Cocoa Butter

[softandsmooth]

Hi, I'd like to use Cocoa Butter in my next recipe, but I don't know what it looks like or where I would start looking for it to buy. Is it in grocery stores or drug stores? Health stores? Is it kept refridgerated? Is it packaged in a bottle? Are there certain brands? What should I be looking for on my hunt for it? (I'm hoping I can find it locally rather than online) Thank you.

 

[Dragonkaz]

I buy mine from a soap supplier online, or on ebay. It comes in a plastic bag and doesn't need to be kept in the fridge.

 

[carebear]

Sometimes you can find it in small quantities in the ethnic skin or hair care section of the drug or grocery store. It should be hard and white - be sure it is 100% cocoa butter.

 

[holly99]

When I first started, I could find it at Whole Foods/health food stores. Economically, it's much better to order it from an online supplier.

I LOVE the wafers from Mountain Rose Herbs. It's a little bit more expensive but so easy to use. No chipping away at cocoa butter for hours. Or having to melt the whole thing etc. Just my personal opinion.

 

[IrishLass]

Before I started buying it in bulk online, I used to get it at Sunflower Market. They had it for cheaper than Wholefoods. It was the natural, unrefined kind.

IrishLass

 

[LauraHoosier]

Sometimes you can find it at larger hobby stores along with shea.

 

[softandsmooth]

I'm back from my hunt, and I found some Cocoa Butter downtown! After searching at the grocery stores and a large drug mart chain, I headed downtown, first to an Asian food store (no luck), then to one of those small health/natural food stores packed with goods you don't see in the large chains. It's just a small bottle, 7 ounces (207 ML), under the brand name "Now Solutions" and it is 100% pure. It also cost $9. It is marketed as a multi-purpose moisturizer, meant to dab all over your body. It's hard and looks very much like palm oil (though likely harder). (Bottles of Shea butter were right beside it on the shelf.)

I normally make my soap with Olive, Palm, and Coconut oil, but when I went to order palm oil from a source in Ontario, the shipping was going to cost more than the oil. So it was a good chance to try something new. I'm going to try 65% Olive, 20% Coconut, 10% Cocoa Butter, and 5% Castor Oil in a 2.4 pound recipe. That'll be nice for a change!

I checked my online source for supplies for the price I would pay and it wouldn't be that much cheaper with the $15 shipping charge.

Thanks for steering me in the right direction!

 

[carebear]

cool - glad you found it! have fun!

for smaller portions, it's often almost cost effective to buy locally. when you get to the point of purchasing 10# blocks then purchasing online becomes more economical!

 

[tryanything]

I get the same stuff. I use the shea butter in almost all of the recipies I've made so far. I would like to buy in bulk to save some money but Soaper's Choice sells it in 10lb batches. I don't make that much soap. So I've been buying the local stuff and trying to make the most of it. Glad you found some.

 

[carebear]

perhaps it's time to look into doing small cocoa butter and shea butter co-ops. with today's flat rate boxes or even flat rate envelopes it could be cost effective.

I don't think I can handle it, but it's an option.

 

[carolyntn]

That is the exact kind I use for making my face cream. I also use their shea butter as well. I have always been satisfied with the product.
Happy Soaping!

 

[NancyRogers]

For smaller quantities, I find TKB Trading has a good price. You might check it out.

www.tkbtrading.com

 

[softandsmooth]

I forgot to mention that at the asian food store I visited they had a product called Ghee, and it had a picture of a cow on it, made from cows milk if I remember correctly. I was tempted to try that, but when I checked that out on the board here, no one had anything good to say about Ghee made from milk. Maybe I'll try that another time since it is available locally.

 

[adoptapitbull]

What percentages work well for cocoa butter? I always kept it low at about 5% and haven't noticed anything special about it. Kinda ticked because I bought 5lbs!

Any tips or tricks with it?

 

[MsSharLee]

What percentages work well for cocoa butter? I always kept it low at about 5% and haven't noticed anything special about it. Kinda ticked because I bought 5lbs!

Any tips or tricks with it?

I use 35% cocoa butter in my soap and I get a lot of requests for it. Most of the ladies I sell it to use if for their face.

 

[Guest]

I've read somewhere that if you use too much (over 15%), the soap can get too hard and develop cracks.

But probably depends on the recipe and combination with other oils.

 

[judymoody]

For smaller quantities, try Camden Grey (8.95 flat shipping for 4 lbs or less) - beyond that, their shipping gets spendy.

 

[Karri]

Does anyone here notice a big difference in their soap if they use more than 10% cocoa/shea butter? This is something I'm wrestling with in my recipes ... i.e. how much do you *really* need to experience an appreciable difference, especially if you use say 6-7% SF?

I've only gone as high as 10% ... maybe I'm being cheap though. LOL.
Karri

 

[MsSharLee]

I've read somewhere that if you use too much (over 15%), the soap can get too hard and develop cracks.

But probably depends on the recipe and combination with other oils.

I have never had a problem with mine cracking or too hard. I use Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Avacado, coconut, and Olive or Rice Bran ... it is a nice hard bar but not too hard. I think the soft oils balance that out.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Does anyone here notice a big difference in their soap if they use more than 10% cocoa/shea butter? This is something I'm wrestling with in my recipes ... i.e. how much do you *really* need to experience an appreciable difference, especially if you use say 6-7% SF?

I've only gone as high as 10% ... maybe I'm being cheap though. LOL.
Karri

I have gone up to 30% cocoa butter in a chocolate bar. I can notice a difference, but prob not as much as I would have thought with such a high amount. I did notice a difference on my legs, they felt more moisturised, almost coated (?), some might not like this feeling, but I do, but I wont make this one again.

I now use a combination of shea and cocoa butter that total 25%, (and I have dropped my palm) - the main difference I have noticed is in the batter. I think butters give the batter a creamier texture which make it really nice to work with. This also seems to effect the overall feel of the bar after cure, however it's hard to say whether it actually adds anything extra to the skin. I guess at the end of the day, it is soap, and we usually moisturise after anyway....