# How Much Cocoa Butter



## MissE (Oct 21, 2017)

Hi guys, I haven't yet figured my recipe but I'm considering it. So I want to know how much cocoa butter (in percentage) I can use in a recipe to retain the chocolate scent and not have any other problems (also, what are some problems to consider).

Thanks!


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2017)

The chocolate scent doesn't survive in soap. Some people say it lingers faintly for a while, but it doesn't last. If you want a lasting and definite chocolate scent in your soap, you should consider using a chocolate fragrance oil. 

I think most people most of the time use cocoa butter at 5% to 20% of the total fats.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Oct 21, 2017)

I don't use it myself, but from reading here some people tried 30% and found that the lather was reduced, so like DeeAnna I would suggest lower than that. 

Maybe make some smaller batches with 5, 10, and 20% to get a feel for each and narrow your range for trying more. For example, if 10 isn't enough and 20 is too much for your particular recipe, you could try 15 and see. But you'd have some great markers to work from


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## MissE (Oct 21, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> The chocolate scent doesn't survive in soap. Some people say it lingers faintly for a while, but it doesn't last. If you want a lasting and definite chocolate scent in your soap, you should consider using a chocolate fragrance oil.
> 
> I think most people most of the time use cocoa butter at 5% to 20% of the total fats.



Thanks DeeAnna, I was rather more hopeful about the scent 
I'll also see about the 20%, I wonder do I have to use more soft oils with it or any such consideration for a good bar of soap?


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## dibbles (Oct 21, 2017)

I made an unscented soap with natural cocoa butter a couple of weeks ago. It smelled like brownies baking overnight while it was gelling and cooling down. It had a decent chocolate smell for a few days, but is fading and now there is just a faint chocolate smell. I suspect the smell will be gone by, or shortly after, the bars are fully cured. I used 10%.


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2017)

I can't answer that question -- I hope someone who uses cocoa butter more than I do will help you out.


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## MissE (Oct 21, 2017)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I don't use it myself, but from reading here some people tried 30% and found that the lather was reduced, so like DeeAnna I would suggest lower than that.
> 
> Maybe make some smaller batches with 5, 10, and 20% to get a feel for each and narrow your range for trying more. For example, if 10 isn't enough and 20 is too much for your particular recipe, you could try 15 and see. But you'd have some great markers to work from




I'll definitely listen to your wisdom and I'll try variations. I'll do it in the range of 20 and maybe up to 30 just to see, before going right down if need be. Just because I want to see how much scent is possible to be retained without an FO and I'm thinking the more the coco butter the better the retention. I can do up the lather with sugar and/or SL


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## Obsidian (Oct 21, 2017)

I've used it at 20% before and it was ok, think it would have been better at 15%. The scent lingered for a couple weeks but it was very faint.


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## MissE (Oct 21, 2017)

dibbles said:


> I made an unscented soap with natural cocoa butter a couple of weeks ago. It smelled like brownies baking overnight while it was gelling and cooling down. It had a decent chocolate smell for a few days, but is fading and now there is just a faint chocolate smell. I suspect the smell will be gone by, or shortly after, the bars are fully cured. I used 10%.



Thanks, dibbles, I hope I can check with you in another couple of weeks?


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## MissE (Oct 21, 2017)

Obsidian said:


> I've used it at 20% before and it was ok, think it would have been better at 15%. The scent lingered for a couple weeks but it was very faint.



Thanks, Obsidian, that helps me out.


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## HowieRoll (Oct 21, 2017)

In January 2017 I made an unscented batch using this cocoa butter from New Directons (the pure prime pressed -crude one).  It's unrefined, and smells very, very cocoa-y.  The recipe I came up with was:

45% Olive Oil
20% Cocoa Butter
20% Coconut Oil
10% Avocado Oil
5% Castor Oil

5% ppo sugar
40% lye concentration
5% superfat

I really like the soap.  It lathers well (at least with our water) and retained the cocoa scent for quite some time (months and months, it seemed, although, as expected, it did fade somewhat.  But in the shower it comes back some).  I also tried an experiment where I put a couple cured bars into a container with unused, dry coffee grounds for a month or so and, to my nose, it brought out the cocoa smell even more.  A friend of mine especially loves this soap.  Now that I think of it, I need to make more!


