The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! 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.
Yesterday, we took a look at a few actives and extracts we can use to create volume and retain curls. Today, let’s take a look at incorporating them into conditioners! As everything we met yesterday – propanediol 1,3, panthenol, betaine, Volumizing complex, Lycopene bioferment, and Kera straightening and curl – is water soluble, the only thing we...
Yesterday, we made some awesome very light leave in conditioners using cationic polymers, like Honeyquat, polyquaternium 7, or some of the new ones I have, like quaternized lemon shine. Today, let’s take a look at a few active ingredients that may help us retain curls, reduce weight, and increase bounciness! So many curly haired people...
Yesterday, we took a look at making conditioners with Varisoft EQ 65 as this cationic quaternary compound creates fluffy products that won’t weigh down our hair. Today, let’s take a look at making light leave in conditioners with cationic polymers. When it comes to creating conditioners for fine hair or those that want more volume,...
In the July Q&A, Melanie asked: I am finding that the shampoos and conditioners I make based on your recipes leave my hair lovely and soft. This is great because my hair is naturally dry and processed, but it is making my natural curl less defined. Is there something I can add to my leave in...
In the spirit of making cooling sprays as we just did with menthol and alcohol, I thought I’d share some links to the series I wrote last year – it’s too hot to craft! – when we made products that didn’t need heating. Introduction (updated, links) Summery floral gel Peppermint & chamomile cooling spray Cold process...
The other day, we took a look at a few ingredients that might make our skin feel cooler. (And there’s a neat discussion going on in the August Q&A about ingredients that might make our skin feel warmer.) In the July Q&A, Mary shared, Today it is 110˚F degrees outside and I have to be outside...
In the July Q&A, Marta asked, I was wondering how you handle your large (and growing) inventory of formulating ingredients. Do you truly discard them when they are beyond the stated shelf life? Perhaps you just know which ingredients you can store for longer than recommended. Or, perhaps everything is refrigerated (seems impossible). In knitting we...
In the December Q&A, Terri asked: My question is about recipe management and keeping ingredient inventories low but adequate to cover a given time period. I have been using a digital cooking app called Living Cookbook to create recipes and ingredients because it allows me to quickly scale them and create a shopping list when...
Like clockwork, when it comes time to collect subscriptions from patrons, Patreon screws up yet again. (Click here for the endless saga of Patreon’s inability to do anything right.) This time it appears the issue is that they moved their payment processor to the UK, so anyone who was paying from the States with debit … Read more
In the August Q&A, Marta suggested, Would you be interested in one post each month for members to post recipes, give feedback, and ask questions of each other? We’re a civil bunch here. I have developed some recipes that I adore and would love to see what other people have come up with. No one...