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.
I’ve been surfing through a few forums today and I noticed three things… First: Everyone seems to call me Swifty! I’m SWIFT (or swift) not Swifty. There is someone else named Swifty and I’ve already changed my name once to avoid confusion. (If you see someone named Celeritas, that might be well be me –...
Lanolin is extracted from sheep’s wool grease (the sebaceous secretions of sheep), and is composed of 138 saturated and 32 unsaturated fatty acids with wonderful sterols like cholesterol, lanesterol, and agnesterol, which we know offer great moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties, and cetyl and stearyl alcohols, which are great emollients and thickeners. (The cholesterol is of...
So what’s the deal with lecithin? Lecithin is a yellowy substance filled to the brim with various phospholipids or phosphatides, generally extract from eggs or soy beans, although it’s found in all plants and animals. The soy and the egg lecithin do differ a little. The soy has a fatty acid profile of 20% palmitic...
Madeaj asks in this post: I have a question about oils. I see oils in the supermarket. My local has sesame (not toasted;-), macadamia nut, sunflower (storebrand for frying), walnut, grapeseed, coconut oil and of course olive oil. Are these the same oil used in cosmetic products or is there a difference? I usually cook with olive...
Let’s start out with some bad news. You cannot make your nails grow faster by using cosmetic products. (You can make them grow faster by living in a warmer climate, using them by doing things like typing, and by being younger.) You can, however, make your nails more flexible by keeping them hydrated – and...