Hot Cocoa Soap

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Taylor Stamped. I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts  to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate links.

A few years ago I started making my own cold processed soap. Not only does it make my skin feel great, it's also a lot of fun to make! I love crafting, I love science, and this hobby marries those 2 loves beautifully. There are so many different options, too, like Beer Shaving Soap, Summer Mango Butter Soap, and Shea Butter Soap. I've found that handmade soap makes a wonderful gift. Today I'm sharing a recipe for Hot Cocoa Soap that makes a fantastic Christmas gift.

This soap is made in 2 batches that are layered together in the mold to get a 2 toned soap. The darker layer is made with cocoa butter, coffee, and cocoa powder for a rich brown color. The lighter colored layer uses shea butter to be extra moisturizing for the winter months.
 

Wrap it all up in a pretty strip of paper for a simple gift. I used patterned paper from We R Memory Keeper's Silver and Gold collection. 

Here's the recipe for the soap. Please note, this is not the full tutorial for making cold process soap, just the recipe for Hot Cocoa Soap. Please make sure to use the proper procedures for making cold process soap. 
I started by making the darker, cocoa layer.
Coffee and Cocoa Butter Layer:
10 ounces Cocoa Butter
8 ounces Coconut Oil
8 ounces Olive Oil
6 ounces Soybean Oil
3 ounces Castor Oil
11.5 ounces Coffee
4.8 ounces Lye
2 - 3 teaspoons Cocoa Powder (added at trace)
Vanilla Oil (added at trace)
Bring to trace and pour into your soap mold. Let sit while you make the second layer.

Shea Butter Layer:
5 ounces Shea Butter
10 ounces Coconut Oil
10 ounces Olive Oil 
6 ounces Soybean Oil
Vanilla Oil or Peppermint Oil (added at trace)
10.25 ounces water
4.34 ounces Lye 
Bring to trace and pour into your soap mold on top of the Coffee and Cocoa Butter Layer. If you pour carefully the shea butter layer will sit on top of the cocoa butter layer to give you 2 tone soap. Sometimes, if you don't pour carefully, the shea butter layer will sink into the cocoa butter layer. If this happens, don't worry, just keep pouring. The sinking in will make your soap a swirled soap instead, and it will still look really pretty!
I get most of my butters and oils from Amazon, as I've found they have the best prices. There are a few things that are best picked up at your local grocery store, though. Soybean Oil can be found with the vegetable oils, and is an inexpensive oil option. I use it instead of palm oil, as there is some controversy over palm oil farming practices. Castor Oil can be found inexpensively in most pharmacies and is used to stabilize the lather of the bar of soap.

What kinds of gifts do you like to make for Christmas?