Wake Up And Invigorate Soap

Once again, home soap supplies needed replenishing and the beauty of home-made soap is you can change the recipe every time to suit current requirements.  I decided to make a "manly" soap for Mr Cocopopia to use in the shower, but at the same time I wanted something that would be good for my "gardener's hands".  As I stood in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, wondering what I could do, the inspiration hit me as I spotted the coffee pot opposite me - and that's where I got the idea for my coffee grounds and cedarwood oil soap from! 

The coffee grounds make a great exfoliant for the skin and the cedarwood, apart from having a warm and comforting fragrance, is said to help certain types of eczema as it has antiseptic and astringent properties and it is also said to help relieve itching.  I also added some of my usual olive oil to the melt and pour mix to make the soap more nourishing on the skin.  A couple of teaspoons of coffee grounds (dried) were added to the soap to add fragrance and colour.  This time I also used a suspension melt and pour soap base which allows small particles added to the soap (such as flower petals, pieces of loofah or, in the case, coffee grounds) to be evenly distributed throughout the bar without all dropping to the bottom.

I also added a touch of orange soap colouring to some of the mix to try and make some striped bars, but this wasn't really necessary and it did tend to run out of the soap and leave a little orange stream in the sink.  Next time I'll keep it simple.

Have to say though, got the balance just right with the coffee grounds and its great for exfoliating and smoothing the skin.