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 love making gels – they aren’t hard to create and they have so many uses. There are a few ways to make gels – with a polymer like Ultrez 20 or with cellulose – but I’m going to concentrate on the polymer method as I haven’t had a chance to play with cellulose yet...
Thanks for your responses to last week’s question – Why do you avoid silicones? There are four major reasons…1. Environmental impact of silicones;2. Environmental impact of the manufacturing process;3. Dislike skin or hair feel; and4. Unavailability of products. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SILICONESI didn’t think about the environmental impact point, so here’s a little research I’ve...
I had the idea for this recipe after seeing my best friend’s husband (and Raymond’s best man) burn himself in the summer sun every year. He could use sun screen, but he usually doesn’t, and he won’t use aloe vera gel because it’s too sticky, so this spray would work well for him. (I’m fairly...
I love this after shave lotion as a moisturizer as well – it’s light and filled with humectants. I’ve left out the butters as I don’t want it to be too heavy to use on Raymond’s face, so I’ve added allantoin as an occlusive to protect him from the elements, and I’ve included some lovely...
Shaving bars are an awesome combination of shaving lotion and after shave, perfect for faces or anywhere else you might like to shave. When we rinse it off, you’ll have a lovely moisturized feel. My husband’s skin is so soft and he doesn’t mind shaving as much as he did pre-bar. How do we modify...