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.
Christine asks: Hi Susan, I would love to see more information on substituting cones in recipes please and using more natural ingredient substitutes if that’s possible. Okay, the natural ingredients part is a challenge for me, but I can help with the silicones right away! I’ve written a post on the topic of silicone replacements here, and...
Sorry I haven’t had time to write up the posts on disodium cocoamphodiacetate but this week went crazy on me. Look for those posts shortly! I’ve been working so hard on the various e-books for the last few months that I kinda feel a bit lost on what to write about next. I like to...
Voyageur Soap & Candle finally has emu oil! It’s pricey, but I’m dying to try it! Aquarius Aroma & Soap has the SCI granules (aka Jordapon prilled, which is SCI without stearic acid) in again, and they’re on sale! And Creations from Eden is stocking disodium EDTA and sodium stearate, which is vital for making...
I’ve bought a new surfactant to play with over my two week holiday at Christmas! It’s disodium cocoamphodiacetate (aka Amphosol 2C by Stepan)! Disodium cocoamphodiacetate is a mild amphoteric surfactant, much like cocamidopropyl betaine. The “ampho” part in the name indicates it’s amphoteric, meaning it carries a different charge in different pH levels. If it’s...
After much work, I’ve finally put together all the posts on this blog relating to lotion making in the Lotionmaking 101 e-book! It runs 305 pages and 95,647 words, and you’ll find everything I know about the basics of lotion making, chemistry of lotions, all the ingredients we use, information on anti-oxidants and preservatives, and...