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## Arimara (Oct 21, 2017)

I might have to try Howie's recipe some time. I also use 20% cocoa butter in s recipe I modified from Anne Watson. It's still one of my personal favorites.


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## SaltedFig (Oct 21, 2017)

I did a quick check of some my recipes with cocoa, and I tend to use it mostly around 5% to 10%. The cocoa butter scent is nice but does fade. The only time I can still smell chocolate after 6 months is if I've added other ingredients to boost the chocolate, like cocoa powder.


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## dibbles (Oct 21, 2017)

MissE said:


> Thanks, dibbles, I hope I can check with you in another couple of weeks?



Sure!


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## Zany_in_CO (Oct 21, 2017)

David Fisher (The Spruce) has a tried and true Double Butter recipe (13% cocoa & 12% shea) where he explains the need to bump the coconut oil (35%) and add castor (5%) to offset the stingy lather of butters in soap recipes. 

He does an in-the-pot swirl which is optional, but you might want to try it with an ounce of chocolate chips (?) (deduct an ounce from CB or shea) tossed in. Just one quick swirl with a spoon for a better effect, then pour. Be sure to run the recipe through a calculator before making it.  Here's a link:

https://www.thespruce.com/double-butter-soap-recipe-516610

HTH   :bunny:​


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## MissE (Oct 22, 2017)

HowieRoll said:


> In January 2017 I made an unscented batch using this cocoa butter from New Directons (the pure prime pressed -crude one). It's unrefined, and smells very, very cocoa-y. The recipe I came up with was:
> 
> 45% Olive Oil
> 20% Cocoa Butter
> ...


 
I do believe I'm going to abandon my search for a recipe and try yours! Thanks so much! 

Just to clarify, is 40% lye concentration your usual or is it particular to this recipe? I usually do 33%.



SaltedFig said:


> I did a quick check of some my recipes with cocoa, and I tend to use it mostly around 5% to 10%. The cocoa butter scent is nice but does fade. The only time I can still smell chocolate after 6 months is if I've added other ingredients to boost the chocolate, like cocoa powder.


 
Yes, cocoa powder! Thanks!



Zany_in_CO said:


> David Fisher (The Spruce) has a tried and true Double Butter recipe (13% cocoa & 12% shea) where he explains the need to bump the coconut oil (35%) and add castor (5%) to offset the stingy lather of butters in soap recipes.
> 
> He does an in-the-pot swirl which is optional, but you might want to try it with an ounce of chocolate chips (?) (deduct an ounce from CB or shea) tossed in. Just one quick swirl with a spoon for a better effect, then pour. Be sure to run the recipe through a calculator before making it. Here's a link:
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for the tips and link.


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## HowieRoll (Oct 22, 2017)

MissE said:


> I do believe I'm going to abandon my search for a recipe and try yours! Thanks so much!
> 
> Just to clarify, is 40% lye concentration your usual or is it particular to this recipe? I usually do 33%.



I generally use a 38-40% lye concentration, as it seems to work well with my recipes and give me fluid batter for doing designs.  My notes from this batch read:  "batter stayed very fluid.  Almost too much.  Poured brown {note: I had added brown iron oxide to part of it} into mold and it looked too runny, so I dumped it back into bowl and SB to thin trace...  Next time use thicker batter (for the design I was attempting)."

You may want to play around with the recipe, and maybe try upping the coconut oil by 5% and decreasing the olive oil by 5% (along the vein of what Zany suggests), although some people's skin does not like a lot of coconut oil.  It doesn't bother me, so I  may try doing that next time just to see if there is a marked difference.  

Happy soaping!


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## MissE (Oct 22, 2017)

Thanks, HowieRoll!


