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.
My husband loves all things Japanese (hence the Genshiken youth group he runs for the “society for the study of modern visual culture” at the library where they watch anime and read manga and discuss both for hours!) and I thought I’d make him a Japanese themed body wash with ingredients that remind me of...
One of the things we don’t seem to think about a lot is the impact of our fragrance oils on our product. As much as people want to have natural this or organic that, I’ve read that the number one reason someone chooses a product is the fragrance. (Looking for the reference! I know I...
Let’s start this series on surfactants! You’ll want to bookmark the surfactants section of the blog and download the comparison charts. I encourage you to follow the links on this page as I’ve written quite a lot on surfactants and these are summaries of those posts. What are surfactants? First, a definition (from Wikipedia): Surfactants are wetting...
You commented, and I heard. Let’s take a look at surfactants so we can learn how to modify shampoo, facial cleansers, body washes, and pretty much anything else that might be foamy or lathery. I think what we’ll do is spend some time with the surfactants so you can eventually choose the ones you like,...
In this post on decyl glucoside, Mandy asks: Does anyone know if there is a powdered form of decyl glucoside? Or, is there another powdered surfactant that would work well as a laundry detergent? I wouldn’t take the chance, to be honest. I know a few people who have ruined their very expensive machines by making...