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.
Happy first day of December! (And happy birthday to my mom!) I know it isn’t winter until December 21 – coincidentally, my birthday – but December always feels like winter to me! The wonderful thing about making our own products is the ability to adapt our recipes to any situation…in this case, the harshness of...
Coconut oil is a great moisturizer for skin and hair, but especially for hair! This study showed that coconut oil reduces lost proteins for both damaged and undamaged hair when used pre-wash or in a post-wash grooming product. The fatty acid lauric acid has a high affinity for hair proteins, and because of its low...
There are different types of coconut oil – today I’m writing about regular old coconut oil with a melting point of 76F. You can find coconut oil with a melting point of 92F, virgin coconut oil, and fractionated coconut oil – those are all posts to come!Coconut oil is composed of medium chain fatty acids...
If you’re a dry skin kind of person, you are definitely going to need different oils than your greasy skinned sisters! You’ll want to choose a base oil filled with oleic acid and Vitamin E to increase the moisturization of your skin and the absorption of the oil. You’ll also want something with linoleic acid...
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know Petra and I have been trying different recipes in an attempt to replicate Lush’s Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub. (You can find the posts here…) I have never used this product, but I’m hoping to buy one this weekend to see if I’m getting close. I admit I’m still...