The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
In March 2017, I was asked to create a duplication of Lush’s Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, a lotion we apply, then rinse, in the shower. Despite the name, these Shower Smoothies aren’t positively charged (cationic) conditioners at all – the original version uses a negatively charged (anionic) soap called TEA stearate, made by reacting stearic...
So far we’ve reviewed the ingredients list, took a quick aside to talk about self-preserving lotions and hurdle technology; and thought about how much of each ingredient to use. Today, let’s make a prototype formula for this American Pie Body conditioner lotion! We’re following the basic lotion making instructions for this formula. 1. Weigh...
Sorry I had to take a break in the Lush duplications, but I finally received my American Pie solid body conditioner and an American Cream solid body wash, and had to address what I saw on the ingredient list they sent me. Point of Interest: The solid body wash is way too fragranced! I love...
In the July Q&A, Kh asked, I just got a pH meter (from Lotioncrafter) (I think I even chased my cat around with it) and now I know the pH of everything in my house. But I was surprised to find that the toner and lotion I measured came out around 4.5 – anyway, I didn’t use...
I’m sharing this with everyone as I’m finding it very strange that everyone wants to use sodium coco sulfate as the base of a shampoo bar when the pH is far too high – over pH 9, which is alkaline, when we want to be pH 6 or lower – and can damage your hair...