SwiftCraftyMonkey

SwiftCraftyMonkey

Ceramides in our skin and our products – including Ceramide Complex (updated October 28, 2022)

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Way way back a while, Sarah and a few others asked about using ceramides in one of the Q&A posts. I’m sorry it’s taken so long, but there were so many things I needed to write about before we reached this point, and this potential duplication gave me a perfect opportunity to share this!  If...

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Q&A: What’s the binder in this shower steamer ingredient list? Let’s take a look at the ingredients and more about shower steamers!

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In this month’s Q&A, Jaime asked, I’m trying to understand the binder in this shower steamer ingredient list that doesn’t include an oil or butter. They are very hard and dissolve slowly. It appears to be held together by the PEG-150 and wax. I would be a little concerned about putting wax in my drain, but...

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Q&A: How can we know if an ingredient is gluten-free?

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In a message I received from a Q&A subscriber, I was asked this important question: How we can tell if an ingredient is gluten free? The short answer is to check the listing or data sheet from the supplier or manufacturer. If something contains gluten, it will usually tell you. If it doesn’t contain gluten, it...

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Triglycerides: Why coconut oil & shea butter don’t mix! Part two!

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Welcome back to this short, introductory series on the importance of triglycerides, heat, and choosing our ingredients wisely. In yesterday’s post, we looked at fatty acids and triglycerides, the importance of temperature, and why we need to be using a thermometer all the time when we’re formulating instead of guessing by touching or observing the...

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Triglycerides: Why coconut oil & shea butter don’t mix! Part one!

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In our short series on the “terrible recipe” for a pumpkin spice anhydrous body butter with actual pumpkin puree and in the post on making a lovely pumpkin spice themed body butter without pumpkin puree, I mentioned that I wouldn’t use coconut oil in an anhydrous product like these with shea butter because they don’t...

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