Cold Process Soap Making: Cocoa Castaway

Uncanning the Secrets of Smooth, Sexy Skin

An island story inspired the making of a Caribbean-inspired bar of handmade soap.

There are some stories that begin with a plan.

This one didn't.

This one began with a deserted island, the Caribbean sun, warm ocean water, and a man who had apparently been stranded long enough to start wondering what he was going to do about soap.

Then something happened.

Something unexpected.

Something fell from the sky.

A can.

It carried the name Boner's Botanicals.

And what was inside?

Well...

That's where the story gets interesting.

Watch Cocoa Castaway

Before we uncann the secrets, watch the story that inspired this Caribbean-inspired bar of handmade soap.

A castaway.

A deserted island.

A mysterious can.

And a bar of soap that may have come from somewhere it shouldn't have.

Watch bar soap making tutorial:  Cold Process Soap Making: Cocoa Castaway — Uncanning the Secrets of Smooth, Sexy Skin

The Inspiration Behind Cocoa Castaway

Cocoa Castaway was born from the idea of a castaway discovering something completely unexpected on a remote tropical island.

The setting immediately suggested a particular kind of soap.

Something warm.

Something rich.

Something tropical.

Something inspired by the Caribbean.

And that led us to a combination of ingredients that seemed almost made for the adventure: olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and castor oil.

The result would be a rich, creamy bar with the unmistakable personality of a tropical escape.

But there was still the matter of the mysterious can.

What exactly was in it?

We're not telling.

At least not yet.

After all, some secrets are better left uncanned.

Below image: After unmolding the soap to display the soap loaf before cutting.

Creating a Caribbean-Inspired Soap

The Cocoa Castaway recipe was designed around a 53-ounce oil batch.

The formulation combines traditional soapmaking oils with two luxurious plant butters: cocoa butter and shea butter.

Cocoa butter seemed almost inevitable for a soap called Cocoa Castaway.

Shea butter adds another rich plant butter to the formulation, while the combination of olive, palm, coconut and castor oils creates the foundation for a balanced handmade bar.

Cocoa Castaway Oil Formula

Superfat: 5%
Water: 33% of oil weight

Important: Always run your own formulation through a reliable soap calculator before making a batch, particularly if you substitute ingredients or change the quantities.

The Oils Behind the Castaway

Olive Oil

Olive oil forms the largest portion of the Cocoa Castaway formula.

It is widely used in traditional soapmaking and is valued for producing a mild, conditioning bar with a smooth feel.

Palm Oil

Palm oil contributes hardness and helps create a bar that holds its shape well.

In this formulation, it works alongside the coconut oil and butters to give Cocoa Castaway a firm, durable bar.

Coconut Oil

If there is one ingredient that immediately makes us think "tropical," coconut oil would have to be near the top of the list.

In soap, coconut oil contributes cleansing power and abundant lather.

It also seems particularly appropriate for a soap inspired by a Caribbean island.

Cocoa Butter

Now we're getting to the heart of Cocoa Castaway.

Cocoa butter brings a rich, luxurious character to the formulation and fits perfectly with the cocoa-inspired identity of the soap.

It's difficult to imagine making Cocoa Castaway without cocoa butter.

Shea Butter

Shea butter joins the cocoa butter to give the recipe another rich plant butter.

Together, cocoa butter and shea butter give the formulation an especially rich, buttery character.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is used in a relatively small percentage, but it can make a big contribution to the lather profile of handmade soap.

It helps support a creamy, stable lather that complements the larger portion of coconut oil.

Below image:  Pouring Cocoa Castaway soap batter into the soap mold.

The Colors of Cocoa Castaway

A Caribbean-inspired soap needed colors that matched the story.

For this batch, we turned to Mad Micas.

The brown portion of the soap uses Sexy Stranger, while Supernova brings warm copper and golden character to the design.

Together, the two colors give Cocoa Castaway a palette that feels right at home with the story:

deep cocoa brown, warm copper and flashes of gold.

Exactly the sort of colors you might expect to find inside a mysterious can that washed ashore—or perhaps fell from the heavens.

Making Cocoa Castaway

As with any cold-process soap, preparation is important.

Before beginning, gather the oils, butters, fragrance, colorants, distilled water and sodium hydroxide required for the formulation.

Wear appropriate protective equipment and work in a suitable, well-ventilated area.

Sodium hydroxide is highly caustic, so cold-process soapmaking should always be approached with respect and proper safety procedures.

Below image: shows bronze colored mica added in layers to the soap batter of Cocoa Castaway.

1. Prepare the Oils and Butters

Measure the olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and castor oil carefully.

Melt the solid oils and butters and combine them with the liquid oils.

Give everything a good mix.

At this point, it doesn't look particularly exciting.

But just wait.

2. Prepare the Lye Solution

The sodium hydroxide is carefully combined with the appropriate amount of distilled water according to the calculated recipe.

This is one of the most important safety steps in the entire process.

There are no shortcuts here.

Measure accurately.

Protect your skin and eyes.

And always add the sodium hydroxide to the water—not water to sodium hydroxide.

Below image:  shows Cocoa Castaway being cut into 1 inch thick bars.

3. Bring the Oils and Lye Solution Together

Once the oils and lye solution are at suitable temperatures, they can be combined.

This is where the transformation begins.

The stick blender goes to work.

Slowly, the oils and lye solution begin to emulsify.

Then the soap batter begins to thicken.

And suddenly, we're no longer looking at a collection of oils.

We're making soap.

Adding the Colors

The batter is divided as needed for the design.

Sexy Stranger brings the deep brown foundation.

Supernova adds the warm copper and gold character.

The colors are incorporated into the soap batter before the final pour.

Then comes the part where the soapmaker gets to play.

Swirls.

Layers.

Movement.

Color.

There is no way to completely predict how every swirl will look once the loaf is cut.

And that's part of the fun.

Below image:  Shows finished bar soaps after curing and stamping.

Into the Mold

The finished soap batter is poured into the mold.

And then?

We wait.

The loaf will eventually become firm enough to unmold and cut, but cold-process soap isn't finished simply because it has hardened.

It still needs time.

The Cure

Freshly made cold-process soap needs an appropriate curing period before it becomes the finished bar we're looking for.

During the cure, water continues to evaporate and the soap develops its final characteristics.

That's one of the lessons of handmade soap:

You can't rush good soap.

Well...

You can try.

But the soap generally wins that argument.

Below image:  From the video production of Cocoa Castaway - Uncanning the Secrets to Smooth, Sexy Skin.

Uncanning the Secrets of Smooth, Sexy Skin

So what exactly was in that mysterious can?

Perhaps that's the question you're still asking.

And we're still not completely sure we're ready to answer it.

Maybe it contained ingredients.

Maybe it contained instructions.

Maybe it contained something else entirely.

But one thing is certain.

The journey from a collection of oils and butters to a finished bar of Cocoa Castaway is its own kind of transformation.

Olive oil.

Palm oil.

Coconut oil.

Cocoa butter.

Shea butter.

Castor oil.

A little color.

A little imagination.

And a whole lot of soapmaking.

That's the real secret.

From the Caribbean to Your Shower

Cocoa Castaway may have started with a fictional castaway and a mysterious can, but the soap itself is very real.

It's a Caribbean-inspired formulation built around olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and castor oil.

It's colorful.

It's tropical.

It's a little mysterious.

And, if we're being completely honest...

It smells pretty darn good.

But we're still not telling you everything that's in the can.

Some secrets are meant to remain secrets.

At least until the next adventure.

Boner's Botanicals

Natural Products for Natural People.

Uncanning the Secrets of Smooth, Sexy Skin.