Trouble: Soap Batter Going Pink

by Carole Bell
(Centennial, Colorado)

I've been making soap for about three years and until recently did not have any problems.

The recipe I have is as follows: 32 oz Olive oil - 24 oz vegetable oil/fat (crisco), 30 oz coconut oil - 32oz distilled water and 12oz lye.
I mixed the lye with the oils when both were 98 dgrees.

My last two batches took on a pinkish look when I added the lye mixture to the oils mixture, but after mixing the pink went away. But the soap did not take on the normal white look. And in addition I noticed that the soap had a bit of a rough texture, not the normal smooth texture, along the cutting edges.

Do you have suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong?

Answer:

I don't think you are doing anything wrong.

I would look to the ingredients you are using. I'm guessing that one of them is new. Are you using a new package of lye? Perhaps there is a contaminate in it? Or the distilled water contains some sort of mineral? Is it a brand you usually don't purchase? Same goes for the base oils. Are they a different brand than normal? Hopefully Crisco hasn't gone and changed their ingredients again.

The pinkish colour will most likely be a result of a chemical reaction. This isn't something that normally happens with the ingredients you listed in my experience...at least not until essential oils or fragrance oils are added.

If all your ingredients are the same as always and not new packages, perhaps the utensils, pots, etc. have not been rinsed properly after washing and contain residue from dish soap or....?

Good luck,
Cathy