Please follow these return instructions:

• Repack the item in the original packaging. Remove all previous labels from the package.
• Return to OBN by USPS or any other method available to you.

Why does OBN sell its oil by weight and not volume?

Being a viscous liquid, natural oil has a relative density (density relative to water at 4 degrees C) that is expressed as a "specific gravity" or "relative density" range.  As vegetable oils are lighter than water, most have specific gravities at 25 degrees C between 0.90 and 0.95, however each oil is unique.  It is this variance in specific gravity that makes it difficult to accurately convert weight to volume.

As an example, a sample of Refined Sweet Almond Oil is determined to have a specific gravity of 0.901.  We know that water has an accepted weight of 8.345 lbs. per gallon.  By multiplying these numbers, we can calculate the expected weight per gallon of Refined Sweet Almond Oil as:

0.901 x 8.345 = 7.519 lbs. per gallon

It is extremely difficult to measure natural oil to this exact weight.  Even with the accuracy of the digital scales used at OBN, the margin for error encountered when measuring oil by volume always exceeds our QC standards.  Further, as specific gravity is expressed in a range, there is always a variable to contend with in the conversion.

By selling our natural oils by weight, and not volume, we can ensure that our customers are receiving an accurately weighed product and they consistently receive exactly what they are paying for.

How can I compare cost when weight and volume are used?

If supplier "A" is selling Refined Sweet Almond Oil at $17.85 for 7 pounds the cost per pound would be:

$17.85 / 7 = $2.553 per pound

If supplier "B" is selling Refined Sweet Almond Oil at $21.00 for 1 Gallon and we know the weight per gallon, we can estimate cost per pound at:

$21.00 / 7.519 (weight per gallon) = $2.767 per pound

In this example, supplier "A" would have the lower cost per unit price for Refined Sweet Almond Oil.

What is a "Quick Serve Tap"?

Quick Serve Taps are used in conjunction with our F-Style HDPE Plastic oil containers (7 and 8 lb. oils).  The quick serve tap screws onto the Cubitainer liner and top of the F-Style container and allows for exact flow control from the container to the measuring apparatus.

What are the differences between the Shea Butters?

• Refined Shea Butter White - our refined shea butter white is a decolorized, deodorized and filtered shea butter with a softness rating of 8.
• Unrefined Shea Butter Ivory - this shea butter has not been decolorized or deodorized but filtered to remove botanical debris.  Ivory in color with a smoky scent the nuts for this shea butter are collected in the Tamale area.  The soil in this region effects the trees and nuts to produce a shea butter that is naturally ivory.  The softness rating for this butter is 8.
• Unrefined Shea Butter Beige - the same as with the Ivory this butter has not been decolorized or deodorized but filtered to remove botanical debris.  This butter is produced from shea nuts collected in the regions from northern Ghana to the Sahara Desert.  The soil in these regions produces a darker and heavier scented butter.  The softness rating for this butter is 8.

What is OBN "Softness Rating Scale" for butters?

In an attempt to address a commonly asked question about the softness of our butters, we have developed a simple but effective means of comparison.  The "softness scale" compares each type of shea butter with a common stick of household table butter both at room temperature.  A knife sliding through the stick butter provides the benchmark rating of "2" as indicated in the diagram below.

Soft                                     Hard
<____________________________>

1   2                                      10
(Stick Butter @ Room Temperature)

The softness rating we have assigned to each type of butter falls in the scale of 1-10 providing a clear basis for comparison by softness.

Shea Butter has recently become very popular in the cosmetic industry.  Why should I use this product in my formulations?

Shea Butter is high in unsaponifiables which are known to improve the skin's texture, firmness and smoothness.  This combined with the shea butter's high skin penetration properties makes this product an excellent addition in creams, lotions and makeup preparations.  It can also be used on it's own strength to promote healing of various skin disorders.

How is Refined Shea Butter processed?

• Raw shea butter is melted to no higher than 37 degrees C and "washed" with water. Melted butter and water are transferred to a high vacuum reactor where, in the presence of air, steam and smoke, the acidity of the butter is lowered and any unwanted odor is removed (deacidification and deodorization).  As this process is performed in a vacuum, the temperature doe not need to be increased. Melted butter is then mixed with diatomaceous earth in order to obtain decolorization before being filtered with press filters through several layers of paper and cloth.
• The last step, during the filling phase, is a very fine filtration through micronized polymeric filters.  They filter the very tiny particles and impurities.

