Just wearing clothes made from natural fibers is not enough. If you really want to escape from fast fashion ruining nature, you have to be careful in the dyeing process too.
Natural Dyeing is the process of using natural materials to generate a range of colors for fabric. We are going to provide you with the ideas to use these natural dyes and some raw materials to prepare some.
How to prepare and use natural dyes?
The natural dyeing process is much simpler. Follow these steps to generate beautiful colors for your clothes:
Step 1: Collect materials to prepare a Dye
There is no dyeing without a dye. So you have to make one. Find a dye material that can produce the color of your requirement. It can be plant materials or some animal products that might also be useful. You will also require Jars, utensils to heat or cook, Any heat source, and Fabric scraps.
Step 2: Make a Dye
Are you in a hurry to make a dye? Let’s go for the quicker method first. Cut your raw material into small pieces. Pour cold water into your saucepan along with your chopped ingredients. Simmer water for an hour at medium heat. Allow it to cool down to normal temperature.
If you don’t want to expense your resources, let the sun be your assistant. In a jar, add your raw material and cold water. Place it in a safe place where it will get solar heat. Within 24 hours, you will start to see some color shades that you will require.
Use fabric scraps to filter the mixture in both cases. Your extraction process is complete.
(As suggested by Skillshare Liz Spencer)
Step 3: Prepare the fabric
You need to have a clean piece of fabric for dyeing. Wash your fabric based on guidelines. If you are looking to dye protein fibers like cashmere, follow the how-to-wash cashmere guide.
Once the fabric is clean, you should use fixative or mordant. Mordant helps you set the clothes to dye. You can use natural mordants like salt and vinegar.
To increase color fastness, you can pretreat the fabric with soy milk and dry it. The process is carried out 3 times and wait for a week before applying color dye.
Step 4: Dye bath the fabric
Get your natural dyeing agent and cloth ready. For trail, use a sample cloth for dye bath. Soak the wet fabric in the dye solution. If you use powdered pigments like turmeric, take a pot with water and put powder on it. Let the solution simmer for an hour in a low heat. For a dark color, leave the cloth overnight. For lighter color, you can take it out immediately after cooling.
Step 5: Change the shade
Here comes some chemistry now! Sometimes the color right is but the shade is something you don’t prefer to use. In that case, you can use an alkaline or acidic agent to change the pH value of the dye. As the stability of the pH value changes, you can notice changes in the color. Vinegar, Baking soda, Lemon juice, and Citrus fruits are some agents you can use.
Step 6: Washing and Drying
Your damp fabric might have extra dye that needs to be removed. Wash your dye gently with lukewarm water and dish soap. Use baby shampoo if you are washing cashmere garments. Clean it with running cold water. Repeat the process till all the excess dyes are removed. Hang the washed garment to dry. Your clothes are naturally dyed.
List of Natural Dyes for Fabrics at Home
This is the list of natural dye materials that you can prepare at home. The list is arranged based on the natural color it can generate.
