The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! 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.
Welcome back to this short, introductory series on the importance of triglycerides, heat, and choosing our ingredients wisely. In yesterday’s post, we looked at fatty acids and triglycerides, the importance of temperature, and why we need to be using a thermometer all the time when we’re formulating instead of guessing by touching or observing the...
In our short series on the “terrible recipe” for a pumpkin spice anhydrous body butter with actual pumpkin puree and in the post on making a lovely pumpkin spice themed body butter without pumpkin puree, I mentioned that I wouldn’t use coconut oil in an anhydrous product like these with shea butter because they don’t...
I bought this awesome cranberry butter from Voyageur Soap & Candle* a few months ago, and I have been trying it in all kinds of things, from anhydrous products like whipped butters and lip balms to emulsified products, like lotions, body butters, and conditioners. *Before we start, please note that I do not take advertising...
I was gifted this really cool ximenia seed oil (INCI: Ximenia Americana Seed Oil) by Valerie of Simply Ingredients after a lovely afternoon we spent on her Instagram Live talking about our favourite ingredients. Ximenia seed oil (INCI: Ximenia Americana Seed Oil) is an oil derived from the sour plum fruit, also known as “monkey...
Broccoli seed oil (INCI: Brassica Oleracea (Broccoli) seed oil is a natural oil derived from the seeds and sprouts of broccoli plants. It has a characteristic odour, which we’ll discuss in a minute, and works to create films on hair and skin to prevent water loss and reduce frizzies. I received this oil from Formulator...