Point of Interest!

Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.

Humectants!

General posts on humectants
Better crafting through chemistry: Humectants
Humectants: Questions, questions, questions
Does glycerin pull water from your skin when the humidity is low?
Humectants: Other benefits

Posts on individual humectants
Butylene glycol & dipropylene glycol
Glycerin: The science
Honey: Nature's tastiest humectant?
Honey: Some studies I've found on about its anti-microbial reputatation
Honey: Using it in our products
Honeyquat
Hyaluronic acid (scroll down a bit)
Hyaluronic acid (way more information)
Hydrovance
Panthenol
Panthenol - a closer look
Propylene glycol
Sorbitol




Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Welcome to the blog!

Welcome to the blog!
Meet our new mascot!

Welcome to the blog!

Thanks for stopping by Point of Interest! Pull up a chair, grab your favourite hot beverage, and hang out for a bit. Feel free to add your comments to posts of any age to share your thoughts! It's no fun writing this blog if I don't get to hear from you, my amazing readers!

Please note - I have a new website and blog, which you can find by clicking this link!

Do you want to get in touch with me? Click here for the contact me section of the new blog!

If you're asking for help with a formula, I need the complete formula in percentages and your exact process. I can't help without these, and I won't be able to do a back-and-forth with you to get the information.

Please take a tour of the blog to learn where you might find some answers to your questions.

As for comments, please find a relevant post and write your comment there. There's no point asking for help with your lotion bar on a post about conditioners as no one will see it but you. Please find something that relates by doing a search or looking at sections like hair care, newbie links, or extracts, for example, post your comments there. It'll make it easier for other people to help you if I can't find time, too. If you post something that is very clearly not related to the post in which you're asking for help, it will go unanswered by me.

Learn more about the idea of unlocking posts with your comments in this post. In a series of posts, you won't see the next installment until there's been some interaction on it.

I'm not allowing anonymous comments for the time being thanks to some particularly relentless spammers. I am also moderating any comments on posts over 2 weeks old.

I think putting your name on a comment gives us a better sense of community and reduces the incidence of mean-ness! Plus, you can't win e-books if I don't know who you are! (Click here for an interesting article about this phenomenon on The Guardian!)

There are no old posts! Write your comments anywhere and I will see them, although they will be moderated before posting due to the aforementioned spammers.

Unfortunately I'm not able to offer business consultations at this time as I'm simply too busy. Thank you so much for thinking of me when you need assistance with your formulations. (I may be able to offer this in the future.) To clarify, if you sell products you're a business. It doesn't matter how large or small you may be, if you make money with your products, you're a business.

As a note, I am not affiliated with any suppliers or manufacturers of any craft supplies of any type. If I rave about something, it's because I love the ingredient, fabric, beads, etc. not because I've been paid to say something nice! I do get free things from time to time from manufacturers and suppliers, but I make them aware that I will be brutally honest about those ingredients on the blog!

Follow SwiftCraftyMonkey on social media!

Follow SwiftCraftyMonkey on social media!
Join me on my Facebook page for updates, random thoughts, and links to other things I think might be interesting! Or look for me on Twitter @SwiftCraftyM or Instagram as swiftcraftymonkey

My e-books

To raise money for our youth groups, I've put together these e-books! If you want to learn more about the books or donate, click on the bolded links!

Or click here for a short description of all the e-books!
The new e-book is here! Formulating Facial Products! This 399 page e-book is filled with recipes for facial products, including moisturizers, sera, cleansers (oil and surfactant based), scrubs, gels, and more, as well as entries for ingredients like botanical extracts, cosmeceuticals, emulsifiers, thickeners, essential oil, and more, as well as a large appendix about our oils.

Click here to see the table of contents! If you make a $28 donation to our youth programs, we'll send you a copy of this e-book along with the preservatives, oils, butters, and surfactant charts as a thank you for your kind generosity!

Formulating & Creating Lotions! This 224 page e-book is perfect for those of you familiar with lotion making and ready to start creating your own recipes! I've included all the information I know about the HLB system, as well as my base recipes for lotions, creams, body butters, and moisturizers!

Click here to see the table of contents! If you make a $26 donation to my youth programs, I'll send you a copy of this e-book, an HLB calculator in Excel format, and the carrier oil, exotic oil, butter, and preservative comparison charts.

