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 found yesterday’s foamy bottle recipe a bit too much for my skin – it felt great at the time, but it made my skin a little oilier during the day. If you strip too much oil from your skin, it will rebel and produce more! If I’d used my toner afterwards, I’m sure it...
I figured since we were talking about bottles, how about foamer bottles? I found this one with the lime green top and couldn’t resist buying it. So I had to formulate something to go in it! So what’s the deal with foamer bottles? It’s a bottle that foams. You’re using very little product to get...
What are iridescent micas and how do you use them?As you can see from this picture of splendid green (Suds & Scents), iridescent micas (sometimes called sparkles or opalescents) are micas that pick up the colours around them. In the case of an iridescent green, for instance, you are going to pick up the colours...
Filling containers can be such a huge pain in the bum! Here are a few things I thought I’d share. Since I am a surfactant junkie, I make a lot of bubble baths, body washes, and shampoos that need bottling. I find the easiest way is to get a funnel and pour it in. With...
Cetyl alcohol! This short chain, saturated, fatty alcohol imparts an emollient feel to our lotions and creams and works with our cationic quaternary compounds to super-charge our conditioners. Compare the cetyl alcohol molecule to the stearic acid molecule. It has 16 carbons (stearic has 18) and it has an OH (oxygen-hydrogen or hydroxy group) whereas...