Latte Cold Process Soap Project
This soap was inspired by the creamy layers of a latte. It's scented with Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil, which features notes of espresso, cream, and oats. It will be your new go-to coffee scent!
This soap also has coffee in place of distilled water. That makes it quite dark, so plenty of titianium dioxide is used to achieve a lighter shade in the top layer. It creates a lather with a faint white color - feel free to use less if you'd like to avoid this. Don’t worry about the lye overheating, because cofffee does not contain sugar. Once the lye has been added to the coffee, allow it to cool as normal.
Ground coffee gives these bars a scrubby feel. We recommend used coffee grounds so they don't bleed in the soap.
What You Need:
Tall 12 Silicone Loaf Mold
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Coconut Oil - 1 lb
Palm Oil - 1 lb
Coffee Seed Oil - 4 oz
Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil - 2 oz
Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
Brown Oxide Pigment - 1 oz
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Coconut Oil - 1 lb
- Palm Oil - 1 lb
- Coffee Seed Oil - 4 oz
- Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil - 2 oz
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Brown Oxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
EQUIPMENT:
- Tall 12 Silicone Loaf Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- Tall 12" Silicone Loaf Mold
- 12.3 oz. Olive Oil (35%)
- 10.5 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
- 10.5 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 1.8 oz. Coffee Seed Oil (5%)
- 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 11.3 oz. Brewed Coffee (or distilled water)
- 1.7 oz. Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment
- Brown Oxide Pigment
- 1 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds (from home)
- Whole Coffee Beans (for the top)
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 space. Always make soap in a well-ventilated area.
COFFEE LYE PREP: Brew 12-14 ounces of coffee using distilled water (the extra accounts for any lost during this process). The strength of the coffee is up to you. The stronger it is, the darker your soap will be. In this recipe, we used a normal strength, which resulted in a rich, dark color.
Measure out 11.3 ounces of coffee into a heat-safe container. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Slowly add the sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken in color and smell quite unpleasant. This is normal! Luckily, this odor is not detectable in the final bar. Set aside in a safe place to cool.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 3 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 3 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil or sunflower oil. In a separate container, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of brown oxide into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use the mini mixer to help break up any clumps. Set aside. Have 1 tablespoon of used coffee grounds and coffee beans nearby. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.7 ounces of Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil into a glass container. Set aside.
Follow these steps:
1
Measure and melt 12.3 ounces of olive oil, 10.5 ounces of coconut oil, 10.5 ounces of palm oil, and 1.8 ounces of coffee seed oil. Once the lye coffee solution and the oils have cooled to 110° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the coffee and lye mixture to the oils and stick blend until you have a very thin trace.
If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add about 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
2
Once you have a thin trace, whisk in 1 tablespoon of used coffee grounds.
3
Split the batter equally into four containers - each container will have about 400 mL each. Add the following amounts of dispersed colorant to each, and whisk in.
- Container A (400 mL): 1/4 teaspoon dispersed brown oxide
- Container B (400 mL): none
- Container C (400 mL): 2 teaspoons dispersed titanium dioxide
- Container D (400 mL): 2 tablespoons dispersed titanium dioxide
Once each color is mixed in, give each container a quick burst with the stick blender to help thorouhgly mix everything in. Adjust the colors as necessary to get the best ombre effect. This may be necessary because the coffee lye water will result in different colors of soap batter.
4
Add the Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil proportionately to each container of soap (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil. If the soap is still very thin, stick blend quickly to bring to a medium trace.
5
Pour all of the dark brown soap into the mold. Tap it down on the counter to get rid of bubbles and use a small spoon to spread the batter evenly. Create a textured top with the spoon.
6
Continue to pour each container of soap into the mold, from darkest to lightest. You can also use a spoon to plop the soap into the mold.
7
Once the lightest layer of soap has been poured into the mold, use a spoon to create a textured top. Once you're happy with the top, add coffee beans on top. We recommend placing the beans where you'd like the middle of each bar to be. This will make cutting the bars easier.
