# Soap Turned to pink!



## erdsoap (Feb 28, 2017)

Hi there,

I had a problem when I unmolded the soap the other day. Only outside of the whole batch turned to unwanted pink!:cry: It's beautiful, but that color doesn't make sense since the name of the soap is "Shea Butter Charcoal Soap". 
I have never had this problem before.  
I didn't use macadamia oil in this batch (I have heard if too much macadamia oil is in a recipe the soap could turn to a little bit pink.).

I have been searching a topic for days and still haven't gotten any clue...

Has anyone had this experience before?


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## IrishLass (Feb 28, 2017)

I have one or two FO's that turn my soap pink at the surface edges like that. What FO did you use (if any)?


IrishLass


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## erdsoap (Feb 28, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> I have one or two FO's that turn my soap pink at the surface edges like that. What FO did you use (if any)?
> 
> 
> IrishLass



Hi IrishLass,

Tanks for replying. I didn't use FO in the soap I used Lemongrass and Japanese pepper mint EO to scent. 
There is one thing I can think of is water tho. It was snowing and the water could contain some acid...


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## shunt2011 (Feb 28, 2017)

It could be a combination of your EO's and the water causing the discoloration or just the EO's.  You really need to use distilled water.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 28, 2017)

What source are you using?  As you sell, something controllable should be used - not even tap water is safe from being different each time


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## SaltedFig (Feb 28, 2017)

Some hydrogenated oils can turn soap pink on exposure to oxygen.

You possibly could get the same pink colour by adding gamma tocopherol (Vitamin E food additive number E 308 ) to your soap, although I haven't tested this.


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## BrewerGeorge (Feb 28, 2017)

Did you use a new, red silicone mold by chance?


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## DeeAnna (Feb 28, 2017)

Some antioxidants can turn soap pink under alkaline conditions. But you haven't shared your recipe or method, so this is a complete shot in the dark, pretty much like what everyone else is doing. 

"...There is one thing I can think of is water tho. It was snowing and the water could contain some acid..."

What is the connection between snowing and water for soap?


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## toxikon (Feb 28, 2017)

As for the snow comment - I can't speak for OP, but only for myself - to cool my lye water (and mix it in a well-ventilated area), I usually bring it outside. And here in snowy Canada, that means sometimes a bit of snow might get into the container. Just happened to me last weekend actually. I've never thought of the snow affecting the lye water, but now I'm curious.


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## Arimara (Feb 28, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> Some antioxidants can turn soap pink under alkaline conditions. But you haven't shared your recipe or method, so this is a complete shot in the dark, pretty much like what everyone else is doing.
> 
> "...There is one thing I can think of is water tho. It was snowing and the water could contain some acid..."
> 
> *What is the connection between snowing and water for soap?*



I was wondering if they used the snow for water.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 28, 2017)

Yes, that's what I'm thinking too. Or maybe Toxicon's thought is correct. But I still don't quite understand the connection in the OP's mind between snow, water, and acid. Acidic precipitation is acidic precipitation, no matter whether it's rain, snow, sleet, or fog.


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## earlene (Feb 28, 2017)

Again, another shot in the dark.  After reading somewhere that Crisco or other shortening packaged in containers lined with aluminum foil-type of surface, would turn soap pink, I made soap with some once to see if that was true.  It was slightly pink, not like in the OP's photo, though.  Also not a good soap, either.  I think it's one that ended up with DOS and got tossed.

That looks like a huge batch of soap!  What is your mold and liner made of?   This certainly is interesting.


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## erdsoap (Feb 28, 2017)

shunt2011 said:


> It could be a combination of your EO's and the water causing the discoloration or just the EO's.  You really need to use distilled water.



Hi earlene,

Thanks for your comment. I agree I need to use distilled water. I think the water cause the discoloration too. I think combination of lye and water tho.


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## erdsoap (Feb 28, 2017)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> What source are you using?  As you sell, something controllable should be used - not even tap water is safe from being different each time



Thanks for the message. I have used tap water but yeah I'm going to use distilled water from now on.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 28, 2017)

Aye - the lye will react with compounds in the water and this will carry over in to the soap. Not often a good thing, unless it's something that you actually want like adding citric acid or acetic acid


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## erdsoap (Feb 28, 2017)

SaltedFig said:


> Some hydrogenated oils can turn soap pink on exposure to oxygen.
> 
> You possibly could get the same pink colour by adding gamma tocopherol (Vitamin E food additive number E 308 ) to your soap, although I haven't tested this.


 
Hi SaltedFig,

Maybe that's it! I used Vitamin E oil contains d-gamma tocopherol. Hmmm:think:



BrewerGeorge said:


> Did you use a new, red silicone mold by chance?


 
Hi BrewerGeorge,

Thanks for the comment. I actually thought about my silicon liner too. It's not red or pink but I made it by myself using a silicon paste. And it was the first try with the liner. However, I made another one with the same paste and when I used it first time, that pink discoloration didn't happen. I use wooden mold but that never happened to me with the same mold. So the silicon liner and wooded mold are not the cause.



DeeAnna said:


> Some antioxidants can turn soap pink under alkaline conditions. But you haven't shared your recipe or method, so this is a complete shot in the dark, pretty much like what everyone else is doing.
> 
> "...There is one thing I can think of is water tho. It was snowing and the water could contain some acid..."
> 
> What is the connection between snowing and water for soap?


 
Hi DeeAnna,

Thanks for the reply. Here are some additives for the batch; Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol, d-beta tocopherol, d-gamma tocopherol, d-delta tocopherol.), activated bamboo charcoal, EO of Lemongrass and Japanese Pepper Mint. 
From someone's comment here, Vitamin E could cause pink coloration.

And I used tap water and it was really cold in that morning so maybe the water pipe frozen and something happened inside. I remember someone in the building said the water was brown a bit and it's gone. So I thought the water contained something like acid or iron...?
I'm gonna use distilled water from now on.



toxikon said:


> As for the snow comment - I can't speak for OP, but only for myself - to cool my lye water (and mix it in a well-ventilated area), I usually bring it outside. And here in snowy Canada, that means sometimes a bit of snow might get into the container. Just happened to me last weekend actually. I've never thought of the snow affecting the lye water, but now I'm curious.


 
Hi toxikon,

Since the it was really cold in that morning, the pipe underground could be frozen and it contains something like acid or iron. So it's not about snow it's coldness. Sorry my explanation was missing the big part.



Arimara said:


> I was wondering if they used the snow for water.


 
Hi Arimara,

I didn't use snow, I used tap water. My explanation was horribly short. I think tap water in that day contains something that caused pink coloration such as acid or iron because the pipe underground might have been frozen and cracked. I know I need to use distilled water tho.



earlene said:


> Again, another shot in the dark. After reading somewhere that Crisco or other shortening packaged in containers lined with aluminum foil-type of surface, would turn soap pink, I made soap with some once to see if that was true. It was slightly pink, not like in the OP's photo, though. Also not a good soap, either. I think it's one that ended up with DOS and got tossed.
> 
> That looks like a huge batch of soap! What is your mold and liner made of? This certainly is interesting.


 
I know that was 150 bars right there 
I use wooden mold with silicon liner. I made the liner by myself using a silicon paste. And it was the first try with the liner so I thought the silicon liner was the problem. However, I made another one with the same paste and when I used it first time, that pink discoloration didn't happen.



The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Aye - the lye will react with compounds in the water and this will carry over in to the soap. Not often a good thing, unless it's something that you actually want like adding citric acid or acetic acid


 
Thanks for the reply,

Do you mean those acid cause the discoloration?


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## penelopejane (Feb 28, 2017)

erdsoap said:


> I know that was 150 bars right there
> I use wooden mold with silicon liner. I  made the liner by myself using a silicon paste. And it was the first try with  the liner so I thought the silicon liner was the problem. However, I made another one with the same paste and when I  used it first time, that pink discoloration didn't happen.



Hi erdsoap, 
Welcome to the forum.  I hope we can solve your problem for you. 

You don't have to reply to everyone individually unless they say something different.  Everyone reads the posts on the thread they have responded to so you only have to explain about the waterpipes once > save your fingers. :mrgreen:


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## earlene (Feb 28, 2017)

Sounds like iron oxide deposits in pipes is a possibility.  Iron oxide is used as a soap colorant, so I would think that could have played a part in your result.  Although I have not heard of gamma tocopherol (Vitamin E food additive number E 308 ) tinting soap pink, if that is also true, then perhaps the two worked together to give you pink soap.  Or some other reaction of ingredients.


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## BrewerGeorge (Feb 28, 2017)

See it still seems really important to me that it's only on the edges where it was touching the mold. Unless the cut surfaces _ turn_ pink after exposure to air, I would seriously doubt it was something in the bulk batch. 

Which leads me back to the liner. You said you made it yourself from silicone. Are you sure it was fully cured? Silicone out gasses TONS of organic stuff while curing, including cyclohexasiloxane, phenyl bentonate, diethylphthalate, and many others. If you've ever done silicone caulking you can smell it - that sweet smell of organic chemistry crossed with vinegar. Who knows what that stuff might do to curing soap? 

But even if it's not that, I still think it will be important to know if the pink shows up on cut surfaces.

ETA: I forgot to mention peroxide! Most are catalyzed with some form of peroxide. If that's still hanging around AND you have some iron from your water  in the batch to oxidize...


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