DIY Easy Orange Cocoa Bath Melts

Easy to Make Fresh Orange Zest Infused Cocoa Bath Melts Recipe!

Learn how to make bath melts using fresh orange zest infused cocoa butter.  These easy to make bath melts smell great, plus help to nourish and moisturize skin.

These cocoa and citrus bath melts are great to use in the bathtub when you need help with moisturizing dry skin.  Plus they smell amazing!

This recipe uses fresh orange zest that has been dried and then infused in cocoa butter.  The orange zest adds a light orange coloring. 

I used some sweet orange essential oil to add a more “orangey” smell to the naturally smelling cocoa scent. 

If you wish to add some texture to your bath melts you can add some finely ground dried orange zest (use a food processor) to the mold prior to pouring in the rest of the mixture.

These bath melts are easy to make with two natural butters, vitamin E oil, and an emulsifier.  For a natural fragrance I added a couple of essential oils.  (This is optional)

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• Easy To Make Chamomile Bath Melts Recipe

Base Ingredients for DIY Orange Cocoa Bath Melts 

Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Emulsifier, Vitamin E

Wondering why I used these ingredients?  Instead of repeating myself I am going to direct you to another recipe that used the same base ingredients for an explanation.  You can find the information here.

It is helpful to note: When you melt the butters and emulsifying wax, use a laser thermometer to check the temperature.

Make sure it reaches 129 degrees or the emulsifying wax will get streaky after it sets up.  If this happens, don’t fret as the finished product is still safe to use.

Freshly Grated Orange Zest

I decided to use fresh grated orange zest in this recipe because it not only adds a little color to the product, but because of its antioxidant properties.

The peel part of oranges contain the highest percentage of vitamins  (several B vitamins and vitamins A & C) in the orange.  It is also said to have anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties.  This is especially helpful for acne prone skin.

Vitamins A & C are also thought to have anti-aging properties which makes it another good reason to use in a skin care product.

For orange peels and zest a little is great, but too much can be irritating to the skin.  I used a small amount of orange zest in this recipe.  Not so much that it irritates the skin, but enough that it a nice addition.

Essential Oils (optional)

I chose to use a couple of essential oils in this recipe.  I used sweet orange and sandalwood as both have an uplifting effect and a nice fragrance together. 

You can choose just to use sweet orange alone, or  lavender, frankincense,  Roman chamomile, or none at all!

Mold(s)

There are many molds to choose from.  I like to use silicone type molds as they are easy to use.  The homemade body bars, and bath melts, etc. I make are easily removed from this type of mold. 

Silicone type molds come in many different designs.  For this recipe I used one that I already have.  It has orange and lemon shapes.

How to Make Bath Melts with Infused Dried Orange Zest

This recipe consists of two parts:

• The first part of recipe is where you make the dried orange zest infused melted butter using cocoa butter as its base. This can take 1 plus hours. 

• The second part is where you pull the recipe together using all of the ingredients including the orange zest infused cocoa butter. This is the quick and easy part.  I mostly used a kitchen scale to make the recipe more accurate. 

Ingredients for Orange Zest Infused Cocoa Butter (Part 1)

• 2 ½ oz (71 gm) cocoa butter 

• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) fresh orange zest

Part One: Directions for Making Orange Zest Infused Cocoa Butter

Step One: Drying The Orange Zest

1. Zest 2 to 3 medium sized oranges.
2. Spread fresh orange zest evenly out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Place in oven at lowest available temperature. (Mine was 180°F, or 82°C).
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until they curl and harden slightly, and are dry to touch.
5. Remove from oven.  Set aside to cool.

Step Two: Infuse Dried Orange Zest In Cocoa Butter

Save 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) of dried orange zest if you wish to grind and put some in the final product.

1. Use a 8 to 16 ounce glass measuring container set over a water filled medium saucepan (the water should cover the bottom of the glass measuring container) set at low setting.
2. Put the weighed cocoa butter in the glass measuring container and start to melt the butter.
3. Carefully place dried orange peel zest in with the partially melted cocoa butter. 
4. Let the cocoa butter and orange zest mixture simmer over lowest heat setting (warm or low) for 1 hour. 
5. Carefully remove glass measuring container with infused orange cocoa butter from water bath. 
6. Allow to cool some, then strain the infused orange zest-cocoa butter mix using a fine mesh strainer to remove the peel pieces.  (Make sure to strain before it starts to harden).   
7. Set aside strained mix to use for the 2nd part of recipe. (You will use 2 ounces of the infused oil for this recipe – don’t worry if it hardens as you will add to recipe and reheat)

Ingredients for Recipe (Part 2)

• 1 oz (28 gm) mango butter

• 1 oz (28 gm) emulsifying wax

• 2 oz (56 gm) Orange zest infused cocoa butter

• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vitamin E oil

• 35 drops (1.75 ml) essential oils (optional – I used 20 drops of sweet orange and 15 drops of sandalwood)

• Dried orange zest (finely ground in food processor – optional)

Tools

• Double boiler (I used a 16 oz glass measuring cup inside a sauce pan)

• Digital scale

• Miniature citrus shaped mold

• Laser thermometer

Part Two: Directions For Making Recipe

        1. Use a digital scale to weigh the mango butter, and emulsifying wax.

        2. Melt together in a double boiler.

        3. Once it’s melted add the infused orange zest cocoa butter.  Remove from heat. Stir well for one minute because the emulsifying wax is hard to incorporate into the butters. (Replace on heat source if needed).

        4. Add the vitamin E, and essential oils (if using).  Stir well until all is mixed and well incorporated.

         5. Put a pinch of ground dried orange zest in the mold cavities. (If using).

         6. Pour the melted butters mixture into the mold cavities.  Let cool for 12 to 24 hours.

         7. Unmold the bath melts and store in a container with a lid.

These bath melts are potent, so use just one-half to one per bath.

Now that you know how to make bath melts with cocoa butter infused orange zest, go ahead and give this recipe a try and let us know how it goes.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. It is always recommended that you seek the advise of your private medical doctor.