Getting to the Root of the Matter

Root of the Matter soap, that is.  Our newest vegan-friendly soap is made with pureed ginger, beet, and carrot - three different roots.

The funny thing is, we originally did this soap because we wanted the ginger scent, and we wanted to try getting color from the beet and carrot, and didn't think much past that.  We obviously researched to make sure that none of those are harmful for topical use, and they're not.  So it was full steam ahead with the production.

The colors were obviously an experiment.  Eric was pushing for more of a mix of colors, like our Fudge Chunk soap.  I wanted to try the two-tone layering.  The ginger is present throughout the soap, giving it a very faint ginger smell when dry, that gets more pronounced and definitely noticeable while the soap is in use.  I know because I showered with it this morning, and it was heavenly.

Then we took half of the soap and mixed in beet, and half with carrot.  The carrot half - the bottom - gave us a nice orange color.  The beet, though, didn't turn purple or red, much to our surprise.  It's a nice, natural, earthy tone, but decidedly not red or purple.  We were sure that with the way the fresh beets were staining my hands as I peeled them the red would just pop.  Not so much.  As it is, I really like the way these turned out, it was just unexpected.  Gotta love experimentation.

Because of the way we make the hand soaps, we didn't do those two-tone, but they are damn cute!

When it came to writing up a description of the soap, I did some research into the ingredients to see what I should say about them.  Well, as it turns out, all three roots involved have virtues that are espoused for various health and well-being purposes among those who are into holistic remedies.

All three are said to have antioxidant properties and various other benefits, but the most surprising to me was the carrot.  I actually read that carrot is said to have some sun protection built in.  Apparently, when carrot oil is used in conjunction with regular sunblocks, it enhances the power of the sunblock.  I'd had no idea.  I hope it works and that our soap can provide some of that benefit.

In the meantime, I do know that I just love it for the smell, the feel, the lather, and the way it washes clean.

The best thing?  These are up on the site, just in time for the remainder of our promotion:  Free hand soap of our choosing with any purchase through December 19!  Finish your holiday shopping at Reef Botanicals!