This DIY coffee soap recipe has a fresh brewed coffee scent and exfoliating properties. It is very easy to make since it utilizes a melt and pour soap base. The homemade soap is a simple craft project that produces giftable results and is perfect for soap making beginners.

DIY Coffee Soap
An easy melt & pour coffee soap recipe that is great for the skin and has a distinct handmade look to it. Not having to mess with lye solution makes this one of the easiest homemade soap recipes you can make.
Benefits of Coffee Soap
Coffee soap benefits are numerous. Here is why adding a coffee bar of soap to your skin care routine is worth it.
- First of all the coffee grounds of course have a mild exfoliating effect. Sloughing of old dead skin is always a good thing for ensuring a fresh look.
- Caffeine is anti-inflammatory for the skin.
- Reduces water retention, making skin look less puffy and improves circulation (both are good for reducing the appearance of cellulite).
Getting the Handmade Soap Look with Melt and Pour Soap
There was a purposeful attempt to make this soap look clearly homemade. I love rustic looking natural soaps. This is how I got the look.
Creamy Goat’s Milk melt & Pour Soap Base, Two PoundShea Butter Suspension Soap Base, 2-Pound
To mimic the look of handcrafted lye soap, the melt and pour soap mixture was poured into a single mold then sliced into bars. I think this gives it an appealing homemade look. The layered effect takes no effort, the coffee grounds tend to float to the top. I actually stir the soap mixture to cool it for awhile before pouring to ensure the bulk of the bar is richly saturated and a few coffee grounds run throughout the bars.
This is the exact soap mold I used.
BAKER DEPOT 500ML Silicone Mold For Handmade Soap Mold Toast Mold Bread Mould Square, Set of 2
While you can certainly keep this coffee soap recipe to the base and grounds, adding some vanilla oleoresin or coffee fragrance
can add to the experience of using the exfoliating soap.
Vanilla Essential Oil – 30ml Great scent for the Spa and HomePlant Therapy Coffee Essential Oil. 100% Pure, Undiluted, Therapeutic Grade. 10 ml (1/3 oz).
Make some Coffee and Cream Bath Bombs or DIY Coffee Scrub to go with these soaps for a gift set.
DIY Coffee Soap Recipe: Easy Melt and Pour Coffee Soap
This melt and pour coffee soap couldn’t get much easier. Here is how to make this simple DIY coffee soap recipe that any java junkie will love!
- Yield: The one pound cube will make 4-5 good sized coffee soap bars. 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound goats milk melt and pour soap base
, shea butter soap base
would be OK too
- 1/4 cup coffee grounds
- 1/4 tsp vanilla essential oil
(Oleoresin) or coffee fragrance oil
***optional***
- large cube silicone mold
(or make double batch in loaf mold
)
Instructions
- Cut soap into smaller pieces. Place in microwave safe bowl along with coffee grounds. Microwave for 40 seconds, stir then repeat in 10-20 second intervals until soap in fully melted.
- Remove and stir until soap begins to slightly slightly thicken (add fragrance if you wish at this point and stir in). Pour into the soap mold and allow to cool fully.
- Cut into slices to create bars.
Notes
Time: Takes about 10 minutes to make, but then must cool at least an hour (or more) before cutting.
cathy says
Hi. These soaps look delicious! Please can you clarify what you use for the coffee grounds? Do you buy coffee beans and grind them up yourself?
Beauty Crafter says
Just use standard ground coffee in the soaps.
Merijoe says
There are two colors, do you add color because your description is different from what I see here
Beauty Crafter says
That is the coffee grounds. Most of them float to the top while the soap is setting. This area of the bar is great for exfoliation. There are no colorants added.
Merijoe says
I understand that the colors change however it seems there are two perfect layers and the bottom layer is really dark.
Beauty Crafter says
The images are soap made in a loaf mold and sliced. Individually poured coffee soaps may not have as stark of a contrast as they will cool much faster.
Anya Gooding says
Hi, can you change the colour of the soap, if so how would you do this and with what products?
Beauty Crafter says
You could make it darker with soap dye or gel food coloring. Adding less coffee grounds would make it lighter. If you wanted a more vivid color you could make a separate melt and pour soap mix and use as a contrast layer, otherwise the color will end out muddy.
Anya Gooding says
Thank you, is it possible to change the colours to blue, pink, green etc.
Beauty Crafter says
I think the colors will end out looking muddy. Cold process (made with lye) it might work.
Amanda says
How long ca these last? Will the coffee grounds mold at all?
Beauty Crafter says
Just store them in a plastic bag or airtight container and they will last a long time. I found one from this batch that had been stored in a ziploc a couple years later and it was still fine. I would not suggest keeping them that long, but it actually held up better than most soaps would.
Anya Gooding says
Hi, once the soap has been made how long is the shelf life?
Beauty Crafter says
It lasts quite awhile if stored in airtight packaging or container. I have used a bar that was well over a year old, so at least 6 months.