One of the must-have products in your body care essentials is a lotion pump commonly used to store and dispense different fashion and skin care products. They can be used for a wide range of products, from less to high viscous contents. You need them for hand and skin lotions, hair care products, sanitizers, shower gels, and many more.
Despite being common, you should buy the right one for efficiency to avoid wastage and to pump out the right amount of content.
If you are considering getting one, pay attention to different features like capacity, pump dosage, color, usage, and portability. These specs are ideal to ensure the pumps draw the needed amount of content and generate the desired pressure to push out contents.
Besides the dimensions, you should also consider the purpose, i.e., refilling or one-time usage. This will help you consider durable materials and colors to monitor the contents inside.
Let’s discuss some of these selection factors in detail to help you select the right one.
1. Pump Dosage
The pump dosage refers to the amount of content released whenever you press the pump. Most of these dispensers are pre-set to release a certain amount of content depending on what you need. The pump dosage and content released can vary from 0.1 ml to 2 ml depending on the type of lotion, pump pressure, neck size, and tube size. If the lotion is highly viscous, the amount released will be higher.
Before buying the right pump cartridges, consider the type of lotion or content you want to pour into the dispenser. You can get different types of low and high-viscous lotion contents. First, read the specifications to know the content volumes released when pressed.
The dosage will also depend on the pump capacity, i.e., high volumes are likely to release more content regardless of the fluid’s viscosity.
Such pumps are suitable for products like hand wash soap, shower gel, and shampoos. Smaller bottles are suitable for lotions like hand lotions and other skin care products to avoid wastage.
2. Purpose or Intended Use
Pump dispensers are ideal for different types of skin care products; some can be used for a specific product, while others can be used for multiple products. It is not advisable to share the pumps for different products due to concerns about potential reactions. This is why you are advised to get the right pump suitable for the skin care products.
Pumps for shower gels and hair products should be different from those used to store body lotions.
Another concern is portability; i.e., some are designed for portability while others are not. The portable ones have a pump design that can only release contents when pressed subsequently, hence suitable for products like hand sanitizers or lotions.
Such pumps are generally referred to as cream or treatment pumps. Lotion and gel pumps are not designed for portability as they can easily release contents even when a minimal force is applied to the pump.
3. Pump Capacity
This ought to be the first consideration when selecting a pump. To save on money, consider high-capacity pump dispensers mainly suitable for shower and hair care products that ought to last longer. The capacities vary from 50ml to 1 liter; once depleted, you can easily refill them. Before refilling, you should clean all the components and then allow it to dry.
For portability needs, i.e., carrying essential products like medical lotions for skin care, consider the smaller capacity of up to 250 ml, light enough to carry in a handbag. For home needs, i.e., lotion storage, the larger the capacity, the better.
A high-capacity bottle should also have a larger neck to generate enough pressure to draw the contents upwards.
4. Tube Specifications
While checking the capacity, you should also focus on the tube length to ensure it is longer enough and reaches up to the bottle’s base. This makes it suitable to suck out all the contents before throwing the pump away. The tube size should also be proportional to the bottle size. A wider bottle should have a wider tube to pump out more contents from the bottle effectively.
If the tube is thinner, it can sometimes fail to draw out fluids due to the pressure imbalance inside the bottle. Moreover, if the tube does not reach the bottom, more content will always be left in the bottle, leading to wastage. The tube should also not be straight but tilted towards the sides to draw all the contents.
The nature of the contents can also determine the perfect tube size. If the contents are thicker, like shampoos and hair conditioners, the tube should be larger to draw much fluid and have enough pressure to pump it upwards. On the other hand, thinner tubes can also draw out the contents in smaller amounts to avoid wastage.
5. Dispenser Color
Dispensers are mainly made of plastic; however, they can be availed in different colors. Sometimes, it is good to have pumps with transparent colors to enable you to monitor the content volume. If you love something fancy, you can consider those with additional covers and stickers or aluminum sheath.
For one-time use, you can buy those customized with different colors. The material and composition will also determine the pump color, i.e., the plastic ones tend to be transparent while ceramics or steel are opaque.
There are also glass types that are transparent and suitable for medical lotions but can be slightly more expensive than others. The glass types can also be vulnerable and are mainly perfect for watery contents like perfumes.
Bottomline
Before buying the pump dispensers, consider why you need them and the contents you plan to store or dispense. This will help you select the right color, capacity, and the perfect tube length and size for efficiency.
Other factors to consider are the neck size and dosage levels to pump out the right amount of content without wastage.
