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.
A few points of interest for the last Sunday in February… I’ve been asked to write a monthly column for Handmade magazine, and the first one just came out – The Science Behind Citrus! I just received my copy on Friday, and I’m thrilled to bits about it! For those of you asking about my back,…...
I don’t know if you noticed, but I seem to be having a torrid love affair with this new emulsifier, Aristoflex AVC, which can create lotions and gels cold! N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) It is a bio-identical ingredient that can reduce hyperpigmentation in the skin, and has been shown to work well when combined with niacinamide. It…...
I liked yesterday’s lotion and I really liked last week’s lotion with Aristoflex AVC. But there are more experiments to be done, so let’s take a look at a Vitamin C and ferulic acid serum made with this new emulsifier! The main ingredients in this recipe are ferulic acid and Vitamin C, a combination that…...
I’ve been in the workshop playing with Aristoflex AVC, a new to me all-in-one emulsifier that creates gels and light lotions at only 1%! It’s also a cold emulsifier, meaning no heating required, which is why I can make 8 in one day! On Thursday, I introduced you to a moisturizer with moringa seed oil…...
I’m asked all the time why I heat and hold my lotions a double boiler instead of using a microwave to melt our ingredients. There are a few reasons. I heat my ingredients for lotions in two separate containers: One for the heated water phase and one for the heated oil phase. I heat them to…...
Thank you so much for all the support you offer our youth programs by donating for the e-books! We’ve been offering groups to youth since 2005, and continue to welcome new kids every week. Every penny you pay for the e-books – here or at other retailers – goes to pay for the groups in…...
I introduced you to a new emulsifier, Aristoflex AVC, yesterday. Today I’ll share the first recipe I tried with it! As with anything I get new, I like to make a small batch of the product so I can see what I think. I made a 100 gram batch of this product, and it filled…...
I was recently sent a large bag of Aristoflex AVC (INCI Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer), a polymer that can create gels as well as emulsify up to 5% oils or silicones. Because it doesn’t work well with electrolytes, it’s not suitable for thickening things like shampoo or body wash. Don’t use things like aloe vera, sodium…...
We took a look at a foaming facial cleanser that might be good for lash extensions yesterday, and I thought we’d look at another version today. WITCH HAZEL & MARSHMALLOW FOAMING FACE AND LASH CLEANSER58.5% distilled ater10% foaming soy surfactant10% witch hazel5% cocamidopropyl betaine5% marshmallow extract5% white tea extract (liquid)2% panthenol2% quaternized rice (or another…...
I’m a huge fan of my foaming facial cleanser with foaming soy surfactant, but I thought I’d try a variation on this recipe that would be more suitable for normal to dry skin. I started getting eye lash extensions in October because I have short eye lashes and I was tired of messing up my…...