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.
In the January Q&A, AA asked, Hi Susan!! Is there any way to make SCS not so drying?? Not just for hair but also skin. I’ve checked and adjusted the pH and also combined surfactants to no avail.. I would just throw in the towel, but I bought a bunch on sale a while back...
In the December Q&A, Gypcie asked: Hello Swift, I’m trying to figure out how to add water to denatured alcohol without the formula turning milky. I’m attempting something like this product here – Peppermint & Aloe Soothing Scalp Tonic. This product comes out perfectly clear, do you think it’s the Hydroxypropyl Guar that keeps it clear...
Why do we always say to package your product when it’s reached room temperature? Because we don’t want all that condensation in the bottle or the cap, which can happen when the product is even slightly warm. Before you know it, you have mold and other nasty things growing in the cap that’ll end up...
In this post – Back to basics: Making your first lotion! – Leona asked, When adding preservative to a lotion master batch, do I add enough preservative to include the FO/EO? When figuring out how much preservative to use, we want to take into account all the ingredients in the formula. This means the water, aloe...
In the September Q&A, Charlette asked this epic question: Hello Susan! Can you clear up a little dilemma? I have read that Niacinamide is NOT effective in formulas unless the pH is around 6. I also have read that Glycolic Acid is absolutely useless in formulas if the pH is over 4. Here’s my confusion:...