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 keep seeing people talking about not using shampoo bars because they have long hair and need liquid instead. I’m not getting this. As you can see by the picture, my husband and I are long haired people we use shampoo bars every shower! One of the complaints I see is that the shampoo bars...
If you want to use PPG-3 benzyl ether myristate (aka Crodamol STS) in a shampoo, you’ll want to use it around 3% to ensure it doesn’t end up as an oily mess floating on the top of your product. If you’re using it in a shampoo bar where it’s unlikely to separate, you could use it as high...
If you’re a greasy haired girl, you’ll avoid oils like I avoid Brussel sprouts on Christmas Day. But don’t avoid esters – PEG-7 olivate and other water soluble oils aren’t out to increase your greasiness and spoil that good hair day. Using it in small amounts can offer some emolliency and shine to your hair,...
I figured a round-up of all the recipes and information on shampoo might be a good thing before we move onto conditioners tomorrow. You can find this as a permanent page on the right hand side of this blog under “links to lists”. So what have we learned about making shampoo? Pick the right surfactants...
So what’s the deal with dry shampoo? Dry shampoos (in powder form) are intended to absorb oil from your hair. I use an oil absorber in between washings because I find the ends of my hair get really trashed when I wash it regularly, so this works to remove any weird smells and the oil. (No,...