8
Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to avoid soda ash. Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 2-3 days.
9
Once unmolded, cut into bars. We recommend laying the soap on it's side to cut - this will prevent the titanium dioxide from dragging down into the darker layers. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Latte Cold Process Soap Project
- LEVEL Intermediate
- TIME 1 hour
- YIELD null
Project Description
This soap was inspired by the creamy layers of a latte. It's scented with Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil, which features notes of espresso, cream, and oats. It will be your new go-to coffee scent!
This soap also has coffee in place of distilled water. That makes it quite dark, so plenty of titianium dioxide is used to achieve a lighter shade in the top layer. It creates a lather with a faint white color - feel free to use less if you'd like to avoid this. Don’t worry about the lye overheating, because cofffee does not contain sugar. Once the lye has been added to the coffee, allow it to cool as normal.
Ground coffee gives these bars a scrubby feel. We recommend used coffee grounds so they don't bleed in the soap.
You will need:
- Tall 12" Silicone Loaf Mold
- 12.3 oz. Olive Oil (35%)
- 10.5 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
- 10.5 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 1.8 oz. Coffee Seed Oil (5%)
- 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 11.3 oz. Brewed Coffee (or distilled water)
- 1.7 oz. Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment
- Brown Oxide Pigment
- 1 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds (from home)
- Whole Coffee Beans (for the top)
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 space. Always make soap in a well-ventilated area.
COFFEE LYE PREP: Brew 12-14 ounces of coffee using distilled water (the extra accounts for any lost during this process). The strength of the coffee is up to you. The stronger it is, the darker your soap will be. In this recipe, we used a normal strength, which resulted in a rich, dark color.
Measure out 11.3 ounces of coffee into a heat-safe container. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Slowly add the sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken in color and smell quite unpleasant. This is normal! Luckily, this odor is not detectable in the final bar. Set aside in a safe place to cool.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 3 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 3 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil or sunflower oil. In a separate container, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of brown oxide into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use the mini mixer to help break up any clumps. Set aside. Have 1 tablespoon of used coffee grounds and coffee beans nearby. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.7 ounces of Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil into a glass container. Set aside.
Follow these steps:
1
Measure and melt 12.3 ounces of olive oil, 10.5 ounces of coconut oil, 10.5 ounces of palm oil, and 1.8 ounces of coffee seed oil. Once the lye coffee solution and the oils have cooled to 110° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the coffee and lye mixture to the oils and stick blend until you have a very thin trace.
If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add about 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
2
Once you have a thin trace, whisk in 1 tablespoon of used coffee grounds.
3
Split the batter equally into four containers - each container will have about 400 mL each. Add the following amounts of dispersed colorant to each, and whisk in.
- Container A (400 mL): 1/4 teaspoon dispersed brown oxide
- Container B (400 mL): none
- Container C (400 mL): 2 teaspoons dispersed titanium dioxide
- Container D (400 mL): 2 tablespoons dispersed titanium dioxide
Once each color is mixed in, give each container a quick burst with the stick blender to help thorouhgly mix everything in. Adjust the colors as necessary to get the best ombre effect. This may be necessary because the coffee lye water will result in different colors of soap batter.
4
Add the Caffe Latte Fragrance Oil proportionately to each container of soap (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil. If the soap is still very thin, stick blend quickly to bring to a medium trace.
5
Pour all of the dark brown soap into the mold. Tap it down on the counter to get rid of bubbles and use a small spoon to spread the batter evenly. Create a textured top with the spoon.
6
Continue to pour each container of soap into the mold, from darkest to lightest. You can also use a spoon to plop the soap into the mold.
7
Once the lightest layer of soap has been poured into the mold, use a spoon to create a textured top. Once you're happy with the top, add coffee beans on top. We recommend placing the beans where you'd like the middle of each bar to be. This will make cutting the bars easier.
8
Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to avoid soda ash. Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 2-3 days.
9
Once unmolded, cut into bars. We recommend laying the soap on it's side to cut - this will prevent the titanium dioxide from dragging down into the darker layers. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman