Why is the bottle so hard to pump?
We use a type of bottle known as a vacuum pump bottle. The main difference? There is NO inner tube. We get a lot of emails from new customers when people open them and see no inner tube to 'suck' up the cream - which is what they are expecting! However, vacuum bottles are a different thing altogether, and rely on the removal of air with each pump to draw the base upwards, thus lifting the cream towards the spout. This has several advantages, such as the bottle not having to be at a specific angle to pump (you can even do it upside down!) and being able to get every last bit of cream out.
As you can see from the diagram below, the small plate at the bottom has a hole to create the vacuum effect, and the cream is lifted by an internal base plate to get it towards the opening.
Why is the cream so thick?
Another issue that can arise, and makes it challenging to pump, is because our cream is SO dang thick! Again, this is for a reason. We chose each of Silky Peach ingredients on purpose - which you can read more about here - to moisturize, stabilize, or otherwise aid in vaginal atrophy. We don't use a ton of filler ingredients, which would make the cream thinner, thus easier to pump... but also less potent and thus, less effective.
For those who live in colder climates, thick cream gets 'stiff', and the thickness combined with the vacuum pump... well, it can be really hard to get it moving, which is why we recommend letting your Silky Peach take a warm bath to help soften up that delicious thick Silky Peach and get it ready to go! However, it can take between 24-48 hours at room temperature to fully acclimate the cream.
Why does minimal air contact matter?
You might be thinking... ok, but why not just use a nice glass jar?! Well, aside from weight and shipping issues, we don't want air touching the cream. Whilst some women use the cream in 30 or 60 days, many women use less cream, meaning their Silky Peach can last them 6 months! Between hands touching the cream, hands touching vaginas, hands touching other surfaces, there is the likelihood that bacteria could touch the cream, and then proliferate. As such, we chose this bottle to limit air contact.
What is a 'metered dose'?
Another reason for the bottle choice was because each pump dispenses approximately the same amount, and that amount equates to 0.5mg of estriol - with 2 pumps totaling 1mg of estriol. This is important as it allows women to gauge how much estriol they are getting on a daily or weekly basis, especially if they are using other HRT, have a cancer history, or are trying to assess how much they need to use for their personal satisfaction. Without being able to give an accurate approximation, via metered pumps, we would have no way to let our amazing clients know how to adjust!
Ok, but what am I supposed to do?!
There are several ways to help your Silky Peach go from bottle to bits!
- A nice warm bath (or anything that helps warm the cream inside, such as hugging it close, wrapping it in a blankie...etc). It can take 24-48 hours at room temperature for the cream to fully 'acclimate', but the Spa helps!
- Banging it upside down. This helps move the cream towards the exit spout, thus making it come out faster.
- Pump - a lot, and SLOWLY! You are creating the vacuum that lifts the base plate, so fast pumps don't draw in air. Pump slow, and likely, a lot of times, and once you do, it is unlikely you will have to repeat this process.
This nifty sticker set lays it out, and is what we call, Silky Peach Bottle Foreplay > WARM IT, BANG IT, PUMP IT SLOW!
