Coffee Soap?

[jdranch]

I recently read that coffee is great for getting some smells *out*/*off*. Is this true? For those who make coffee soap, do you use an eo or coffee grounds? Does it hold its coffee smell long? How long?

Thanks for any replies

 

[Layne]

Coffee is truely awsome.
One batch I made from Foldgers and has a little grounds in top 1"
smells like coffee candies no FOs or EOs used.
Next batch I made with Aztec Organic Gold coffee (expensive stuff friend gave for this), no grounds, he didnt want grounds in it.
smells like ....fish......
well he says minnows.
hmm wonder what the organic in that Aztec coffee was....
this batch WILL be rebatched soon.
Could just be the type of coffee.
Think I'll stick with good ole Foldgers dark roast with grounds.
Plus the grounds are awsome for exfoliant and buffers.
But thats just me.

 

[soapbuddy]

I don't use coffee absolute nor coffee grounds, but triple strength coffee. It helps get rid of odors on your hands. Be aware that coffee mixed with lye smells pretty bad, but it cures out.

 

[jdranch]

Thanks for the reply Do you sell your coffee soap- I'd like to try it.

How strong of a scent does it have? When did you add the grounds?

 

[carebear]

soap made with coffee initially smells bad, but the bad smells fades away to nothing. no coffee scent is left.

grounds make very very sharp scrubbies. even when I grind them to a powder.

so I no longer soap with either.

plus, I never found coffee soap to be deodorizing.

I do drink the stuff by the gallon, though.

 

[Layne]

read up
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... hp?t=20856

theres also some links about how awsome coffee is further down in that post.

 

[judymoody]

Echoing carebear, yes the coffee smell fades to nothing and yes, coffee grounds can be sharp so make them ultra fine if you use them. I made some coffee kitchen soap and while it has no appreciable scent, it does remove odors from your hands and it's a really nice soap. Hubby used it on a hunting trip and it kept the stinkies at bay.

I made a second batch and I added some super-concentrated instant coffee (deducted from total liquid amount) after I mixed my lye and oils and it was not nearly as stinky as when you add the lye directly to coffee. It didn't smell bad at pour or after unmolding.

I do want to try the method described in the thread which is posted a couple of messages up from me. That is one beautiful soap.

 

[Northland Naturals]

coffee grounds are incredibly unpleasant in soap so grind them up as small as you can! i've done two coffee batches... one that had the grounds and cinnamon EO... turned out smelling like chai tea or something but was so scrubby i can't even use it (thanks to the grounds, and i admittedly got a little overzealous in their use!). the second i did with 'world's best' coffee FO from natures garden and no scrubbies. don't really care for either, so i'm done with coffee soap!

 

[ministeph]

I love my coffee soap! I'll post a picture later today when I have one. I used coffee instead of water (to mix with the lye) and decorated the tops with a bit of ground coffee and a full coffee bean.
the lye/coffee mixture SMELLED SO BAD at first I can't even describe it, I almost through the soap out at first because for a good week it smelled like burnt coffee and death.
now it just smells like the FO I used and has a bit of a warm coffee smell to it as well. (i think thats because of the grounds on top)

 

[ewenique]

I make a vanilla coffee soap with the used grounds that is a favorite. I add Vanilla Bean FO, so the soap turns really dark, except for the top which I leave unscented and stays light. Looks pretty and smells yummy!

 

[Hazel]

I've only used coffee grounds in my soaps. (I save the grounds after I've made a pot of coffee. :wink: ) The first batch I put in way too much plus the grounds were dry and I could barely stand to use it.

The second batch I cut back on the grounds and it worked a lot better. (BTW, I also used VBN to scent and it does smell yummy.) The third batch was specifically to be a kitchen soap and wasn't too scrubby, either.

I think it helped that for the second and third batch I moistened the grounds before I put them in the soap. I should add that I spread the grounds out on a paper towel to dry. After they are thoroughly dry, I run them through a coffee grinder until they are almost like powder. Then I moisten with distilled water.

I don't know how well the kitchen soap deodorizes. I know one night I could still smell onions on my hands after using it. Perhaps the concentrated coffee as a liquid would be better to try.

 

[adoptapitbull]

A friend of mine saw some of my soap photos and asked to buy some, I said sure. Sent her what she ordered plus a sample of my cinnamon coffee GM soap. She used it, went nuts over it, and now wants to buy 6 bars for gifts. I LOVE the scrubby feeling of the coffee grounds. I rub it so hard on my face and body that I leave my skin red. Then again, I'm always buying the scrubby products at the store, so I suppose I'm a real scrub fan in every way.

You could always add poppy seeds instead of coffee grounds if you feel they are too harsh.

Now I wish I hadn't used up all of my coffee soap My coffee castile should be ready soon, though!

 

[lsg]

I use both strong brewed coffee for the liquid and finely ground coffee as a scrubing agent.

 

[mandolyn]

I do the triple strength brew as my liquid, then add just a little finely ground fresh coffee. I use the fresh grounds, because I want the full strength of the coffee for maximum deodorizing.

DH says it removes the fish smell from his hands after cleaning or handling fish.

As already noted, it doesn't take much of the grounds to make it very scrubby.

I scent with WSP's Oatmeal Milk & Honey FO which is very almond smelling.

 

[oh2bejoy]

I make a "Manly Man" soap that has beer AND coffee grounds (my boyfriend's favorite drinks) and is scented with dragons blood that is one of my best sellers! the coffee grounds are a nice exfoliant, and I have not had any complaints that the grounds are too sharp or too rough. I think I will try to make the same soap using coffee as the liquid.

 

[adoptapitbull]

I do half 3x strength coffee and half GM for the liquid. Color looks awful, liquid smells awful, but turns out a nice bar of soap. I did a castile and a HP that way and both are great. HP was rock hard after about a day. Kinda shocked at how fast it firmed up.