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.
My grandma and my dad, who was balding in his early twenties! Why does our hair go grey? The short answer – science really doesn’t know. The long answer – it’s a loss of melanin in the hair shaft. Why does this happen. Science really doesn’t know. I have to admit it amazes me that...
I don’t believe in science. I know science. Science is about change: What we know changes, and the very nature of science is that it changes with new studies, new research, new theories. We once thought the earth was flat or was only 10,000 years old, but now we know the earth is round and...
Mechanical processing means you are subjecting your hair to a temporary process like curling, straightening, or putting it into some kind of hair style. Mechanical processing differs from chemical processing as the chemical changes are temporary, but they can still damage your hair! Hair straightening and curling work on pretty much the same principles. You’re...
My hair is pink in this picture, hence the tie in to the post! Plus picture of me with batteries in my mouth equals funny! When we subject our hair to perms, straightening, or colouring, we’ll see some damage to our hair. All chemical processing leads to chemical changes in our hair, which can lead...
We’ve established that hair in good condition is easy to comb, easy to manage, and free of fly-aways. What does it mean to have damaged hair? What causes it? And how can we repair it? Hair can be damaged in a variety of ways – through chemical or mechanical processing, exposure to the sun and...