Scrub Up With Your Favorite Cuppa – Vanilla Coffee Soap
Are you an enthusiastic coffee drinker? Or do you know someone who can’t start the day without a cup of coffee? Of course you do!
I don’t know what it is about those beans; it can’t be the taste if you ask me. I drink my coffee like I eat pie – with a glass of milk and sugar sprinkled on top.
But the aroma, oh the rich, deep aroma, and the quick burst of energy after, is something I can get enthusiastic about!
Here in the Midwest, where we have more cold months than hot, starting the day with a hot beverage in hand is a bit of a necessity. And when you live in the country, a drive to a coffee shop is many miles away.
So, great-tasting coffee is a treat I only encounter a few times a month. But I found a way to soak up all the comforts of a great cuppa with a homemade soap recipe for vanilla coffee soap, which anyone can make!
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How Do You Make Coffee Soap?
Incorporating coffee into soap is easier than you might think. In fact, all you need is three ingredients! How’s that for easy?
It starts with a melt and pour soap base that has already gone through the saponification process, which is much easier than working with active lye. If this is your first time making soap, make sure you check out the beginner’s guide, which explains the process of saponification and melt and pour soap bases.
I used a shea butter soap base for this soap recipe for an effortless layered effect. Unlike a goat milk soap base that allows ingredients to float to the top or have the look of being suspended in movement, ingredients typically sink to the bottom in shea butter melt and pour soap bases.
And that is precisely what I wanted to happen for this coffee soap recipe!
Related To: Beehive Goat Milk and Honey Soap Recipe
Can you put coffee grounds in soap?
You can see in the photo above the bottom of the soap has a rich, dark layer of coffee grounds. And individual coffee grounds are sparsely spread throughout. They add a pleasing layered decoration to the soap and give this homemade soap a warm latte color without any added soap coloring.
So, after making a pot of coffee, pour the grounds onto a towel and pat dry to prepare for use in soap. I love that the used coffee grounds add a handcrafted layered appearance, rich color and grasp the scent of freshly brewed coffee without the need for soap fragrance.
Plus, coffee grounds to soap has many benefits for the skin!
One thing to point out: according to the Soap Queen, used coffee grounds are best for both melt and pour soap and cold process soap alike. From what I understand, fresh coffee grounds can bleed through the soap. While bleeding doesn’t hurt soap like it does our bodies, it can skew your intended look for the soap.
Related To: Creative Homemade Soap Ideas
What is Coffee Soap Good For?
Homemade coffee soap is a treat for your skin and your nose. It’s great for all skin types, and any coffee will work in this quick soap recipe. Don’t miss the four gossip-worthy coffee soap benefits below!
Do you have normal, dry, mature, oily, or combination skin? Take our Skin Type Quiz now to discover yours!
4 Gossip Worthy Coffee Soap Benefits:
Truth be told, coffee soap benefits are quite numerous. Coffee can give your skin a good jolt, just like it does for you from your cup every morning.
Here are four reasons why adding coffee soap to your skincare routine is worth gossiping about or, who I’m kidding – bragging about!
1. Coffee is anti-inflammatory, which can help reduce water retention, making skin look less puffy and improving circulation. Both of which are good for reducing the appearance of cellulite or under-eye bags. And the natural caffeine found in coffee can be very soothing to the skin.
2. Packed full of antioxidants, coffee contains a great source of anti-aging nutrients for skincare, which is one reason why I use my DIY puffy eye cream.
3. Speaking of age-fighting abilities, coffee is also a natural astringent like witch hazel. Astringents tighten and firm skin.
4. Using coffee grounds in this soap recipe can create an exfoliating bath soap, like my popular pink grapefruit exfoliating soap. The coffee grounds provide gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells, revealing softer, smoother skin.
All together, nutrient-packed coffee and shea butter in this melt and pour soap recipe can rejuvenate your skin for a fresh, bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed appearance.
Vanilla Coffee Soap Recipe Ingredients:
1 lb shea butter melt and pour soap base
¼ cup used coffee grounds
30 drops coffee essential oil
(optional) 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract, substitute for 20 drops vanilla essential oil
How to Make Vanilla Coffee Soap:
1. Prepare a square silicone soap mold by cleaning, drying, and spritzing with rubbing alcohol. Then, carefully slice 1 pound of shea butter soap base into cubes approximately ½” to 1” in size using a soap knife.
2. Scoop the sliced shea butter soap base into a large glass measuring cup for safe melting and easy pouring. Place it in the microwave and melt the soap base in 30-second intervals, stirring intermittently to avoid burning.
3. Promptly remove the melted soap base from the microwave and add 30 drops of coffee essential oil and an optional 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract or 20 drops of vanilla essential oil. Stir together using a non-stick heat-resistant spatula. Then, add a ¼ cup of used coffee grounds to the soap mixture. Stir well to incorporate into soap.
4. Working quickly, pour the vanilla coffee soap into the prepared square silicone mold before the soap begins to harden. Carefully distribute evenly between 4 to 5 sections, avoiding overflow.
5. If needed, spritz with rubbing alcohol to remove bubbles in the soap. Allow coffee soap to cool in the mold for one to two hours or until solid before removing.
Vanilla Coffee Soap
Yield: 4 - 5 soap bars
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
This melt and pour soap recipe is a breeze to make with only three ingredients, perfect for soap making beginners.
Materials
- 1 lb shea butter melt and pour soap base
- ¼ cup used coffee grounds
- 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Tools
- square silicone soap mold
- soap knife
- large glass measuring cup
- non-stick heat resistant spatula
Instructions
- Prepare asquare silicone soap moldby cleaning, drying, and spritzing with rubbing alcohol. Then carefully slice 1 pound of shea butter soap base into cubes that are approximately ½” to 1” in size using asoap knife.
- Scoop the sliced shea butter soap base into a largeglass measuring cupfor safe melting and easy pouring. Place it in the microwave and melt the soap base in 30 seconds intervals, stirring intermittently to avoid burning.
- Promptly remove the melted soap base from the microwave and add 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Stir together using a non-stick heat resistantspatula. Then add a ¼ cup of used coffee grounds to the soap mixture. Stir well to incorporate into soap.
- Working quickly, pour the vanilla coffee soap into the prepared square silicone mold before the soap begins to harden. Carefully distribute evenly between 4 to 5 sections, avoiding overflow.
- If needed, spritz with rubbing alcohol to remove bubbles in the soap. Allow coffee soap to cool in the mold for one to two hours or until solid before removing.
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This melt and pour soap is a breeze to make with only three ingredients, perfect for soap-making beginners. Add the exfoliating and tightening benefits of coffee to your skincare routine. And don’t forget to give one to the coffee lovers in your life.
Pin this quick coffee soap recipe to make soon and tag #lifenreflection on Instagram to share your soap making adventures with us.