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## Brik (Oct 23, 2017)

I'm pretty new with soap making, too, so I'm curious. Would the scent last longer if you reserved some as your superfat and hot processed, adding it in after the cook?


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## Millie (Oct 23, 2017)

I have a 50% cocoa butter soap a year and a half old. The scent was never very strong - maybe about the strength of a fully cured citrus EO soap. Except it smelled just like chocolate cake! The scent of the dry soap is almost gone at this point, but I tried it last night and the scent came back in the shower. I was very pleased with the strength of the lather, although it has an unusual character. In the first few months it was very dry and fluffy, and made me think of egg whites whipped into stiff peaks. Six or so months in it was like whipped cream. Currently it has the most dense, lotion-like lather I've ever experienced. The lather through all stages has been amazingly abundant. Happy to pass along my recipe if you are still looking to experiment, although if I ever make a high cocoa butter soap again I have a few changes in mind.

ETA: It kind of reminded me of a shaving soap last night. I passed my hands over the bar, filled my hands with lotiony lather (um, somewhere between lotion and toothpaste), set the bar down, rubbed my hands, et voila: perfect looking shaving cream lather. Songwind would be jealous  

Ok, one last thought: Chocolate Orange Patchouli scent. Next time.


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## SunRiseArts (Oct 24, 2017)

I love cocoa butter in my HP soaps. I use it at only 7% though. My soap bubbles nicely, and is so luscious. I love coconut oil in my soaps, I understand people like it at lesser values, but here is my recipe if you would like to try it:

Castor 6%
Cocoa butter 7%
Coconut Oil 20%
Lard OR palm oil 40 %
Olive 20%
Rice bran OR avocado oil 7%


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## bathgeek (Oct 24, 2017)

Millie said:


> I have a 50% cocoa butter soap a year and a half old. The scent was never very strong - maybe about the strength of a fully cured citrus EO soap. Except it smelled just like chocolate cake! The scent of the dry soap is almost gone at this point, but I tried it last night and the scent came back in the shower. I was very pleased with the strength of the lather, although it has an unusual character. In the first few months it was very dry and fluffy, and made me think of egg whites whipped into stiff peaks. Six or so months in it was like whipped cream. Currently it has the most dense, lotion-like lather I've ever experienced. The lather through all stages has been amazingly abundant. Happy to pass along my recipe if you are still looking to experiment, although if I ever make a high cocoa butter soap again I have a few changes in mind.




I’d love the recipe! Including changes... ^_~


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## earlene (Oct 24, 2017)

I have made soap with only cocoa butter and really liked the feel of that soap, as well as the lingering cocoa butter scent.  I'm not home right now to check the current level of cocoa butter fragrance (I did not add any fragrance to the soap) now that it is about 18 or so months old, but it did retain the fragrance of the oil for longer than I expected.  It was one of my single oil soaps, of which I made several for testing purposes.


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## MissE (Oct 24, 2017)

Millie said:


> I have a 50% cocoa butter soap a year and a half old. The scent was never very strong - maybe about the strength of a fully cured citrus EO soap. Except it smelled just like chocolate cake! The scent of the dry soap is almost gone at this point, but I tried it last night and the scent came back in the shower. I was very pleased with the strength of the lather, although it has an unusual character. In the first few months it was very dry and fluffy, and made me think of egg whites whipped into stiff peaks. Six or so months in it was like whipped cream. Currently it has the most dense, lotion-like lather I've ever experienced. The lather through all stages has been amazingly abundant. Happy to pass along my recipe if you are still looking to experiment, although if I ever make a high cocoa butter soap again I have a few changes in mind.
> 
> ETA: It kind of reminded me of a shaving soap last night. I passed my hands over the bar, filled my hands with lotiony lather (um, somewhere between lotion and toothpaste), set the bar down, rubbed my hands, et voila: perfect looking shaving cream lather. Songwind would be jealous
> 
> Ok, one last thought: Chocolate Orange Patchouli scent. Next time.



