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.
Susan Barclay-Nichols When I first started making products, I’d find all these amazing lotion recipes but it always seemed I was missing the oil or butter they suggested. I tentatively exchanged the oils, fully prepared for an epic fail, and they would work! Yay! Lotion success! I figured out which ones I liked based on skin feel...
So here’s an example of a label I use on my foot scrub bars. I package these in cellophane bags and close it with the label. I like to include three major pieces of information – the name of the product and fragrance, instructions for use (if it isn’t obvious), and a simplified ingredient list....
More beautiful creations from my craft group! We had 22 kids last Thursday making these adorable Christmas snowflake decorations! As you know, our youth programs are sponsored by readers like you. When you contribute to our groups by buying either the Back to Basics or Hair Care: Shampoos & Conditioners e-books or just making a donation to us, you...
Tara made this comment in this post: I love the pictures you post of your products. Maybe somewhere down the road, you could do a post on label making.I admit the aesthetics of our products is not one of my strengths. I’m the mechanic – I figure out the formulas, create the recipes, tweak the products,...
As much as I love lotions, I admit I find them a pain in the bum to make with all that heating and holding and waiting, and a part of me really wants to just throw away the good manufacturing processes and just make some lotion! I might only have an hour in the workshop...