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.
Comfrey root extract is an awesome inclusion in products intended for damaged skin. I like to use comfrey root extract in foot care products – foot lotion or foot cream or thicker foot cream – and I like to use it in the form of comfrey oil in anhydrous lotion bars (substitute 5% to 10%...
I love honeysuckle extract in anything I’m going to use on my face. I have acne prone skin, pale with a tendency to get very red, and I find it offers great anti-inflammation properties for me. Try it in a toner at 0.5% in the cool down phase after dissolving it in a little warm...
So how can we get the awesome power of chamomile into our products? It’s easy when we have the hydrosol and extract at affordable prices! Since I’ve beaten the toner recipe to death over the last few weeks, let’s take a look at a lotion we could create to include the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidizing nature...
Rosemary extract is a great addition to any lotion, added at 0.5% to 1% during the cool down phase. Remember, we add it to the cool down phase because some of the polyphenols are heat sensitive, and we don’t want to have it use all its awesome anti-oxidizing power fighting off the heat before you’ve...
Here’s an e-mail from Marie: Can I just say that your blog is simply brilliant!! I am from the UK and love crafting my own stuff . May I ask you a question? Why stearic acid in lotions / creams? If reducing water can make a thicker cream, and using a heavier oil can do...