Sounds like it's all great! Please do post the recipe (and the changes, too?)  Thanks!


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## MissE (Oct 24, 2017)

SunRiseArts said:


> I love cocoa butter in my HP soaps. I use it at only 7% though. My soap bubbles nicely, and is so luscious. I love coconut oil in my soaps, I understand people like it at lesser values, but here is my recipe if you would like to try it:
> 
> Castor 6%
> Cocoa butter 7%
> ...




I'm planning wee little sample soaps from some of the recipes so graciously shared here and should be adding yours to it. Thanks, SunRiseArts.


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## MissE (Oct 24, 2017)

earlene said:


> I have made soap with only cocoa butter and really liked the feel of that soap, as well as the lingering cocoa butter scent.  I'm not home right now to check the current level of cocoa butter fragrance (I did not add any fragrance to the soap) now that it is about 18 or so months old, but it did retain the fragrance of the oil for longer than I expected.  It was one of my single oil soaps, of which I made several for testing purposes.



Please keep us posted when you are able to get a whiff of it, thanks


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## dixiedragon (Oct 24, 2017)

But the scent does last in lip balm and lotion bars!


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## MissE (Oct 24, 2017)

dixiedragon said:


> But the scent does last in lip balm and lotion bars!



I imagine it does since there is no lye to attack it! Must be difficult to keep from licking your lips and limbs!


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## Millie (Oct 24, 2017)

I'll post it, just gotta eat a late breakfast then I'll hunt that recipe down. I'm off today with the house to myself. All I'm going to do is read the forum and make soap 

Earlene, glad you are back to the forum safe and sound. When you have the time, I'd love to hear more about your 100% cocoa butter soap. (And how you made it out of the fires, I love reading about your adventures. That story deserves it's own thread).


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## Millie (Oct 24, 2017)

Alrighty, after much self-made ado, cue the trumpets. Here it is:

50% Cocoa Butter
30% Coconut Oil
14% Olive Oil pomace
5% Castor Oil
1% Jojoba
SF: 4%
To a 26.5 oz batch:
1/2 tsp powdered coconut milk
3/4 tsp kaolin clay
1/8 tsp TiO2

Why the weird additive amounts? It was early in my soaping days and I was aiming for an all natural soap for my vegan palm free friends. I separated the batter and tried to make a small portion a lighter shade for a subtle swirl. Kaolin clay just added a gray tint without lightening the tan batter. I had read that coconut milk could lighten the soap, but it didn't seem to make a difference at that low rate and I didn't want to mess with the superfat too much. I cheated with some mineral pigment. By that time my additive portion was getting too thick for swirling, so I mixed it in with the rest. The bars came out a lovely creamy off white. The additives, though scant, may have contributed to the lather.

Things I would change for next time: 
1. Lower the coconut oil! Even though I still like 30% in many recipes, it wasn't necessary for this one. It is the only soap I have ever used in my hard water and thought, 'this is too much lather!'

2. Lower the cocoa butter to 40% - I still want the scent, but would like a little wiggle room to balance out the recipe. I think between the castor and jojoba oils, the cocoa butter lather was well suspended and contributed quite a bit to the overabundant lather.

To balance the recipe, your guess is as good as mine. I know I would like to raise the liquid oil percentage a tad. 

Scenting time: I think the scent strength was a little stronger than I wrote in my first post, because I remember my mom sniffing soaps around three months into the cure. She couldn't smell the lemon + litsea soap at all (split evenly for a total 1oz ppo) but she immediately identified the chocolate notes in the cocoa butter soap. I think the scent went through a brief odd phase in the first month when it smelled like all natural doggie biscuits I liked to munch on as a little kid 

For next time I would add folded orange and light patchouli EOs. I think they would be killer with the chocolate cake scent.