Lotion Making 101. This 305 page book includes everything you wanted to know about the basics of making lotions, including the chemistry of our lotions, ingredients we use, keeping your lotions safe, equipment you might need, and more recipes than I could count! For those of you who don't have the Back to Basics book, I've included all the carrier oil, exotic oil, and butter profiles.

Click here to see the table of contents. If you make a $29 donation to my youth groups, I'll send you along a copy of this e-book as a thank you. I'll also send you a copy of the carrier oil, exotic oil, butter, and preservative comparison charts!


Back to Basics: Anhydrous Products. This 122 page e-book includes over 50 recipes and explanations for making lotion bars, whipped butters, balms, oil based scrubs, bath melts, bath oils, oil based sprays, solid scrubs, and facial sera, as well as all the carrier oil, exotic oil, and butter profiles and everything I've gathered about the chemistry of our oils including fatty acids, mechanisms of rancidity, phytosterols, and polyphenols.

Click here to see the table of contents. If you make a $20 donation to the groups, I'll send you a copy by e-mail as a thank you!

Hair Care Products: Shampoos & Conditioners. This 194 page e-book has more recipes than I can count on making shampoo and conditioner products, including a huge section on surfactants.

Click to take peek at the Table of Contents. If you make a $25 donation to the groups, I'll send you a copy by e-mail as a thank you!


Click on the links above to learn more about the books. If you already know what you want or want to make a general donation, click the button below! (I'll know which e-book you want by the amount you've donated!) Thank you so much for supporting our youth groups. You have made it possible for us to continue offering our programs and we finally got that sewing machine!
If you click on this link to my new website, you'll see all the e-books there! From now on, when you buy an e-book, it'll get sent automatically to you and you can always find the link to download it again.

What's coming up next!

Our classes are held at the Neighbourhood Learning Centre at Chilliwack Senior Secondary. All programs are FREE, and we welcome youth grades 7 to 12. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at swiftcraftymonkey@gmail.com or call for more information!

Click here for the schedule for April to the end of June, which includes board game night, video game club, and tons of crafts like bath bombs and candles & wax tarts.

I've had to remove my cell phone number and - as of October 10th, 2017 - my work number due to a number of calls from people wanting to learn how to make products. If you're attending the groups, please use the contact information on the pamphlet to get in touch. If you want to know more about them - until we get a new email address created, I'm afraid there isn't a way to get in touch.

DO NOT CALL OR TEXT ME AT ANY PHONE NUMBER TO HELP YOU WITH A FORMULA. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE FOR ANYONE. NONE. PLEASE RESPECT MY BOUNDARIES.

Search This Blog

Follow by Email

Links to lists!

  • Chemistry links!
  • Cosmeceuticals (NEW!)
  • Duplications from Patreon
  • Emollients - oils, butters, and esters
  • Essential oils
  • Extract posts!
  • Frequently asked questions
  • HLB system
  • Hair care!
  • Handmade Magazine article links
  • Humectants!
  • Information on our youth programs (and how to donate!)
  • Mineral make-up (NEW!)
  • Newbie links!
  • Packaging
  • Preservatives
  • Products for men!
  • Skin chemistry and types
  • Surfactants!
  • Surfactant based products, not including shampoo!
  • E-book and e-zines

Visual Tutorials (new!)

  • Make a coloured lip balm (SnapGuide)
  • Making a solid perfume! (SnapGuide)
  • Making an anhydrous eye shadow primer! (SnapGuide)
  • Making an emulsified sugar scrub (SnapGuide)
  • Making an oil-in-water lotion (SnapGuide)
  • Making lotion bars (SnapGuide)
  • Making soy wax tarts
  • Making whipped butters (SnapGuide)

My YouTube Channel

Yep, I've finally created a YouTube channel. It's a bit sparse at the moment, but look for new videos to pop up regularly!

Point of Interest's YouTube channel!

