It's been a while since the last time l posted something related to soap making. However I've been busy lately, working with cocoa and its properties and I thought that it would be a nice idea to add cocoa powder into melt and pour soap as well.
Today we are going to make a 2 layered soap with a little touch of swirling on top, scented by organic chocolate extract. The reason I added this extract is because the soap bases themselves already have a natural chocolatey fragrance due to their cocoa butter content. Of course you can use another cosmetic fragrance that matches, for example, orange f.o.
If you use a fragrance oil that contains vanilla or cinnamon scents, it is necessary to use Vanilla Color Stabiliser, which will be added to the white soap base only. The reason we use it is because such fragrances usually discolor soaps.
Coco Choco m&p Soap
(yields 10 soaps)
1st layer:
1 kg | 35 oz african black m&p soap base
20 g | 0.71 oz fragrance oil
10 g | 0.35 oz coconut sugar
10 g | 0.35 oz cocoa powder
2nd layer:
300 g | 11 oz triple butter m&p soap base
6 g | 0.21 oz fragrance oil
6 g | 0.21 oz vanilla colour stabiliser
3 g | 0.11 oz coconut sugar
tools:
silicon cake cold
cutting board
knife
3 beakers 500 mL each
electronic thermometer
high accuracy digital scale
2 stainless steel whiskers
spray bottle with rubbing alcohol
- Before you start making the soap, sanitise tools, containers and work surface. Wear your gloves. If you are a beginner, it will be helpful for you to read here, how we make soap using the m&p method.
- Weigh the soap bases, cut them into cubes and leave them aside.
- 1st layer: Use the 2 beakers and pour the african soap base cubes into them (500 g | 17 oz of soap in every beaker). Place the soap in the microwave and melt for 10 seconds. Stir and melt for 10 seconds again. Repeat the process until your soap is completely melted. This technique prevents the soap from scorching. Once the soap has completely melted, check the temperature and add the fragrance oil to 60 degrees Celsius. Stir well and add the coconut sugar and the cocoa powder. Mix again. Hold aside 100 g | 3.5 oz from the melted soap in order to use it for swirling.
- Spay with rubbing alcohol into the soap and into your mold also. Pour the soap into the mold and spray again in order to remove the bubbles. Allow the soap to cool and harden.
- 2nd layer: Follow the same procedure to melt the soap. Once it melts, hold aside 50 g | 1.7 oz, to use it in the end. Add the vanilla color stabilizer and the fragrance. Stir thoroughly and spray with alcohol.
- Check if the 1st layer has hardened. If not, place the mold in the refrigerator for a few minutes. When the temperature of the 2nd layered soap reaches 60 degrees Celsius, sprinkle the surface of the soap into the mold with alcohol and then pour the 2nd layer. Spray again with alcohol and now the party begins, we need to be very careful.
- After the 2nd layer has cooled (not completely), grave it with a chop stick as you prefer. You will notice that the soap is thickened on the surface; under the surface is still liquid, so don’ t be afraid if it overflows. Spray with alcohol into the mold and pour the rest of the black soap you’ve left aside (when the temperature is at 55 degrees Celsius). Spray it with alcohol again and let the soap to harden.
- Use a pipette and pour into the mold the rest of the white soap base you have held aside.
- Alternatively, you can simply pour some cocoa powder through a sieve to decorate the top of the soap.
- Once the soap cools down, unmold and wrap it in cling film (plastic wrap) in order to maintain its scent and moisture.
