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.
Are you ready for tomorrow’s project? We’re making body butter! I want to let you know in advance that this body butter isn’t a super thick one – I would consider it a medium to thick cream – but I hope it works as a starting point for future body butters and creams you might...
Quite a few people have written to tell me lately that they are avoiding surfactants in their products. The problem is this – Surfactants aren’t just about the foamy lathery things you find in body washes and conditioners. They are found in things we eat, things we use on our hair and bodies, and even...
Lemongrass is reported to be an essential oil with great anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Does it stand up to the science? ANTI-FUNGAL PROPERTIESThis study (1) concluded that “…limited exposure of yeasts to lemongrass oil at subcidal concentration can suppress growth for more than 24h. Altogether, the results obtained indicate that lemongrass oil possessed antifungal and...
Lemongrass isn’t just for flavouring your favourite Asian noodles any more! It’s an essential oil, too! Lemongrass essential oil (Cymbogon citratus) is steam distilled from cultivated plants. (It can also be CO2 extracted.) It’s considered to be a sedative, flavouring and fragrance agent, analgesic, anti-microbial and antiseptic, fungicidal, insecticidal, and astringent. (And you know we’ll...
I’ve been working so much on the Newbie Tuesday stuff (including a video I hope is ready for Tuesday!) that I kind of got off track with the essential oils. Do you want to see more about essential oils? (I ask because there hasn’t been a lot of comments about the posts, and I’m getting...