Chocolate is good for your skin in all kinds of ways. It’s full of antioxidants. It’s moisturizing, and the caffeine in chocolate stimulates your skin and gives it a healthy glow. (See my homemade Chocolate Cream Facial Mask.) For my latest in soap experimentation, I decided to swirl some chocolate right into bars of soap. Notice that the chocolate is not blended into the soap. It’s simply swirled in, leaving rich veins of real chocolate throughout each bar. When the bars set up, the soap can be handled–the chocolate hardens. When you wash with it, the chocolate softens and comes out, and you can massage it into your skin for all the benefits then it rinses right away because it’s in soap! There is no chocolate mess in either handling the soap or using it. It’s like a chocolate spa treatment in a bar of soap–at home!
If you don’t know how to make soap, you can find my step-by-step soapmaking tutorial for hot and cold process soap here: How to Make Soap. I now use the hot process method exclusively. (Love it. So much faster and easier than cold process.)
You can use any favorite moisturizing soap recipe you like to make this chocolate spa soap–just make your soap then add the chocolate swirl. I used the following recipe. (Don’t make any substitutions in the fats in a soap recipe without putting the recipe through SoapCalc. You can find a great tutorial on using SoapCalc here. I will say, though, as one exception that olive oil and olive oil pomace are so close in calculation that you can use them interchangeably. Olive oil pomace offers the same great qualities in soap as olive oil but it’s cheaper.) Also note that this is a two-pound recipe. If making a different size recipe, adjust the amount of chocolate accordingly.
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How to make Chocolate Spa Soap:
Crisco — 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
coconut oil (76-degree melt point) — 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
olive oil pomace — 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
lard — 12.8 ounces or 362.874 grams
water — 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
lye — 4.483 ounces or 127.077 grams
Additives
approximately 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice (optional)
Note: When using fragrance oil in hot process soap, use fragrance oil with a high flash point. (200 degrees.) I have learned this the hard way when my scent disappeared!
After my soap was cooked in hot process, before putting it in the mold, I mixed in my fragrance. (Use whatever scent appeals to you in combination with chocolate.) Then I drizzled a little bit of chocolate on top. I melted an ounce of chocolate, but only used about half of it.
I swirled it in a few circles with my spoon. Be really careful here so that you don’t blend it in. You don’t want to color your soap–you want to leave the chocolate in marbled veins.
I spooned the soap into the mold, being careful to evenly distribute parts of the soap that had chocolate so there would be chocolate in every bar when the soap was cut.
And look at that!
How cool is that?! I love this soap!
lizzie says:
Love the soap!!!! I love the chocolate swirls, so pretty, will have to try this. :woof:
On November 5, 2010 at 1:22 am
Glenda says:
So the soap doesn’t stain the wash cloth?
I sure does make a pretty bar.
I need to make soap again soon. I rendered a large amount of beef fat, have lard (I use store bought…won’t waste my homemade on soap!)and lots of various used cooking oils.
I haven’t bought soap in about two years now.
On November 5, 2010 at 5:11 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Glenda, you could use a soft scrubbie or something if you’re worried about a wash cloth!
On November 5, 2010 at 8:54 am
CindyP says:
That looks so pretty! I’d probly find myself knawing on it in the shower! LOL!
On November 5, 2010 at 7:05 am
Joycee says:
After buying goat milk soap this summer, I’m hooked on homemade! A little a’skeered of the lye part but I’m copying the recipe and making this in my old crockpot..so glad I saved it!
On November 5, 2010 at 7:15 am
momma-leigh says:
Wow I love it! Now only if I could get the courage to try it myself. Still a little scared of the whole idea..haha
On November 5, 2010 at 7:24 am
Miss Becky says:
Alright, this does it. I’m making soap. Suzanne, do you have a crock pot that you use just for soap-making?
On November 5, 2010 at 8:07 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Miss Becky, yes, I have an old crock pot that I use for soap, but with the hot process method, the soap is SOAP by the time it’s finished. The crock pot is enamel and is washed. I wouldn’t have a problem using the same crock pot for food. I wash my crock pot that I use for food with soap, LOL! And that’s all that’s in it. (Make sure your crock pot has no chips in the enamel.)
On November 5, 2010 at 8:16 am
Linda Segerson says:
So cool! Going to give it a try…hope it turns out as good as yours. :shimmy:
On November 5, 2010 at 8:29 am
BeckyW says:
Very pretty! I think using some cocoa butter at trace would be a nice natural scent, with some added moisture benefit! Hmmmm…may be trying this one tonight.
On November 5, 2010 at 8:57 am
Tara says:
I’m not normally a fan of chocolaty, or really any “foodie” kind of bath product, but I have some coffee essential oil coming today, and the chocolate and coffee might be a nice combo!