Bath & body guides to ingredients

  • AHA
  • Allantoin
  • Aloe vera
  • Amaze XT
  • Anti oxidants
  • Aristoflex AVC
  • Basic formulating ideas for lotions
  • Basic lotion making instructions
  • Beeswax
  • Behenyl alcohol
  • Boron nitride
  • Butters
  • Butylene glycol
  • Caprol Micro Express (CME)
  • Capryl/caprylyl glucoside
  • Captex SBE/ButterEZ
  • Cationic guar gum
  • Cationic polymers
  • Cera bellina
  • Cetearyl alcohol
  • Cetrimonium Bromide
  • Cetrimonium Chloride
  • Cetyl alcohol
  • Cetyl esters
  • Citric acid
  • Coenzyme Q10
  • Cosmeceuticals (click for list)
  • Crothix
  • Cyclomethicone
  • D-Limonene
  • Dimethicone
  • Dipropylene glycol (DPG)
  • Dry Flo AF
  • Dry Flo TS
  • EDTA
  • Emollients
  • Emulsification
  • Emulsifying systems (BTMS-50, e-wax, and Polawax)
  • Emulthix/RM-2051
  • Esters
  • Exotic oils
  • Foaming bath butter
  • Formulating on a budget
  • Gels
  • Glycol distearate (EZ Pearl)
  • Guar gum
  • HLB - links
  • HLB - longer version
  • HLB (introduction to the series)
  • Honeyquat
  • Humectants
  • Hyaluronic acid (scroll down)
  • Hydrolyzed oat protein
  • Hydrolyzed proteins
  • Hydrolyzed silk protein
  • Hydrosols
  • Hydrovance
  • Hydroxyethylcellulose
  • Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
  • Incroquat BTMS-50
  • Incroquat CR
  • Incroquat OSC
  • IPM
  • Lipidthix
  • Mineral oil
  • Montanov 68 (Sugarmulse)
  • Multifruit BSC
  • Natragem EW
  • Natrasorb Bath
  • Occlusives
  • Oils
  • Olivem 1000
  • Olivem 800
  • Panthenol
  • Panthenol: More details
  • PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil
  • Phytokeratin
  • Polawax
  • Polyquat 7 (aka Condition-eze 7)
  • Polysorbates
  • Preservatives
  • Propylene glycol
  • Ritamulse BTMS-225
  • Ritamulse SCG (aka Natramulse, Ecomulse, etc.)
  • Ritathix DOE
  • RM-2051/Emulthix
  • Salicylic acid
  • Sepimax ZEN
  • Sepinov EMT 10
  • Sepiplus 400
  • Silicone alternatives
  • Simulgreen 18-2
  • Simulsol 165/Lotionpro™ 165
  • Sorbitol
  • Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine
  • Stearic acid
  • Sucragel AOF
  • Surfactants
  • Tinosan
  • Titanium dioxide
  • Ultrez 20
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Water soluble oils
  • Waxes
  • Witch hazel
  • Xanthan gum
  • Zinc oxide

Where to get supplies (Canada).

  • Creations from Eden - bath & body supplies (Edmonton)
  • Suds & Scents - bath & body supplies (Abbotsford)
  • Voyageur Soap & Candle (Surrey, B.C. - retail and online)
  • Windy Point Soap (Calgary, retail store and online)

Cosmetic ingredients safety links

  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review Safe as Used guide (INCI & usage rates)
  • Cosmetic Ingredients Review Quick Reference guide (INCI, usage rate, sources cited)
  • What's in cosmetics & personal care products?

My Blog List

  • Making Skincare
    Natural Solubilizers: A Review
    1 month ago
  • Ktani's Hair Sense
    Prebiotics, Probiotics and Health Scams
    2 years ago
  • everyBODY Beauty Blog by Voyageur Soap & Candle Co.

