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.
One of the first recipes I posted when I started this blog was a detailed post about toners. I’ve learned a lot since then, so let’s update that recipe with all the stuff we’ve learned about hydrosols, extracts, water soluble oils, and so on! For a toner, you will want to stick to all...
Let’s play with our extracts and oils to come up with a really decadent light facial moisturizer for someone with dry, aging, weather damaged skin. (For the post on basic facial moisturizers, click here…) Let’s start with our oils and butters. I don’t like to use butters in a facial moisturizer because it can bother...
White willow bark extract is a great inclusion in products where you want the awesome power of salicylic acid – so let’s take a look at using white willow bark extract in facial products. Salicylic acid is recommended for oily skin, acne or blackhead prone skin, and red or inflamed skin. Since I have all...
Because cucumber extract offers astringency and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a natural inclusion in toners and after shave sprays and lotions. When using our cucumber extract, I’d suggest starting with 0.5% dissolved in warm water and added to the cool down phase to ensure you won’t be too sensitive to it. You can go as high...
In this last post on rosemary extract, we’ll take a look at including this lovely extract in various toners, face cleansers, and body sprays. I don’t suggest using rosemary essential oil for stuff you might put on your face – it’s a lovely scent at first, but do we want to smell it all day?...