The guilt stings for a second, but stomach issues last way longer.
That’s the truth. I used to get all stingy about tossing out failed batches—felt like throwing away money, and I’d try to salvage stuff that probably shouldn’t have been salvaged. Learned my lesson after one too many... “adventures” in the bathroom. Not worth it, trust me.
I do get tempted sometimes if it’s just a weird smell and not a full-on “this has gone bad” situation. If it’s just too strong, I’ll usually try diluting it with a fresh batch or mixing it into something else (like adding a super-strong tincture into a plain carrier oil). But honestly, if my nose or gut says nope, I’m not arguing anymore. That little voice is there for a reason.
Funny thing is, the couple times I tried to “fix” something that was off, it ended up costing more in supplies and time than just starting over. Plus you end up paranoid every time you use it—like, is this going to make me sick? Not really worth the stress.
I figure if you’re doing DIY stuff to save money or be healthier, risking your health (and maybe spending more fixing mistakes) kind of defeats the purpose. Now I just chalk it up as a learning fee and move on. At least next time I’m more careful about sterilizing jars and following the recipe.
Sometimes being cheap doesn’t pay off... especially when your stomach is involved.
Funny thing is, the couple times I tried to “fix” something that was off, it ended up costing more in supplies and time than just starting over.
That hits home. I’ve tried to rescue a botched mouth rinse before—kept adding stuff to mask the taste, and it just got worse. Now if it seems off, I just start fresh. My stomach and my nerves thank me later.