On November 5, 2010 at 9:22 am
Ramona says:
How neat. You are so creative!
On November 5, 2010 at 9:30 am
EBet says:
Sounds heavenly! I like the marble-y look it has.
On November 5, 2010 at 9:51 am
KentuckyFarmGirl says:
Beautiful soap! I made some with cocoa a while ago and added coconut fragrance. Reminds of a Mounds bar and I love it. I always use one of those bath poufs with my homemade soap. It makes it really sudsy. Thanks for the recipe!
On November 5, 2010 at 10:00 am
Gem says:
This is it. Now I am going to join in and try my hand at making my own soap!
Thanks for the inspiration, Suzanne!
On November 5, 2010 at 10:06 am
mintamichelle says:
Wow, it’s beautiful! How long does it take from start to getting it in the mold? Assuming of course you have everything on hand….
On November 5, 2010 at 10:17 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
mintamichelle, the hot process cook time on this was about an hour. I made it in the afternoon and was able to unmold and cut it before I went to bed!
On November 5, 2010 at 10:24 am
Barbee' says:
If it smelled like mint, I would really! want to eat it.
On November 5, 2010 at 10:38 am
Christina S. says:
My last batch of soap that I made I also used chocolate and it did indeed stain the washcloths. So, I suggest using either brown washcloths or use ones you don’t care a whole ton about when using chocolate soap. I’ve got a white set that’s just for our master bedroom bath, so I don’t care about those having a ‘chocolate tinge’, but I bought some dark green and brown washcloths for the guest bath. 🙂
On November 5, 2010 at 1:33 pm
kellirc says:
How did you cut the soap into such nice, neat bars?
On November 5, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Kellirc, you can see all about my soap mold/cutter in these two posts:
https://chickensintheroad.com/crafts/coloring-soap-naturally/
https://chickensintheroad.com/crafts/lavender-basil-soap/
On November 5, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Sharon Gosney says:
Nice job!
On November 5, 2010 at 7:54 pm
LisaAJB says:
Are you SURE you’re not selling that soap??
On November 5, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Lynne says:
LisaAJB,
Wouldn’t that be a dream? I’d like to order a coffee/chocolate combination right now! 😀
On November 6, 2010 at 11:11 am
Carri Hensley says:
I love making soap and chocolate is another passion…makes for a perfect combination.
On November 10, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Christina Leonhardt says:
you could put some bars up for sale or a give away, those look wonderful
On November 11, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Amber says:
The Crisco in the recipe is what? shortening or Oil?
On November 13, 2010 at 4:15 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Amber, it’s Crisco in the can, the solid Crisco.
On November 13, 2010 at 8:32 am
BeckyW says:
I made the Chocolate Spa soap last night using goat’s milk instead of the water and tweeked the recipe with some cocoa butter, so I didn’t add any additional fragrance…used the recommended 1/2 oz. of chocolate…worked perfectly….and they smell yummy and look fantastic! Thanks for sharing this great soap Suzanne!
On November 22, 2010 at 10:05 am
Stacey says:
Could I make this choicolate soap using a melt and pour base?
On February 14, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Stacey, I would think so, but I have never used a melt and pour base, so take that for what it’s worth! It makes sense to me that it would work, though.
On February 14, 2011 at 6:07 pm
farmhouseblues says:
This tutorial is amazing!The photos are just gorgeous and it makes me want to play with making soap:)
On February 19, 2012 at 9:12 pm
TheEnchantedBath says:
I especially enjoyed reading this post since I make cold process soap. I do sell mine on my Facebook business page (https://www.facebook.com/TheEnchantedBath) and I’ll be getting a ‘real’ web site very soon.
Your chocolate spa soap looks pretty darn delicious 🙂 I used to make my soap with lard but there are so many people that freak out over that word, that I haven’t made any lard soap for quite a while. Lard makes excellent soap though!
Living in West Virginia, you’re probably familiar with Tamarack. I live in Wayne County near Huntington. I’m close to Lucas Farm. I’m hoping to finish the jury process this week to get my soap in at Tamarack. I love that place.
I really enjoy your posts. This is an excellent site.
Linda
On March 17, 2012 at 7:45 pm
mommy7 says:
I made your soap ant it turned out WONDERfUL! I scented it cherry, and plan to package as chocolate covered cherries. It smells just like them. Thanks for such great ideas. Your amazing!!!
On October 30, 2012 at 8:57 pm
cowancowgirls says:
How do I know what the flashpoint is? Are all essential oils the same? Thanks. LOVE this site!
On June 23, 2015 at 1:36 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
To find out the flashpoint of any oil, just google that specific oil.
On June 24, 2015 at 7:11 am