The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
I’m trying to do some writing for the blog and e-zine, and I thought I’d share this picture of various thickeners I’ve been trying with all kinds of surfactants, including Miracare Soft 313 (from Lotioncrafter). I started these experiments in the summer, but I need to watch what I make for months and months as...
I’ve also been receiving so many questions about surfactant based products, like shampoo, body wash, facial cleanser, and bubble bath, separating, and I don’t think I know what you mean by that term “separate”. I’ve only once had something that appeared to be separation in a body wash, and that was one that had glycol...
In the post, Discussion: How do you sanitize your workspace before formulating, Sarah wondered: Does anyone here have a favorite grease-cutting cleanser/method for cleaning little glass bottles and jars? I’ve tried very hot water, dish detergent and d-Limonene, but it still took many round of cleaning and I still don’t think it’s enough…am I going to...
I have two things I would love to own – a mixer that I don’t have to hold and a magnestic stirring hot plate. The magnetic stirring hot plate would do two things – stir and heat, which would be awesome. You get a little metal capsule, which you put into the beaker, then it...
In the January 2018 Patreon Q&A post, Sima asked: How do you sterilise your equipment such as pyrex jugs, beakers, spoons, spatulas, workbench etc before making a product? Can I start by saying I think it’s lovely that anyone would think I would know anything about being tidy given the state of my workshop? I...