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.
An easy way to add slip or lubricity to your conditioners is through the use of oils and butters. We’re actually spoiled for choice here as there are so many we could include that are hair friendly. Ideally, you’ll choose something that won’t go rancid in a short period of time (or something you’ll use...
It’s summer – oh, boy is it ever summer around here with a “once in a lifetime” heat wave – so you’ll need a case to store your sunglasses! So here is pattern for making your own sunglasses case (pdf). And here’s a PDF of the instructions. If you’ve sewn before, you might want to...
As I’ve been writing these posts on conditioner, I realize I’ve left out Incroquat CR as a great option for making very basic conditioners without oils and silicones. Incroquat CR is a cationic quaternary compound, like BTMS and cetab, but it won’t emulsify much on its own. (The manufacturers claim it is an emulsifying system,...
If you’ve read any of the posts on this blog, you’ll know I love this stuff in hair care products! It’s a cationic quaternary compound, like BTMS and cetrimonium bromide, but it isn’t a great one on its own. It has a chain of 16 carbons, which means it isn’t as lubricating as BTMS or...
PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO BUY CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE ANY MORE. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, PLEASE SHARE IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, PREFERABLY WITH A LINK TO THE ITEM IN A SHOP! THANKS! (Sorry for yelling, but I really wanted to get your attention!) Cetrimonium bromide is a cationic quaternary compound used...