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’ve been wanting to share this formula with you since my return from Calgary in mid-November, but I’m always so swamped with other things. I’m taking a break from the gel series for a few days… Cold, windy, snowy winters might be all picturesque and stuff, but it can do one heck of a number...
In the November Q&A, Liza asked: I am very allergic to anything to Phenoxyethanol and was wondering if you could tell me, what would make a good alternative preservative for oil based products, like a body scrub? Let’s take a look at phenoxyethanol and what it does. Phenoxyethanol is a phenolic compound with an alcohol functional group...
In the November Q&A, Sarah asked, Have you ever used Varisoft EQ 65 in a shampoo bar or conditioner bar? Is there any reason why it could not be used this way? Is there a pH concern for this ingredient? For a shampoo bar for fine hair (that I do not want to over-condition), could I replace...
One of the only workshops I attended at the 2017 conference in Las Vegas last year was one by Melinda Wolff-Foster about making products for our pets. I’m so excited she said yes when I asked her to be a guest blogger. In fact, she’s the first guest blogger I’ve invited to share her thoughts...
As I’ve been sharing formulas from my classes on the blog this month, I thought it’d be fun to share some last minute gift ideas here, like these super simple and elegant bath salts we made in my Handmade Christmas class at Voyageur Soap & Candle last week and this. Okay, I have to stop...