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.
Are you sure we’re in June? The month felt shorter than February, which is why we’re offering you a $15 coupon for the shop in lieu of a new e-zine. I have a number of them on which I’ve been working as well as two series for the blog, but the end of the month...
Yesterday, we took a look at adding a butter with a higher melting point to our anhydrous whipped body butters. Today, let’s take a look at adding other oil thickeners with higher melting points, like fatty alcohols, acids, or esters. Adding a solid ingredient like this can have a huge impact on the melting point of...
How can I heatproof my anhydrous body butter? It’s a common question this time of year as anhydrous whipped shea or other butters tend to liquidify in the hot summer sun at markets, while shipping, or just sitting in your bathroom in a lovely jar. Let’s take a look at a few ways we can...
In the June Q&A, Andrea asked, Another question about ingredients: in the list below what the heck is coconut acid? A proprietary and moisturizing blend of sodium cocoyl isethionate, stearic acid, coconut acid, water/aqua/eau, coco glucoside, sodium isethionate, argania spinosa (argan) kernel oil, panthenol (pro-vitamin b5), camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extracts, humectants, sucrose cocoate, glycerin,...
I thought I’d answer a few quick questions in this post! If you’re a $5 or higher subscriber, visit the monthly Q&A to share your thoughts! USING VINEGAR IN SHAMPOO BARS? I’ve had someone ask me about why someone would be using vinegar in a shampoo bar and the short answer is that they’re using...