1. Red Natural Dyes for Fabric
| Brazilwood | Caesalpinia Echinata | Standard Red |
| Coreopsis | Coreopsis Naturalis | Shades of Red |
| Quebracho | Schinopsis Lorentzii | Deep brick red |
| Sumac | Rhus Coriaria | Pinkish Red |
2. Blue Natural Dyes for Fabric
| Indigo | Indigofera suffruticosa | Blue |
| Red cabbage leaves | Brassica Oleracea | Pastel blue |
3. Brown Shades for fabric
| Walnut | Juglans Regia | Moderate Brown |
| Oak | Quercus Robur | Shades of Brown |
| Black tea | Camelia sinensis | Deep brown |
| Coffee | Coffea Arabica | Earthly Brown |
| Fern Stem | Dryopteris Filix | Light Brown |
| Eucalyptus | Eucalyptus naturalis | Golden Brown |
| Blackthorn | Prunus Spinosa | Dark Brown |
| Black beans | Phaseolus Vulgaris | Dark Brown |
| Black walnuts | Juglans Nigra | Black Brown |
4. Yellow Natural Dyes for Fabric
| St John’s Wort | Hypericum perforatum | Light to Medium Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| Pomegranate | Punica granatum | Bright Yellow |
| Fusticwood | Clorophora Tinctorium | Rich Golden Yellow |
| Celery leaves | Apium Gravelons | Soft Yellow |
| Dyer’s Chamomile | Matricaria Chamomilla | Pale Yellow |
| Daffodil | Narcissus naturalis | Bright Yellow |
| Weld | Reseda naturalis | Bright Golden Yellow |
| Elder | Sambucus naturalis | Light Yellow |
| Gorse | Ulex naturalis | Golden Yellow |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum Officinale | Light Yellow |
| Avocado leaves | Persea americana | Deep Yellow |
| Goldenrod | Solidago Naturalis | Golden Yellow |
| Henna | Lawsonia naturalis | Tanish Yellow and Orange |
| Avocado skins and pits | Persea americana | Golden Yellow (Pinkish) |
| Ground Turmeric | Curcuma Longa | Golden Yellow |
| Annato seeds | Bixa Orellana | Orange |
5. Green Natural Dyes for Fabric
| Yerba Mate | Ilex paraguarensis | Bright Green |
| Mint | Mentha | Light Green |
| Nettles | Urtica dioica | Shining Green |
| Thyme | Thymus Vulgaris | Pale Green |
6. Purple Natural Dyes for Fabric
| Lavender | Lavendula Latifolia | Light Lilac to Deep Violet |
| Rosemary | Salvia Rosamarinus | Greenish-purple |
| Elderberries | Sambucus Nigra | Light Lavender to Deep Purple |
Natural Dyes for multiple ranges of shades
Some natural ingredients can produce various rainbow of colors. The variation might be due to parts of specific plants and ways of extracting the natural dye.
1. Orange and Red natural dyes for fabrics
| Chestnut oak | Quercus Castaneifolia | Orange and Red |
| Madder | Rubia Tinctorium | Deep Red and Orange |
| Sappanwood | Caesalpinia sappan | Red and Orange |
2. Purple and Red natural dyes for fabrics
| Birch | Betula Pendula | Purple and Red |
| Logwood | Haematoxylum Campechianum | Red and Purple |
| Lac | Tectona Naturalis | Burgundy Red and Deep Purple |
| Blackberry | Rubus Fruticosus | Purple, Brown, and Reds |
3. Pink and Red natural dyes for fabrics
| Cochineal | Dactylopius coccus | Red and Bright Pink |
| Hibiscus | Hibiscus rosa sinensis | Pink and Red |
| Beetroots | Beta Vulgaris | Pink and Red |
4. Yellow and Orange natural dyes for fabrics
| Safflower | Carthamus tinctorius | Orange and Yellow |
| Marigold | Tagetes | Yellow and Orange |
| Sage | Maclura Tinctoria | Bright Yellow and Orange |
| Calendula | Calendula Officinalis | Orange and Yellow |
5. Pink and Purple natural dyes for fabrics
| Alkanet | Anchusa Tinctoria | Pink and Purple |
| Dahlia | Dahila Pinnata | Pink and Purple |
| Oak galls | Quercus Infectoria | Brown and Deep Purple |
6. Yellow and Brown Natural dyes for fabrics
| Onion skins | Allium cepa | Bright yellow and brown |
| Cutch | Acacia catechu | Yellow and dark brown |
| Ivy | Hedera helix | Yellow and intense brown |
| Woad | Isatis tinctoria | Green, Brown, and Purple |
| Nettle | Urtica naturalis | Yellow and Green |
Conclusion
Natural Dye colors are the game changer in the textile industry. These dyes are functional as well as ethical alternatives. Our cashmere scarves are dyed using organic raw materials. Colorful Cashmere has chosen a sustainable fabric and organic dye combo. Your wrap will not only be an advocate of your style but of your conscious choice too. Get handmade sustainable wraps and be part of the change!