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## HowieRoll (Oct 24, 2017)

Millie said:


> I have a 50% cocoa butter soap a year and a half old. The scent was never very strong - maybe about the strength of a fully cured citrus EO soap. Except it smelled just like chocolate cake! The scent of the dry soap is almost gone at this point, but I tried it last night and the scent came back in the shower. I was very pleased with the strength of the lather, although it has an unusual character. In the first few months it was very dry and fluffy, and made me think of egg whites whipped into stiff peaks. Six or so months in it was like whipped cream. Currently it has the most dense, lotion-like lather I've ever experienced. The lather through all stages has been amazingly abundant. Happy to pass along my recipe if you are still looking to experiment, although if I ever make a high cocoa butter soap again I have a few changes in mind.
> 
> ETA: It kind of reminded me of a shaving soap last night. I passed my hands over the bar, filled my hands with lotiony lather (um, somewhere between lotion and toothpaste), set the bar down, rubbed my hands, et voila: perfect looking shaving cream lather. Songwind would be jealous



Millie, thank you for sharing your experience because yesterday I busted out a bar from the batch I'd made (outlined on post #11 of this thread) and was knocked over with (and reminded of) how much lather there was.  I mean, I barely had to run my hand over it and it was foaming up, left and right!  It had been a while since I'd used this soap, and am now kicking myself for not ordering more of that cocoa butter from ND in my recent order.  The soap is also hard as a rock, and could be used as a weapon!  

But I'm glad to hear you have had the same insane lather experience, and with a much high percentage of cocoa butter (thanks for sharing your recipe)!  

As for the smell, I had stored this bar with some mint soaps so there was a a peppermint aroma, and a definite underlying nutty smell.  It was tough to know if the nuttiness would be more cocoa-like without the peppermint in the way, but all in all it was very pleasant, nonetheless.


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## Millie (Oct 24, 2017)

HowieRoll said:


> Millie, thank you for sharing your experience because yesterday I busted out a bar from the batch I'd made (outlined on post #11 of this thread) and was knocked over with (and reminded of) how much lather there was.  I mean, I barely had to run my hand over it and it was foaming up, left and right!  It had been a while since I'd used this soap, and am now kicking myself for not ordering more of that cocoa butter from ND in my recent order.  The soap is also hard as a rock, and could be used as a weapon!
> 
> But I'm glad to hear you have had the same insane lather experience, and with a much high percentage of cocoa butter (thanks for sharing your recipe)!
> 
> As for the smell, I had stored this bar with some mint soaps so there was a a peppermint aroma, and a definite underlying nutty smell.  It was tough to know if the nuttiness would be more cocoa-like without the peppermint in the way, but all in all it was very pleasant, nonetheless.



Hurray, I'm not crazy after all! They lather like crazy.

It's funny, my cocoa butter soaps also took on a hint of peppermint scent from another batch, although I didn't notice that coming through in the shower. Peppermint would be great in this soap.

One other thing I would try next time around is to keep temps as low as possible when melting the cocoa butter, in the hopes to keep that rich, raw dark chocolate scent (it gets cakey with heat). I don't know if that is possible, but if anyone is still planning a high cocoa butter soap, let us know how it goes!


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## Arimara (Oct 24, 2017)

Thanks, Millie. Now I have two recipes to try. I just lack the coco butter right now.


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## MissE (Oct 25, 2017)

Millie said:


> Alrighty, after much self-made ado, cue the trumpets. Here it is:
> 
> 50% Cocoa Butter
> 30% Coconut Oil
> ...


 

Good to know that high percentages of CB works! Millie, you are my new favorite doggie-biscuit-munching-sud-making person! Thanks for sharing your recipe and your experience. 



HowieRoll said:


> Millie, thank you for sharing your experience because yesterday I busted out a bar from the batch I'd made (outlined on post #11 of this thread) and was knocked over with (and reminded of) how much lather there was. I mean, I barely had to run my hand over it and it was foaming up, left and right! It had been a while since I'd used this soap, and am now kicking myself for not ordering more of that cocoa butter from ND in my recent order. The soap is also hard as a rock, and could be used as a weapon!
> 
> But I'm glad to hear you have had the same insane lather experience, and with a much high percentage of cocoa butter (thanks for sharing your recipe)!
> 
> As for the smell, I had stored this bar with some mint soaps so there was a a peppermint aroma, and a definite underlying nutty smell. It was tough to know if the nuttiness would be more cocoa-like without the peppermint in the way, but all in all it was very pleasant, nonetheless.


