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.
There are different ways by which our oils can become rancid, most of them involving oxygen. I know we need it to live, but it’s such a nuisance! OXIDATIVE RANCIDITY The double bonds of the fatty acid react chemically with oxygen. This turns the fatty acid molecules into other molecules that smell awful! This can...
EEEK! Rancidity! The curse of lotion makers everywhere! You know how oils can go rancid now – through the breaking of the double bonds – but how exactly does that happen and how can we prevent it from ruining your lotions and potions! For a short post on anti-oxidants, please click here. I will be...
I know the words “trans fats” sends a shiver up our spines these days, but they are really relevant in understanding the differences in our oils! But wait – I’ve just realized I haven’t really explained what a double bond is! EEK! Carbon has 4 electrons that want to connect with other atoms (the blue...
No, I’m not getting into how bad hydrogenated oils are for your heart (’cause you need a heart to live), but my interest in this topic is all about the oils we use in bath & body creations! HYDROGENATIONWhen a molecule has double bonds, that double bond can be broken and the fatty acid now...
A triglyceride is made up of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acids. So let’s take a look at fatty acids! If you’re a lotion maker, you’re familiar with stearic acid as a thickener. Stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid, which means it is a long chain (C18) fatty acid without any double bonds,...