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.
Yay! The day is here! We’re creating a very basic facial cleanser recipe for each skin type, which you can try out, then modify it with all kinds of interesting ingredients over the next few days. Then we can get together next Tuesday to look at what you thought of the product and what changes...
The key to making a good facial cleanser is to start with gentle to mild surfactants used at just the right amount to cleanse your skin without making it feel stripped or dry. We want to use the surfactants at the right suggested usage rate so they will rinse off clean. Without further ado –...
One more thing before we get to the details of our various surfactants…Let’s take a look at the importance of the pH of our products. Our skin has an acid mantle, which is a fine, slightly acidic film with a pH of 4.7 to 5.9, which acts as a barrier to bacteria, viruses, and other...
On Tuesday, I asked you to think about your skin type. Today I’ll share with you what I know and love about foamy, bubbly, and lathery surfactants. I love surfactants the way other women love shoes. I have a closet of them, and sometimes I take them out of their little box in my workshop...
Hey everyone! I’m a presenter at the the 2017 conference for the American Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild, leading the workshop, Facial Moisturizers 101, which is described thusly: Join Susan Barclay Nichols for an exciting, interactive demonstration during which you’ll learn how to make emulsified facial moisturizers from scratch, then how to adapt and customize...