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.
When you’re making your creations, you’ll note that some fragrances thin out your mixture and some thicken. This is why I suggest you fragrance before you use your Crothix and let it sit for a while. I find some mixtures “seize up” and give you Jell-o, but turn out fine…and others go to water, then...
So what’s the difference between this purple body wash (fragranced with Black Amber Lavender from Brambleberry) and the orange body wash (Cedar & Saffron, also from Brambleberry). They’re both body wash made from the same batch of ingredients and bottled in identical bottles. So why is one cloudy, the other is clear? This has to...
Who doesn’t love bubbles in a bath? And the more the better, right? (I guess you could have too many bubbles, but really…they’re bubbles!) And the question we ask ourselves – what do we want out of this product? – is BUBBLES! (Okay, I’ve said bubbles too many times now!) We want a good flash...
Body wash can be moisturizing and cleansing at the same time, if you choose the right ingredients. What do you want in a body wash? mild to good cleansing abilities fluffy lather good foam a nice fragrance! What do we have to fit our requirements? Amphosol CG is an amphoteric, so it will thicken our...
What the heck is a surfactant? The word surfactant is short for “surface active agent” and has a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a lipophilic (oil-loving) or hydrophobic (water-hating) tail. This means it can bring things together like oil and water. So an emulsifier, like emulsifying wax or Incroquat BTMS, is a surfactant. (Click here for...