 

I like that CB soap has so much character and is so consistent (as your experience corroborates Millie's). I think its also safe to say that it needs to be stored separately from other scented soaps if the intention is not to let it soak up that scent. And, I guess if one wanted that to happen it could be done, and peppermint would be an awesome tinge to add. Thanks a lot, HowieRoll!


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## Arimara (Oct 25, 2017)

MissE said:


> I like that CB soap has so much character and is so consistent (as your experience corroborates Millie's). *I think its also safe to say that it needs to be stored separately from other scented soaps if the intention is not to let it soak up that scent. *And, I guess if one wanted that to happen it could be done, and peppermint would be an awesome tinge to add. Thanks a lot, HowieRoll!



This is true for any soap. :cry:


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## MissE (Oct 25, 2017)

Arimara said:


> This is true for any soap. :cry:


 
Is that so! I learn every day, thanks!

Oh, and I don't know how I got the idea into my head, but is cocoa butter skin-drying in soap?


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## Arimara (Oct 25, 2017)

MissE said:


> Is that so! I learn every day, thanks!



Sadly yes. Strangely, during cure, soaps don't absorb scents too much but after cure... That becomes a whole other ball game. AT least from my experience. I'm still learning.


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## Millie (Oct 25, 2017)

MissE said:


> Oh, and I don't know how I got the idea into my head, but is cocoa butter skin-drying in soap?



I put cocoa butter into soapcalc and it doesn't report any of the typically drying fatty acids (lauric and myristic). Some people find olive oil soap drying though, while others make it for it's mildness, so it's a little subjective. The cocoa butter bars I made seemed a tad more drying than a typical soap when I used it with a minimum cure, but I didn't find them drying after that. 

Happy to report that now the bar is in use, the whipped cream fluffiness is coming back! It is sooo luxurious. All this is subjective too, so I hope I'm leading you in the right direction. Be honest with your findings. I can't wait to find out how it goes for you!


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## MissE (Oct 26, 2017)

earlene said:


> I have made soap with only cocoa butter and really liked the feel of that soap, as well as the lingering cocoa butter scent. I'm not home right now to check the current level of cocoa butter fragrance (I did not add any fragrance to the soap) now that it is about 18 or so months old, but it did retain the fragrance of the oil for longer than I expected. It was one of my single oil soaps, of which I made several for testing purposes.


 
:bunny:
Hello! Not to trouble you too much (maybe just a lil  ) but I just was thinking a lot about your 100% Cocoa Butter recipe and so I checked it in soapcalc's lye calculator. Well, cleansing is "0" and lather "0" and now I'm even more eager to hear all about your Cocoa Butter soap! What really is it, is it like a bar of very hard, non-lathering, really chocolatey-smelling piece of washing rock?

Oh, please tell!



Millie said:


> I put cocoa butter into soapcalc and it doesn't report any of the typically drying fatty acids (lauric and myristic). Some people find olive oil soap drying though, while others make it for it's mildness, so it's a little subjective. The cocoa butter bars I made seemed a tad more drying than a typical soap when I used it with a minimum cure, but I didn't find them drying after that.
> 
> Happy to report that now the bar is in use, the whipped cream fluffiness is coming back! It is sooo luxurious. All this is subjective too, so I hope I'm leading you in the right direction. Be honest with your findings. I can't wait to find out how it goes for you!


 
Thanks, Millie, I'm making one test batch today, so ho-ho!


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## MissE (Oct 27, 2017)

Happy to report that I've made soap based on HowieRoll's Recipe at #11!


