What do you get when you combine coffee and cocoa? That would be mocha, and it’s just as indulgent in homemade soap, as it is in my hot dandelion mocha beverage. This beautiful layered mocha soap is exfoliating and hydrating and is super-fatted for extra gentleness. As a bonus, keep some in the kitchen to remove food odors from your hands.
Mocha Soap Ingredients
Cocoa butter is moisturizing and gives the soap a rich cocoa scent. The cocoa butter helps create a hard bar of soap with a stable lather.
Coconut oil is cleansing, moisturizing, and antimicrobial; it also gives the soap a nice lather.
Olive oil protects from dryness and is a gentle cleanser.
Lye breaks down fats and oils into fatty acid chains. The chemical reaction results in soap, with no trace of lye left in the final product.
Distilled water is recommended because it is free of impurities and contaminants.
Cocoa powder is used as an additive to create the chocolate layer of the soap. It also improves circulation, which can promote a healthy glow and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Used coffee grounds is used as an additive to create the coffee layer of the soap. It is an antioxidant and helps to exfoliate your skin. New ground coffee may be used, but may bleed in the finished soap. If you would like your soap to have a stronger coffee aroma, add about 1/3 ounce of coffee essential oil to the coffee layer of soap.
Vanilla bean powder is an optional ingredient used as an additive to create the whipped cream layer of the soap.
Whole coffee beans are added to the top of the soap and used as decoration; this is completely optional.
Supplies Needed for Mocha Coffee Soap
Scale – all ingredient amounts are by weight, not volume.
Two thermometers – one for the lye mixture and one for the oil mixture.
Mason jar – wide mouth quart size is recommended, this will be used to mix the lye and water.
Large container with ice, if desired, to use as an ice bath to cool the lye/water mixture down.
Saucepan to melt the oils and mix them together.
Immersion blender to blend the oil and lye mixtures together.
3 Spatulas – one for each layer.
3 medium bowls or plastic containers for mixing each layer
Soap mold – a silicone-lined loaf soap mold is recommended.
Soap slicer – used to cut the soap also known as a bench scraper in the kitchen.
Gloves – always wear when working with lye and uncured soap. Lye can burn the skin.
Eye protection – always wear when working with lye and when the soap is still in liquid form.
Mask – it is recommended that you wear a mask while working with lye to protect from fumes.
Soap Making Questions
Is it safe to work with lye? Working with lye is safe if you are cautious. Wear gloves, a mask, and eye protection when working with lye. Lye can cause burns and work with it in a well-ventilated area. For more information, read my post Is Lye Soap Safe?
What is trace? Trace is the point in soap-making when the oils, water, and lye have been blended together fully and are no longer separate.
How do I know if my soap has reached “trace”? You will know you have reached trace once the mixture has thickened up and resembles a pudding consistency. You’ll notice texture in the mixture with your immersion blender.
Soap Making Trouble Shooting
Why is my soap separating? If you notice separation happening it probably means that you didn’t come to full trace yet. I’d recommend blending your mixture longer until it is thick and almost resembles pudding.
What causes soap to crack? If you notice cracking happening while your soap is curing it could mean that your soap got too hot while curing. It’s recommended to allow your soap to cure in a cool dark place.
Why is my soap soft and won’t harden? You might have added too much liquid. This recipe was developed to have a proper lye-water-oil ratio. All ingredients were measured using a digital scale which is recommended for consistent results.
Why did the coffee layer darken? As the soap cures moisture is removed so the coffee layer will darken. That is supposed to happen.
Recommended Reading:
Simple Natural Soapmaking by Jan Berry.
The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners by Kelly Cable.
More Posts You’ll Love
Chamomile Soap for Sensitive Skin
Candy Cane Soap with All Natural Ingredients
Ingredients
- Please use a scale to weigh oils, lye, and water. These are not volume measurements.
- 9 ounces cocoa butter
- 10 ounces coconut oil
- 11 ounces olive oil
- 4.3 ounces lye
- 10 ounces distilled water
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup used coffee grounds
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder optional
- 1 – 2 tablespoons whole coffee beans optional
Instructions
- Have your silicone soap mold clean, dry, and ready.
- Fill a large container with ice and set aside. This is to cool the lye mixture, or you may cool at room temperature.
- Wearing safety gear (eye wear, gloves, and mask), place the lye in a quart-sized mason jar. I recommend doing this outside or in a very well-ventilated area.
- Add the water to the lye. Stir using a wooden spoon. The mixture will be hot. Set aside and allow to cool (100° F to 125° F). Optionally, place the jar in an ice bath if needed to cool.
- Add the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and olive oil to a saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and allow the oils to melt. Remove from heat as soon as the oils have melted. Once the fats and oils are melted allow the temperature to drop to 100° F to 125° F.
- Before combining the lye water solution and the oil mixture both mixtures should be at about the same temperature (between 100° F to 125° F). Achieve this by using the ice bath, or by carefully heating the oil again if the temperature has dropped too much.
- Slowly pour the lye solution over the oil in the pot.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it starts to thicken, holds its shape, and starts to resemble pudding. This is called trace.
- Once the soap has reached trace, scrape the soap mixture off the immersion blender and transfer the soap into 3 separate containers to create your layers.
- Into the first container, add the cocoa powder. Into the second container, add the coffee grounds. Into the third container, add the vanilla bean powder, or leave plain. Working quickly, mix each container well.
- Pour your cocoa soap mixture into the soap mold first. Tap the container to remove air bubbles.
- Next, gently add the coffee grounds soap mixture over the cocoa mixture. Using a clean spatula evenly distribute the mixture so it touches all areas of the soap mold.
- Finally, add the vanilla bean powder mixture to the mold. Follow the same process as the other 2 layers.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- If desired, take a craft stick and drag the stick from the outside in to create a slight swirl.
- Press in some whole coffee beans on top (optional).
- Cover loosely with a towel and allow to sit for 1 week.
- After 1 week remove the soap from the mold and allow it to sit for 1-3 days or until the soap isn’t soft to the touch.
- Using a slicer, cut the soap into 1” strips. You should get a total of 12 bars of soap.
- Transfer them to a lined baking sheet and allow them to sit overnight.
- Turn them over the next day and allow them to sit.
- Transfer them to a cooling rack that will remain undisturbed for 3-5 weeks in a cool, dark place until the bars of soap have cured fully. The bars of soap will become harder to the touch as they cure.
- For long-term storage after curing, seal them in an air-tight container or individually wrapped.
Notes
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