Equipment

Important note on not using Pyrex jugs for products with extreme temperature changes, like we might do with emulsified scrubs or whipped butters! 

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A large Pyrex jug sits on a brown counter with various ingredients and bottles nearby. The Pyrex jug contains a coffee butter emulsified sugar scrub that has been whipped and looks quite lovely.

I’ve shared formulas here on the site – like emulsified sugar scrubs or anhydrous whipped butters – in which I tell you to melt the ingredients to above 70°C (158°F) or to liquid, then pop it in the freezer to solidify before mixing. And I’m here to warn you away from using Pyrex jugs we’d...

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Tips & techniques: Why it’s ill-advised to make batches below 100 grams or batches with non-multiples of 100!

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A beaker with clear liquid on a digital scale. We added SIMULGEL™️ EG emulsifier to the beaker. It hasn't been mixed yet.

I just went into this in the shopping list post for the new introduction to cold process emulsifiers series running from October 2025 to March 2026 here every Formulating Friday starting October 3, 2025, that’ll be available to Foundation, Formulation, and Innovation subscribers to the site here, but I thought it so important, it should...

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Equipment review: Apera pH60-Z Smart pH tester with Bluetooth (and an app)!

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Apera pH 60 pH meter with the pH solutions and screen turned on. It's a blue pen type pH meter with an LED screen and white inset where the buttons are

I bought this pH meter – the Apera Instruments PH60-Z Smart pH Tester with Bluetooth – over five years ago now, but somehow forgot to tell you about the most wonderful pH meter I have ever owned! Let’s talk about it now! Why do I like it? 💧 It’s super accurate – it measures pH...

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Infographic: Low to no shear mixers!

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An infographic demonstrating four different low/no shear mixers. If you would like a copy of the text, please message me at swiftcraftymonkey@swiftcraftymonkey.blog and I will send it to you

An infographic on low to no shear mixers! These are ones we use to mix things for a longer period of time, like when we’re making oily gels or after an emulsion has formed and we want to hydrate the rheology modifier or add the cool down phase. As you can see in the graphic,...

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Demythifying the myths: Can the temperature of your ingredients or container alter the weight on a digital scale?

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A beaker with a water and a patch of white liquid on the bottom sits on a digital scale in a lab

Someone sent me a question asking if the heat of our ingredients – let’s say a 70°C (158°F) heated oil phase of a lotion after removing it from the heat source – could alter the weight reading on a digital scale. They said they read the heat from the containers can “create air currents which...

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