Welcome to the home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys)! Here you’ll find over 5,000 posts and formulas written over the past 16 years for everything from lotions, creams, and body butters to hair care products to fancy facial products filled with actives and cosmeceuticals! Enjoy the site without distractions – no ads, pop ups, sponsored posts, affiliate links, “one weird tricks” – all supported by readers like you.
I might live in Canada, but snow in the south-western portion of B.C. is pretty uncommon. Okay, not as rare as snow in California, for instance, but we don’t get a lot of it – maybe a few weeks a year, and it generally turns to slush when the rain starts again. Apparently we’re in...
Yolanda let me know about this great blog, The Natural Haven, for women with African hair types. She has a lovely writing style, and she bases her posts on scientific research. She does a great deal of work to dispel myths and educate on styling products and techniques! If you have this hair type or...
Esters are a quick and easy way to reduce the feeling of greasiness in our lotions. Most of them spread very well – better than oils – and will feel lighter on our skin. So let’s take a look at which ones we can use in an after shave moisturizer for men! There are three...
In this post, still learning asks: Wonderful site! I’ve been looking to understand phases in a hair conditioner and just in general. I know oils goes in the oil phase and water in the water phase. Yet, I have seen other ingredients in each phase. How do you know what goes where? Thanks. If you’re making...
So let’s say you made yesterday’s recipe, but still consider it too greasy or heavy for your tastes. It’s easy to make a very light feeling, dry lotion by taking out a few things or adding a few things. If you leave out the thickener – stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, cetyl esters, or cetearyl alcohol...