Simple Coffee Soap Project
Coffee seed oil has a delicious aroma. This recipe uses only 3% of it, but that’s enough to give it a light color and coffee scent. The soap also contains used coffee grounds for exfoliation and coffee butter for extra moisture. Fresh grounds can bleed in soap, which is why used grounds are best. The liquid in this recipe is half distilled water and half brewed coffee.
All these amazing coffee ingredients give the bars enough color and scent without any fragrance oil or colorant. That being said, the scent is very light. If you want a stronger coffee scent, Espresso Fragrance Oil would be great in this recipe. It will lightly discolor the soap.
What You Need:
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Coconut Oil - 1 lb
Coffee Butter - 8 oz
Coffee Seed Oil - 1 oz
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Crinkle Cutter
10 inch Silicone Loaf Mold
Palm Oil - 1 lb
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Coconut Oil - 1 lb
- Coffee Butter - 8 oz
- Coffee Seed Oil - 1 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Palm Oil - 1 lb
EQUIPMENT:
- Crinkle Cutter
- 10 inch Silicone Loaf Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- 13.9 oz. Olive Oil (42%)
- 8.3 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 8.3 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
- 1.7 oz. Coffee Butter (5%)
- 1 oz. Coffee Oil (3%)
- 5 oz. Brewed Coffee
- 5 oz. Distilled Water
- 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 2 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds
- Whole Coffee Beans (for the top)
- Optional: Crinkle Cutter
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
COFFEE LYE PREP: Brew 7-8 ounces of coffee using distilled water. Some will evaporate, so you'll need to brew extra. The strength of the coffee is up to you - the stronger it is, the darker your soap will be.
Measure 5 ounces of coffee into a heat-safe container. Add 5 ounces of cold or room temperature distilled water to the coffee.
Follow these steps:
1
Once your liquid is room temperature or below, slowly add 4.6 ounces of sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken and smell quite unpleasant - this is normal! Luckily, the scent goes away in the final bars. Optional: When the lye is cool, add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate to harden the bars more quickly.
2
Fully melt and combine 8.3 ounces of coconut oil, 8.3 ounces of palm oil, 13.9 ounces of olive oil, 1.7 ounces of coffee butter, and 1 ounce of coffee oil. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until it’s at a thin trace.
3
Continue to stick blend the soap until you reach a medium trace. Medium trace is perfect for suspending the coffee grounds and creating texture on top.
4
Add 2 tablespoons of used coffee grounds to the soap and use a whisk to fully incorporate them.
5
Pour the soap into the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
6
Use a spoon to mound the soap in the center and create texture. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it!
7
Place coffee beans in the center of the soap down the length of the mold. Gently pressing the beans into the soap will help them stick better. Once you’re happy with the look, spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 2-3 days. Unmold, and cut into bars. Use the Crinkle Cutter to achieve the textured cut shown here. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Simple Coffee Soap Project
- LEVEL Beginner
- TIME 1 hour
- YIELD About 3 pounds of soap
Project Description
Coffee seed oil has a delicious aroma. This recipe uses only 3% of it, but that’s enough to give it a light color and coffee scent. The soap also contains used coffee grounds for exfoliation and coffee butter for extra moisture. Fresh grounds can bleed in soap, which is why used grounds are best. The liquid in this recipe is half distilled water and half brewed coffee.
All these amazing coffee ingredients give the bars enough color and scent without any fragrance oil or colorant. That being said, the scent is very light. If you want a stronger coffee scent, Espresso Fragrance Oil would be great in this recipe. It will lightly discolor the soap.
You will need:
- 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- 13.9 oz. Olive Oil (42%)
- 8.3 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 8.3 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
- 1.7 oz. Coffee Butter (5%)
- 1 oz. Coffee Oil (3%)
- 5 oz. Brewed Coffee
- 5 oz. Distilled Water
- 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 2 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds
- Whole Coffee Beans (for the top)
- Optional: Crinkle Cutter
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
COFFEE LYE PREP: Brew 7-8 ounces of coffee using distilled water. Some will evaporate, so you'll need to brew extra. The strength of the coffee is up to you - the stronger it is, the darker your soap will be.
Measure 5 ounces of coffee into a heat-safe container. Add 5 ounces of cold or room temperature distilled water to the coffee.
Follow these steps:
1
Once your liquid is room temperature or below, slowly add 4.6 ounces of sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken and smell quite unpleasant - this is normal! Luckily, the scent goes away in the final bars. Optional: When the lye is cool, add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate to harden the bars more quickly.
2
Fully melt and combine 8.3 ounces of coconut oil, 8.3 ounces of palm oil, 13.9 ounces of olive oil, 1.7 ounces of coffee butter, and 1 ounce of coffee oil. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until it’s at a thin trace.
3
Continue to stick blend the soap until you reach a medium trace. Medium trace is perfect for suspending the coffee grounds and creating texture on top.
4
Add 2 tablespoons of used coffee grounds to the soap and use a whisk to fully incorporate them.
5
Pour the soap into the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
6
Use a spoon to mound the soap in the center and create texture. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it!
7
Place coffee beans in the center of the soap down the length of the mold. Gently pressing the beans into the soap will help them stick better. Once you’re happy with the look, spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 2-3 days. Unmold, and cut into bars. Use the Crinkle Cutter to achieve the textured cut shown here. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman