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.
I’m having great fun formulating all kinds of shampoos suitable for fine hair or other types that don’t want to be weighed down. We started last week by looking at different types of shampoos and coming up with base formulas for clarifying, conditioning, and hydrating shampoos. Then we took a look at using different surfactants...
I’m working my way through the August Q&A now, but it’s hard to answer in short paragraphs when I see all the wonderful things you’re asking that send me off down rabbit holes! In the August Q&A, Melanie asked, I used to be able to buy distilled water easily, now it is almost impossible where I...
In this post, we took a look at a few ingredients we could use as possible replacements for panthenol in hair care products as Doris was concerned that panthenol might be derived from animal sources. We ascertained that the versions I have at home from Voyageur Soap & Candle, Lotioncrafter, and Making Cosmetics are vegan,...
In September’s Q&A on Patreon, Doris asked: Does “safe for color-treated hair” on shampoos have any real meaning? Are there any common surfactants or other ingredients we might use that would not be safe for color-treated hair? I assume by “safe” they mean the ingredients are less likely to fade or change the color (or...
In this post on shampoo bars, Bella asked: Is it ok to make a syndet shampoo bar without cocamidopropyl betaine? Everyone makes it seem like an impossibility, but there is a company that makes them and they are sellilng very well and I don’t see that ingredient in their product. The company is Ethique, here...