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.
SwiftCraftyMonkey 
Hi, everyone! Welcome to August 2024. Time is flying past so quickly this year! This is post 4,900 – woo hoo! – which I thought was exciting. I wanted to write this to give you an idea of what’s going on with my health. The short answer is that I’ve been going through a lot … Read more
I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get the e-book done in time, and I didn’t want to leave you waiting the way I have with January’s e-book, which is almost done, seven months later. Sigh…sorry for taking so long… Honestly, I’m not doing great as I’m in a great deal of pain with muscle spasms...
Cocoa butter prices are through the roof – it’s about three times more expensive compared to winter 2023 as the crop has been failing due to climate change and such – and people are looking for substitutions. I thought we could look at how to make these changes, but what we’d use will depend on...
I’m sure you’ve seen it in all my formulas – after making the product, wait until it cools to room temperature (20˚C/68˚F) before packaging – but why is that thing? There are a few good reasons, but the main ones are to avoid condensation, which can lead to contamination as that water isn’t preserved, and...
This is one of those things that seems logical – when you’re about to use a jar or bottle or whathaveyou to package your products, give them a good wash before using – that isn’t. You’re adding more potential for contamination if you’re putting these in a dishwasher or washing by hand. You don’t need...