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.
Something strange has happened in the last year…people are worried about destroying oils and butters with heat. I think it’s something to think about, but it’s really not an issue for the oils and butters we use. If you’re in doubt, look up the smoke point of the oil or the fatty acid. You will be...
If you subscribe by e-mail, you might have seen a post called “how much are you getting of each ingredient per application?” I’ve removed it because it wasn’t ready for prime time yet. It’s something that was going through my head, and I thought I would write it up and put a random date on...
If you’re new to chemistry, I encourage you to read this post on molecules and this one on covalent bonding. These are modifications of posts I’ve written in the past with more chemistry information and more asides! TRIGLYCERIDES! This beautiful molecule to the left is a triglyceride (castor oil, to be exact). It is a molecule...
Julie wrote this great comment in this post, and I had to address it! (I’m editing a bit for length…definitely visit the post to see the conversation in full!) Hi Susan! I looked at my Crafter’s Choice Grape Seed Oil I purchased from WSP about 2 months ago. It says on the bottle it is good for...
I’ve started wearing eye shadow more frequently, but I seem to be unable to apply mascara without getting it all over my eyelids! I’ve tried a few different brands – L’Oreal telescoping (lengthening), LashBlast (volumizing), New York Colour City Curls (curling), Big Curls Don’t Cry (waterproof, curling), and Maybelline Great Lash (volumizing), to name a...