Labels

  • 2017 (2)
  • 2018 (19)
  • a (1)
  • active ingredients (1)
  • administrative stuff (2)
  • alcohol (2)
  • all the ingredients (2)
  • aloe vera (1)
  • analyzing products (1)
  • angry rant (11)
  • anhydrous (104)
  • antioxidants (5)
  • babies & children (1)
  • balms (7)
  • bars (21)
  • bath and body (264)
  • bath bombs (5)
  • beginner (13)
  • blah blo (220)
  • board games (1)
  • body butter (5)
  • body wash (10)
  • book review (1)
  • bookbinding (3)
  • bubble bath (3)
  • budget (5)
  • business (5)
  • butter (26)
  • butters (40)
  • calculations (3)
  • candles (3)
  • carbomers (1)
  • cationic polymers (1)
  • challenge (22)
  • charts (1)
  • chemistry (238)
  • Christmas (62)
  • classes (12)
  • clay (4)
  • cleaning products (4)
  • cleansers (1)
  • climate (1)
  • cold emulsifier (14)
  • colourants (1)
  • comedogenicity (3)
  • comments (5)
  • commercial product (3)
  • concentrated (1)
  • conditioner (8)
  • conditioner bars (1)
  • conditioners (98)
  • conference (6)
  • conference recipe (8)
  • cooling spray (1)
  • copyright (1)
  • cosmeceutical (39)
  • craft group (85)
  • crochet (1)
  • cupcakes (1)
  • curiosity (1)
  • definitions (1)
  • deodorant (9)
  • digest (19)
  • discussion (3)
  • download (13)
  • dry skin (25)
  • duplicating (70)
  • e-book (16)
  • e-zine (18)
  • ECOcert (3)
  • electrolytes (1)
  • emollient (5)
  • emollients (28)
  • emulsification (38)
  • emulsifier (2)
  • emulsifiers (80)
  • equipment (14)
  • errata (1)
  • essential oils (63)
  • esters (53)
  • evaluating recipes (1)
  • exfoliating (3)
  • experiments (13)
  • extract (87)
  • extracts (8)
  • eye products (4)
  • eye shadow (31)
  • Facebook live (1)
  • facial cleanser (26)
  • facial product (171)
  • facial products (20)
  • facial scrubs (5)
  • fatty acid (6)
  • fatty alcohol (1)
  • favourite things (13)
  • fine edibles (17)
  • foaming bath butter (1)
  • foaming bottles (1)
  • foot product (6)
  • formulating (110)
  • Formulating Friday (1)
  • fragrance (8)
  • free patterns (18)
  • frequently asked questions (1)
  • gadget (1)
  • geekery (5)
  • gels (41)
  • green (9)
  • guest blogger (1)
  • gums (2)
  • hair care (29)
  • hair care products (25)
  • hair chemistry (25)
  • hair products (124)
  • heating & holding (3)
  • helpful hints (97)
  • HLB (20)
  • HSCG (1)
  • humectants (19)
  • hydrolyzed proteins (3)
  • hydrosols (1)
  • INCI (5)
  • ingredient (109)
  • ingredients (22)
  • inspiration (3)
  • instructions (1)
  • Iron Chemist (11)
  • is it a good recipe (1)
  • jewellery making (14)
  • kitchen chemistry (1)
  • labels (1)
  • link_needs_update (2)
  • linkorama (46)
  • lip products (3)
  • lotion (6)
  • lotion bar (12)
  • lotion fail (9)
  • lotioncrafter (1)
  • lotions (289)
  • lush (1)
  • magazine (1)
  • magnesium chloride (1)
  • make-up remover (1)
  • make-up things (1)
  • maligned ingredients (13)
  • measuring (5)
  • melt and pour soap (10)
  • men's products (24)
  • milk (4)
  • mixing (1)
  • MMU (102)
  • moisturizers (13)
  • mother's day (1)
  • Movember (2)
  • nail (1)
  • nails (11)
  • national craft month (1)
  • natural (3)
  • new blog (20)
  • New Year's resolutions (12)
  • Newbie Tuesday (40)
  • newbies (50)
  • oil (72)
  • oil cleansing (2)
  • oil cleansing method (1)
  • oil free (1)
  • oils (104)
  • oily skin (3)
  • one ingredient (44)
  • other crafts (4)
  • packaging (22)
  • paper crafts (5)
  • patreon (19)
  • pets (3)
  • pH (10)
  • pH meters (2)
  • phase (3)
  • powders (1)
  • preservatives (101)
  • preservatsives (1)
  • proteins (2)
  • query (22)
  • question (83)
  • questions (7)
  • quick lotion (1)
  • rancidity (2)
  • random celebration (4)
  • references (1)
  • research (2)
  • reviews (7)
  • road trip (1)
  • salts (3)
  • salve (1)
  • sci (1)
  • science (6)
  • scrapbooking (2)
  • scrub (1)
  • scrubs (49)
  • self-referential (3)
  • serum (5)
  • sewing (16)
  • shampoo (54)
  • share your thoughts (1)
  • sharing (2)
  • shaving products (6)
  • shelf life (1)
  • shop (1)
  • silicones (6)
  • simulgreen (1)
  • six ingredient lotions (9)
