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.
I thought I’d re-post this post asking for your input because I really do want to know what you want to know! I’m finding it a little hard to be inspired lately as it seems like I’m not sure what you want to learn, so please visit that post or comment on this one so...
Raymond and I have been away since last Wednesday, so it’ll take me some time to get through your messages and comments. I’m off work a few more days, which means I’ll have some time Tuesday and Wednesday to do what I can. (Although I need some serious workshop time as well!) I really appreciate...
What do we find in our oils? We find triglycerides, polyphenols, phytosterols, vitamins, minerals, and more! Let’s take a look at these things one by one… What are triglycerides? This beautiful molecule to the left is a triglyceride (castor oil to be exact). It is a molecule with a glycerol (or glycerine) backbone and three fatty...
DO WE NEED TO ADD A PRESERVATIVE IF WE ADD E-WAX TO A LOTION BAR?In the Weekend Wonderings: Have a question? post, Rosi asks: In a lotion bar we do not have to add preservative, is it still the same if I substitute some of the wax with ewax, cetyl or BTMS still without water, of course....
In this post Formulating with mango butter, Lisa asks: I made this whipped mango butter, as described here using Shea for my second soft butter, and it turned out very stiff. I like a rich cream (I usually use shea) but this was very hard. I’m wondering if I whipped for too long? I whipped until...