How to Make Coffee Shop Cold Process Soap DIY

This coffee shop cold process soap DIY I am sharing today is perfect for the coffee lover. I am writing this post in the middle of autumn so I am looking forward to the holiday season and enjoying the cooler weather we are currently having. If you have been following the blog, you know I love coffee and sharing all sorts of coffee DIYs. I hope you try this coffee shop cold process soap today.

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In this cold process soap DIY, I am using the hanger swirl technique. This one is one of my favorites to use when I have scents that accelerate a bit. The fragrance oil I am using in this soap is the coffee shop fragrance oil from Brambleberry. It has become one of my favorites. It is truly a wonderful scent for those of us who like gourmand scents and coffee lovers. The description of the fragrance oil indicated mild acceleration. I did experience some acceleration in this soap, but I had taken that into consideration when planning this soap, just in case.

I recommend taking good notes on how the soap behaves and always planning your soaps. There have been times that even with a good plan I had to improvise and change the plan on the fly because of acceleration due to the fragrance oil. This coffee shop cold process soap accelerated a bit but it was a joy to make.

I used the hanger swirl technique for this soap as it is one of the easier techniques to use. The goal of the hanger swirl technique is to create beautiful and intricate swirls that give each soap unique and lovely designs. A medium trace of the soap batter is best for the hanger swirl technique. Using a fragrance oil that behaves well and gives you enough time to pour is important. Even with the note of mild acceleration, this soap behaved very well. I also limited the use of the immersion blender to a minimum to ensure I kept the soap batter flowing.

The soap notes also indicated that this fragrance oil causes discoloration. With that, I decided to keep the color simple and added just enough of the cappuccino color mica to even out the color as it continues to discolor while it cures.

My favorite cold process soap additives

My favorite cold process soap additives are kaolin clay and colloidal oatmeal. I add them to almost all of my soaps because of the wonderful properties they add to the soaps. For this coffee shop cold process soap I also added tussah silk, it just makes the soap so much smoother and lovely in my opinion.

Kaolin clay

Kaolin clay is a very gentle clay used in many cosmetics and face masks. It is not only gentle on the skin but it is also great for anchoring the scents in the soaps. I also think it gives a great slip to the soaps that make the soap super luxurious.

Colloidal oatmeal

Colloidal oatmeal is also used in several skin care products and is considered a skin protectant. It helps retain moisture on the skin. It is very soothing and is usually recommended for people with dry skin. You can skip it but I like it in my soaps because of its excellent skin properties.

Close up of four bars of coffee shop cold process soap at an angle.

The hanger swirl technique for cold process soaps is one of my favorites, even though it is considered advanced is fairly simple and straightforward. Each soap will be unique in its design.

Another thing to pay attention to when making this soap is to make sure you use good micas. Sometimes mica colorants can accelerate the batter. For this soap, I used cappuccino color mica from Brambleberry and titanium dioxide for the white. Titanium dioxide also tends to accelerate trace, so keep that in mind as well while making this soap.

Making soaps using the hanger swirl technique for cold process soaps – Coffee Shop Cold Process Soap

Close up of four bars of coffee shop cold process soap at an angle, latte color soap bars with white swirls.

Additional equipment needed for cold process soap making at home

Recipes and techniques for making cold process soap at home

Check out the posts linked below for several free cold process soap recipes and techniques. I hope you find one that is perfect for you.

Clamshell Technique Cold Process Soap DIY

Handmade Cold Process Soap Making

All Natural Aloe Vera Cold Process Soap

In this Kiss Pour and Handmade Mold DIY I not only give you a recipe and another fun technique to use, I also share how to make a mold using a cardboard milk box.

Summer Vibes Double In the Pot Swirl Cold Process Soap DIY

Coconut Milk & Coconut Water Cold Process Soap

Mahogany & Amber Cold Process Soap

Hibiscus Guava Fresca Cold Process Soap Layers – Tiger Stripe Technique

Ready to start making your own cold process soaps? Then this eBook with 25 different cold process soap formulations is the perfect resource. With so many formulations, you will have lots of inspiration to experiment and find the perfect one.

This eBook also includes best practices to modify the formulations to your liking.

I want the 25 recipes!

Step by Step Coffee Shop Cold Process soap DIY – using the hanger swirl technique for cold process soaps

Weigh out the butters and coconut oil and melt them in the microwave
Add the liquid oils to the melted butters
Weigh out the water in a separate container
Weigh out the sodium hydroxide (lye) needed for the soap in a separate container
Sprinkle the sodium hydroxide (lye) into the water and mix well, then allow to cool to 85-90 degrees F
Add the lye water solution to the melted oils and butters
Mix using the immersion blender for only a few seconds until you achieve a light trace
Split the batter into two separate containers and mix in the cappuccino color on the large bowl and the titanium dioxide in the smaller container
Pour the cappuccino color soap batter first, this is the largest amount of soap batter.
Pour the white batter over the cappuccino color batter in the long direction
Using a hanger, make swirls using an infinity sign motion from the bottom to the top of the mold. A few 3 to 4 times is enough to get great designs.
Finish decorating the top of the soap with any leftover batter
Allow the soap to go through the saponification process for at least 24 hours
Unmold and cut the soap and allow it to cure for four to six weeks

I hope you enjoy making this coffee shop cold process soap using the hanger swirl technique for cold process soaps.

Learn more about cold process soap making in Cold process soap making most common questions answered in one place. This post summarizes all the questions I get about cold process soap making.