  • skin (19)
  • skin chemistry (2)
  • skin types (41)
  • soap (4)
  • social media (1)
  • solid bubble bath (1)
  • solubility (1)
  • solubilizers (19)
  • solublizers (1)
  • spammers (1)
  • spray (1)
  • sticky (2)
  • substitutions (32)
  • summer (14)
  • sunscreen (4)
  • suppliers (10)
  • surfactants (160)
  • sushi (3)
  • thickeners (23)
  • tip (1)
  • toner (16)
  • too hot to craft (1)
  • troubleshooting (2)
  • tutorial (394)
  • Valentine's Day (8)
  • video (2)
  • video games (1)
  • viscosity builder (1)
  • vitamin (6)
  • volume (1)
  • water (1)
  • waxes (2)
  • wedding (3)
  • weekend wonderings (55)
  • what can I do? (2)
  • whipped butters (9)
  • why did I buy that (27)
  • windy point soap (2)
  • winter (2)
  • youth groups (4)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2018 (31)
    • ▼  April (3)
      • A reminder about the new blog!
      • Digest of posts is no more...
      • Digest of posts for March 24th to April 6th, 2018
    • ►  March (6)
    • ►  February (8)
    • ►  January (14)
  • ►  2017 (189)
    • ►  December (15)
    • ►  November (14)
    • ►  October (13)
    • ►  September (31)
    • ►  August (19)
    • ►  July (15)
    • ►  June (23)
    • ►  May (18)
    • ►  April (9)
    • ►  March (8)
    • ►  February (12)
    • ►  January (12)
  • ►  2016 (159)
    • ►  December (12)
    • ►  November (11)
    • ►  October (14)
    • ►  September (18)
    • ►  August (11)
    • ►  July (16)
    • ►  June (17)
    • ►  May (15)
    • ►  April (10)
    • ►  March (13)
    • ►  February (12)
    • ►  January (10)
  • ►  2015 (174)
    • ►  December (19)
    • ►  November (8)
    • ►  October (9)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (19)
    • ►  July (27)
    • ►  June (15)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (10)
    • ►  March (16)
    • ►  February (14)
    • ►  January (28)
  • ►  2014 (224)
    • ►  December (37)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  October (8)
    • ►  September (24)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (30)
    • ►  June (19)
    • ►  May (15)
    • ►  April (15)
    • ►  March (12)
    • ►  February (16)
    • ►  January (24)
  • ►  2013 (351)
    • ►  December (39)
    • ►  November (25)
    • ►  October (36)
    • ►  September (30)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (29)
    • ►  June (30)
    • ►  May (32)
    • ►  April (24)
    • ►  March (31)
    • ►  February (22)
    • ►  January (33)
  • ►  2012 (337)
    • ►  December (27)
    • ►  November (21)
    • ►  October (10)
    • ►  September (23)
    • ►  August (21)
    • ►  July (26)
    • ►  June (41)
    • ►  May (33)
    • ►  April (33)
    • ►  March (28)
    • ►  February (37)
    • ►  January (37)
  • ►  2011 (407)
    • ►  December (40)
    • ►  November (25)
    • ►  October (23)
    • ►  September (28)
    • ►  August (19)
    • ►  July (12)
    • ►  June (25)
    • ►  May (37)
    • ►  April (49)
    • ►  March (54)
    • ►  February (45)
    • ►  January (50)
  • ►  2010 (580)
    • ►  December (51)
    • ►  November (51)
    • ►  October (48)
    • ►  September (41)
    • ►  August (40)
    • ►  July (44)
    • ►  June (50)
    • ►  May (60)
    • ►  April (53)
    • ►  March (50)
    • ►  February (44)
    • ►  January (48)
  • ►  2009 (433)
    • ►  December (48)
    • ►  November (42)
    • ►  October (34)
    • ►  September (39)
    • ►  August (43)
    • ►  July (47)
    • ►  June (35)
    • ►  May (22)
    • ►  April (34)
    • ►  March (34)
    • ►  February (29)
    • ►  January (26)
  • ►  2008 (35)
    • ►  December (23)
    • ►  November (11)
    • ►  September (1)

Who the heck is Swift?

My photo
Susan Barclay-Nichols
I'm an aspiring cosmetic scientician and DIY girl interested in pretty much any craft you can name - bookbinding, jewellery making, sewing, paper crafts, polymer clay - but my main passion is bath & body product making. I am currently obsessed with Rock Band (bass and singing) and science books. Did you know my favourite word is "toaster" and my favourite adjective is "hirsute"?
View my complete profile
Awesome Inc. theme. Powered by Blogger.