Q&A: Does allantoin work as a barrier ingredient in water-only formulas? (Updated September 23, 2023)

I’m editing this post to remove the word “occlusive” referring specifically to allantoin as someone who thinks they’re anonymous – but doesn’t realize we have an activity log on the site 😝 – has written a diatribe to my friend Michele about how I’m wrong, which has been “happening more often lately” and that I...

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Q&A about conditioner bars! (Updated September 5, 2023)

I’m getting a lot of questions about conditioner bars, which makes me think you’re all making them out there. Woo hoo! Aren’t they awesome? Table of contents Where do I find formulas and information for making conditioner bars on this site? What’s the best process for making a conditioner bar? How to best melt BTMS...

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Making shampoo bars: A (kinda) visual tutorial full of hints, tips, and techniques! (Updated 2023)

I’ve been sharing little stories about how I make shampoo bars over on my social media accounts – SwiftCraftyMonkey on Facebook, and SwiftCraftyMonkey on Instagram – that I’ll share here with you! I’ll update these as I post over there, so this’ll be an ongoing project for at least a few days. Post #1: Melting...

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Q&A: Does isododecane or propanediol 1,3 go into the heated or cool down phase? What does lemon shine smell like? Questions about my epic rinse off conditioner formula!

In the monthly Q&A, Susan asked, I recently made your Epic Rinse Out Conditioner and am very happy with it but I have a couple of questions … If I’m correct, isododecane is a volatile ingredient so I’m wondering why it’s added to the warmed water phase rather than at cool down. Also, I’ve seen propanediol...

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Creating a blueberry, carob, yucca & cornsilk conditioning shampoo for oily hair (part four): The formula and process! 

Welcome back to this four part series in which we’re making a shampoo filled with a veritable botanical bounty of fantastic ingredients for normal to oily hair! In part one, Creating a blueberry, carob, yucca & cornsilk conditioning shampoo for oily hair (part one): Overview and choosing surfactants!, we looked at what it meant to...

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