Mistakes were made…

I have been tinkering with a new formula for an apple scented soap for some time. The soap itself is stable, and the scent is spot on, but the issue I have had is in the coloring. For some reason, when people think of “apple” they immediately think of the color red. When it comes to soap, particularly a cold process soap, it is hard to get vibrant colors, and food/skin safe dyes are typically ones that can cause issues for a growing number of people who have discovered that they were allergic to things like FD&C Red 40. In an effort to accommodate those who have such issues and to avoid artificial ingredients entirely, I have been experimenting with Rubia tinctorum (also known as madder root) which has been used as a dye for fabrics since the middle ages. What makes this particular plant intriguing is that once madder root undergoes saponification, it’s color is stable and does not stain clothing or skin. It’s final shade and hue are heavily dependent concentration, so it does require a bit of trial and error to get the ratio just right for the desired red.

My most recent attempt was… well… a decisive error. I was making a test batch of the apple soap and, while slowly adding the powdered madder root from a scoop, I had a sudden spasm in my wrist and accidentally dumped the entire contents into the soap. The result is well, very red. So red in fact that it actually looks more like salami, or an uncooked square chunk of hamburger. It is more than a little disturbing, but from now on, I will be using a smaller scoop!