What I did different:

I  didn't have avocado oil at hand and didn't want to fuss since the  object of my test batch was to figure out the scent without an fo. To  enhance the scent, I added the avocado oil amount to the *cocoa butter (30%)*.  If my test batch falls too short in terms of performance, I will be  willing to add back the avocado oil, of course). Also, following his  advice at #19, I dropped my *olive oil (40%) *down and upped my *coconut oil (25%)*; the courage to do that high coconut oil amount came from Zany_in_Co's advice at #35. I left my *castor oil (5%)* amount alone.

What I added:

I  decided to divide my batch into three: I added cocoa powder to one,  cocoa powder and finely ground coffee to the other, and left the last  one without any additives.

What I'll do differently next time:

I  stayed with my 33% lye solution, just because in my own experience I am  always rushing against soap thickening/tracing on me and I rather hoped  that going by HowerRoll's notes about the runny consistency of his  recipe, it would just buy me a little more time with mixing in my  additives. Big mistake. My barter was running everywhere and I just  couldn't get it to trace! At this point I was praying for even a false  trace so I could sb it thoroughly and at least have everything suspended  without the oils separating. Anyway, it finally did show signs of a  trace and I triumphantly poured them. Phew! If anyone else is interested  in trying this, please do go with the 40%, and you are welcome! 

The Result:

I  am yet to test this soap in the shower to observe how it lathers and so  on, but as per the scent fresh out of the mold, I'm a little  disappointed that I didn't quite get the chocolatey smell I wanted. The  smell was more markedly that of cocoa. I used raw cocoa butter, by the  way. But if I must pick one, I'd say the scent came through best in the  cocoa powder-coffee soap. The one with only cocoa powder barely had the  cocoa scent. And the one without any additives just had no discernible  cocoa/chocolate scent.

#soaptestdone!


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## HowieRoll (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks for the report, MissE, and look forward to hearing your opinions on it after it cures!


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## cherrycoke216 (Oct 30, 2017)

I thought Howie Roll is a girl. At least the way he/she descdibe things…
anyway, this is a great thread, and now I have to make more experiment soap.


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## HowieRoll (Oct 30, 2017)

Yes, I am a girl but I can see why there is confusion!  I picked my user name based on the name my husband and I use for our travel blog (we often say 'that's how we roll'), but would probably do things differently if I had to do it over again.    To help alleviate confusion, I've added my name as a signature but either way, it's no biggie to me!


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## Arimara (Oct 30, 2017)

I would not throw in the towel yet. It's early in the game. Test the soaps for the next few weeks and report any changes.


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## bathgeek (Oct 30, 2017)

I'd be VERY interested to see how this turns out too.  MissE, we are eagerly awaiting the results, but don't rush the cure just because we're impatient... ^_~


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## Zany_in_CO (Oct 31, 2017)

howieroll said:


> 'that's how we roll'


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## MissE (Oct 31, 2017)

cherrycoke216, you so much more perceptive than I am! Will be good to be able to give HowieRoll the right pronoun from now on 

Arimara, bathgeek, will do!


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## Millie (Dec 1, 2017)

MissE said:


> Happy to report that I've made soap based on HowieRoll's Recipe at #11!
> 
> 
> What I did different:
> ...



I'm curious about how these soaps are doing.... :angel:


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## MissE (Dec 2, 2017)

Hi Millie, thanks for the reminder to post an update. At a little over four weeks, I would say the soap turned out great. The lather is a bit dense but abundant. I love the way it leaves my skin feeling really soft, so much so I think I'm going to use butters a lot more in my recipes. The scent didn't turn out so great, but overall I will definitely return to this recipe!


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## Millie (Dec 2, 2017)

Thanks for taking the time to share your results!


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## HowieRoll (Dec 3, 2017)

Thanks for the update, MissE!  

(and thanks for asking, Millie - the other day I found myself wondering about it, too!)


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## MissE (Dec 3, 2017)

You are very welcome!


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## lsg (Dec 4, 2017)

I don't use over 15% cocoa butter and that works for me.


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