Christmas is still awhile away. But as a soapstress, I always need to think at least six weeks in advance. So I was thinking of Christmas and the chocolate oranges my mom always put in my stocking.

I’ve been wanting to try some cocoa powder in my soap for some time, so here’s what I did:



Annatto seed infused in the olive oil for an orange colour. I used a fair amount of the annatto / achieto seeds and I infused it over the stove until I got a dark red colour. Dark orange when its just a drop.



The Valencia Orange E.O. has an uplifting scent & it’s a natural grease cutter. I mixed some cocoa powder with a bit of the soap and tried my hand at a swirl.

It smells amazing. It looks a bit more Halloween themed than Christmas Themed to me but I like it.

Either way, it’s going to be a great winter recipe.

I can’t get enough of the scent. The cocoa is so rich like making brownies. But the fresh citrus orange compliments it so well.

Here is the shot by shot of the Swirl Process: