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.
Someone asks: Say you have a cream that came out too thick and you have to thin it. You measure out the water and just add? THEN how do you refigure the % of your original formula? You cannot thin out a thick lotion once you’ve made it. If you add water to it, you’ll mess up...
As I mentioned, my lovely husband and mother bought me a pH meter for Christmas. It’s a Jenco Vision Plus and it’s quite fancy as it can store up to 50 readings, take temperatures, and many more features I have yet to try! It even comes with a handy dandy belt hook so I can...
If you want to make a recipe, but don’t have all the ingredients, substitute…with one exception – the cationic quaternary compound or conditioning agent. Identify the cationic quaternary compound (usually Incroquat BTMS-50, but sometimes Incroquat BTMS-25, cetrimonium bromide, or cetrimonium chloride) and make sure you don’t substitute that for something else. A conditioner is not...
My love of chemistry was acknowledged by my friends and family this Christmas with this amazing test tube set and beaker from my best friend, and a fantastic pH meter from my mom and husband. I may have to break my ban on shopping on Boxing Day because I need some calibration fluid so I...
Cinnamon is considered the most Christmas-y smell around Christmas time, as are orange and clove. Rose is considered the most summertime-y. (Click the link for more!) I change my fragrances throughout the year to put me more in the mood for the season – I love citrus in the summer – but I do have...