This process can be prolonged and performed repeatedly until reaching the required specifications.

Why does the color and consistency vary from batch to batch?

Shea Butter is  natural product and will vary from batch to batch depending on current crop output.  As with any naturally produced product, color and consistency cannot be controlled as Mother Nature cannot be controlled!

What is the difference between Natural and Deodorized Cocoa Butter?

Natural Cocoa Butter usually retains a strong chocolate or cocoa odor and is more yellow in color.  Deodorized Cocoa Butter will still have a slight odor and be lighter in color.  Both butters are very hard in texture and have a softness rating of 10.

What are Fatty Acids?

A Fatty Acid is the chemical unit composed of a chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms ending with a reactive group consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen which is the fundamental unit within a triglyceride fat molecule.

Most fatty acids are straight chain compounds with the most frequent even number of carbon atoms.  Chain lengths range from 2 - 80 but commonly range from 12 up to 24.  Short chain acids range in length from 2- 4; medium chain acids range from 6 - 10 and long chain acids are usually 12 - 24 in range.

Fatty Acids of animal origins are simple in structure and can be subdivided into well defined families:

• Saturated Fatty Acids are the simplest fatty acid.  They have no unsaturated linkages and cannot be altered by hydrogenation or halogenation. Monoenoic fatty acids Polyenoic fatty acids which are broken down even further into: Methylene-interrupted Polymethylene-interrupted Conjugated Branched chain fatty acids (methyl, methoxy or hydroxyl) Ring containing fatty acids: Cyclopropane acids Furanoid acids Epoxy acids Lipoic acids Acetylenic fatty acids Hydroxy fatty acids Sulfur containing fatty acids
• Dicarboxylic acids

Fatty Acids with 4 - 12 carbon atoms are found mainly in milk fats but those with 10 and 12 carbon atoms are found in certain seed oils such as coconut and other kernel fats of the palm family.  A list of those fatty acids follows:

• Butyric acid (4:0) is the lowest member of the acetic acid series found in natural fats.  It occurs (2-4%) as a component of milk fats.  It gives a rancid odor to butter when triglycerides are hydrolyzed and is present in fermentation products of carbohydrates. Valeric acid (5:0) occurs in milk fats to the extent of about 2%.  It has a characteristic odor of goats, hence its name from the Latin "caper" meaning goat. Caprylic acid (8:0) is widely distributed in animal and vegetable fats but rarely exceeding 8% of the total fatty acids.  It occurs to an extent of 6 to 8% in coconut and palm oils. Pelargonic acid (9:0) is the first example of the occurrence of an odd numbered carbon fatty acid in natural products.  It occurs in secretion of sebaceous glands and in essential oil of Pelargonium roseum from which it derives its name. Capric acid (10:0) occurs as a minor component in the same fats that contain caprylic acid but also in the heal oil of sperm whale and in wool and hair fats. Lauric acid (12:0) is one of the three most widely distributed saturated fatty acids found in nature (14:0, 16:0 and 18:0).  It occurs extensively in Lauraceae seeds where it was discovered.  It is dominant in cinnamon oil (80-90%) and coconut oil (40-60%).  The recent uses of lauric acid are in the manufacture of soaps, shampoos and other surface active agents. Myristic acid (14:0) is present in major amounts in seeds of nutmeg oil where is was first discovered. Palmitic acid (16:0) is the most common saturated fatty acid in plant and animal lipids.  Lard, tallow, cocoa butter and palm oil contain 25-40% of this component.
• Stearic acid (18:0) is the highest molecular weight saturated fatty acid occurring abundantly in fats and oils.  Milk fats (5-15%), lard(10%), tallows (15-30%), cocoa and shea butters (30-35%) are the richest source of stearic acid.  It is the principal constituent of hydrogenated fats and oils (about 90%).

The longer chains are less frequent and can be found in uncommon seed oils and waxes.  Those acids are:

• Arachidic acid - occurs in ground nut oil (3%). Behenic acid was first reported as a constituent of ben oil.  Except for the seed oils of the Crucifereae this fatty chain does not occur in the principal oils.
• Lignoceric acid is present in trace levels in plant oils except in ground nut oil (about 1%).  It is the principal fatty acid present in carnauba wax (30% of the normal fatty acids).