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.
In the September Patreon Q&A, Sally asked: How can i make a shower gel concentrate? I want to be able I want to make a large batch using some sci which takes a long time to melt, then dilute and add a different fragrance when I want say 300 mls of product. Do I just...
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...
I’m trying so hard to get through your comments, but I’m still back in June. There are just so many good ones, it’s hard to answer them with a quick comment or two. In this post, Formulating a Cream Cleanser for dry skin, Afriyie’s Faith asked: Hi Susan, thank you so much for creating an awesome...
In July’s Q&A on Patreon, Ingrid asked: I’m investigating bath bombs and more natural alternatives to using SLSa for bubbles. I’ve seen bath bomb ingredients listing decyl glucoside as a foaming agent. It’s also supposed to be a solubiliser. Can I use it (in liquid form) instead of the Polysorbate 85 and SLSa? If not,...