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.
When I was four, my local library published a poem I wrote about elephants, and it was then that I decided I would be a writer. I earned a Bachelor of General Studies, minoring in English and Canadian Studies, with the hopes of being a teacher, but they weren’t hiring during the recession, so I … Read more
I’ve had a few requests to duplicate some products from Deva Curl – including Deva Curl Wash day Wonder Pre-Cleanse Slip Detangler – but I wonder if the interest is still there given the troubles they’re going through at the moment? “In the past five months, a small legion of influencers, primarily on YouTube, have begun…...
In March 2017, I was asked to create a duplication of Lush’s Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, a lotion we apply, then rinse, in the shower. Despite the name, these Shower Smoothies aren’t positively charged (cationic) conditioners at all – the original version uses a negatively charged (anionic) soap called TEA stearate, made by reacting stearic…...
We’ve been getting ready to leave for England on March 5 for a few weeks of family time before the In Cosmetics Global convention in Barcelona on March 31, April 1, and April 2, and I just ran out of month (even with the leap year). I’ve taken on far too much these last few…...
Welcome to week seven of the Newbie Tuesday lotion making series! I hope by now you have your ingredients and you’re ready to make some lotion! Last week, we took a look at some questions and modified formulas, which was great fun, so we’ll keep doing that today! Was Shelley able to fix the failed…...
Are you ready for another cosmetic chemistry coffee klatch? Come join us on Sunday, February 23rd from noon to 3 pm at Decades Coffee Club in Chilliwack for an afternoon of hanging out and talking formulating, sharing ideas, and having a laugh with people who love creating things as much as you do! It’s about…...
Welcome back to this series demonstrating how to use new ingredients and create new formulas! To catch-up on this series, check out these posts: Part one: How do I research ingredients? STEPANQUAT® Helia (INCI: Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride (and) Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides (and) Lauryl Lactyl Lactate)? Part two: Creating the ingredient reference chart? Part three: Finding starting…...
We’re working through the ingredients we need to make this conditioner – Formulas from Stepan: Links to the Multicultural Collection for textured or curly hair. We evaluated the formula in this post – How do I learn about new ingredients? STEPANQUAT® Helia (part six) – reviewing the formula from Stepan’s multicultural series – and found their were four…...
Welcome to week six of the Newbie Tuesday lotion making series! I hope by now you have your ingredients and you’ve made some lotion! I thought I’d share the first round of questions, thoughts, and modified formulas with you in this post, then share more with you next week, on February 25th, 2020. If you…...
Moringa oil (INCI: Moringa Oleifera (Moringa) Seed Oil) is an interesting oil filled with a few neat fatty acids. It’s used as an emollient as well as an occlusive to reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a fragrance stabilizer, and a hair care additive. It’s a light, non-greasy, dry feeling oil that has a slightly nutty odour…...