The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
I admit, I’m not a fan of patchouli essential oil. I find the smell reminds me of concerts I attended as a teenager, some of which I had to leave early because the overpowering smell made me physically ill. I have banished from my workshop because even having the bottle in my fragrance cabinet made…...
It seems like people like to have a little tingle in their hair care products, so let’s take a look at how we could formulate a shampoo for dry hair with a little peppermint in it. First, let’s take a look at our surfactants! When I’m formulating for dry hair, there are three surfactants I really…...
If you take a look to your right, you’ll see the links to lists section of the blog. I’ve created a permanent link to all the essential oil posts and I’ll be updating the sections as I write the posts. Blogger’s been kind enough to give us 20 pages that we can keep in this…...
A big reminder before we get started formulating with peppermint essential oil – don’t put peppermint essential oil in any product in which you might soak (bubble bath, bath bombs, bath salts) or that might get close to tender mucous membranes. That lovely tingle we like on our feet doesn’t do well for other parts…...
A few more things about peppermint and then we’ll do a little formulating with it! Smelling peppermint oil might be good for enhancing your memory and increasing alertness (Moss et al, 2003). Peppermint oil might be good at repelling mice and it might be good at repelling ear mites (put a little on a Q-tip…...
Peppermint essential oil is composed of 38% to 48% menthol (a monoterpene alcohol), 20% to 30% menthone, and about 6% 1,8-cineole (aka eucalyptol, which we discussed in the post on eucalyptus!) Menthol is the most interesting part of peppermint as it’s the compound that gives us that cooling sensation we seek when we add it to our products…....
The hardest thing about going to bed on Christmas Day is deciding which book out of the stack I should read that night! I chose Dr Joe’s Science, Sense & Nonsense, but I was kind of leaning towards Snuff, Terry Prachett’s new novel! Today is all about the sleeping, resting, napping, and dozing. I’ve got…...
Merry Christmas! I hope you’re reading this blog post with a steaming cup of hot chocolate or tea in one hand and a piece of Toblerone in the other! I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas Day filled with laughter, love, and far too much chocolate. As for me, I’m probably standing over…...
Peppermint essential oil is one of the more common essential oils. It’s plentiful and inexpensive, and the minty coolness it brings to our products is most welcome (except when we’re soaking in it! Eek!) Peppermint essential oil is composed of 38% to 48% menthol (a monoterpene), 20% to 30% menthone, and about 6% 1,8-cineole (aka eucalyptol, which we…...
…there’s just way too much to learn about peppermint! I’ve spent the last three mornings researching it, and I think to post on menthol this morning would be a disservice as I don’t feel I can adequately put together all the cool stuff I’ve been learning about peppermint essential oil! Instead, here are a few…...