Hello class! Welcome to a blog post where you can learn how to dye your own clothing using natural dyes! After doing a significant amount of research on the textile industry for our class clothing swap presentations, my group which focused on dyes, discovered many environmental and human health problems associated with using synthetic dyes. First I will begin with some information about what synthetic and natural dyes are, and the problems associated with using synthetic dyes. Then I will get into teaching all you reader how you can naturally dye your own article of clothing! So stick it out till you get to that exciting part!!

Synthetic dyes are made from synthetic resources such as petroleum by products. Man- made, artificial. The most common synthetic dye used in the fashion industry is azo dyes. Azos are a class of synthetic organic dyes that contain nitrogen as the azo group as part of their molecular structure. More than half of commercial dyes belong to this class and the primary colors created are bright reds, yellows, and oranges. Most azo’s are applied directly because they contain chemical substituents that make them soluble in water and then can be absorbed by the solution. Azo dyes are used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and textiles. These dyes are the largest and most versatile class of dyes, and azos are well known for their antibiotic, anti-HIV, and anti-fungal properties, but also for its mutagenic and carcinogenic properties.

Azos dyes have negative impacts on the environment and humans. In the environment, the biggest antagonist is factory runoff. Runoff pollutes ground waters and subsequently impacts aquatic systems and surrounding habitats. An estimated 200,000 tons of dyestuff is released into the global environment every year, and through the dyeing process it has been calculated that colorant loss to the environment can be as high as 50%. Color contamination decreases light penetration through water, which decreases photosynthetic activity and leads to oxygen deficiency. Azo dyes can have acute and chronic exposure on aquatic organisms. For example, dye effluent has been connected to growth reduction, neurosensory damage, metabolic stress and death in fish, and growth and productivity in plants. Contamination therefore limits downstream human water use such as recreation, drinking, fishing and irrigation.

Humans are impacted by the Aromatic amines which can be mobilized by water or sweat, which aids their absorption through the skin and other exposed areas, such as the mouth. Skin irritation and contact dermatitis are caused by acute exposure to azo dyes, and when released in certain water sources absorption by ingestion can lead to excess vomiting, swelling of the face, neck, and tongue, and respiratory disease. Treatment for exposure to amines can be costly, and for factory workers payment for treatment may have to come out of pocket, which could lead to absence of treatment or medical debt. Additionally, most developing countries where the majority of textiles are produced may lack the resources needed to treat cancer-causing diseases.

With negative and environmental and human impacts, an easy alternative to this is using natural dyes. Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetables, fruits, or plant sources. For the clothing swap I dyed an old white t-shirt with turmeric and now I will walk you through the steps so you can replicate this fun process!! Aside from turmeric here is a list of other natural dyes you can use in this same process:

– Alder (Alnus rubra) (Bark)- orange

– Barberry (mahonia sp.) yellow orange (with alum) very strong & permanent. Any part of the plant will work.

– Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) (root when cut open)- will give a good orange to reddish orange color.

– Butternut Tree (Juglans cinerea) – (bark, seed husks) – light yelllow-orange

– Carrot (Daucus carota) – (roots) – orange

– Eucalyptus – (all parts, leaves and bark) beautiful shades of tan, deep rust red, yellow, green, orange and chocolate brown.

– Giant Coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) Yields bright permanent orange with alum.

– Lichen (orchella weed) (Roccellaceae) – gold, purple, red

– Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) (twigs) – yellow/orange

– Onion (Allium cepa) (skin) – orange

– Pomegranate (skins)– with alum anywhere from orange to khaki green.

– Sassafras (leaves)

 

HOW TO:
1) Attain a white article of clothing, preferably cotton (absorbs natural dyes best).

I myself used an old white t-shirt I found in my closet because it was more sustainable to reuse than to go buy a white shirt from Walmart.

2) SOAK. You will need to soak your article of clothing in warm water for upward of three hours. The longer you soak, the more these fibers will loosen and open up and be easily suceptable to the dye.

3) Boil enough water in steel pot for your article of clothing to be completed covered in. As water starts to boil, slowly add the natural substance you have chosen to use. In my case, I asses a tablespoon of turmeric at a time, until I reached a dark golden color which I felt was my desired colored! The more you use, the darker or more vibrant your color will come out!

4) Add one cup of vinegar of lemon juice. These added acidic liquids help the natural substance stick to the fibers of your clothes.

5) add your soaked white article of clothing to your hot vinegar, water, natural substance solution and soak for several hours. After soaking remove, rinse with cool water, and let air dry.

 

Ta-Da! You have naturally dyed a shirt!

Here is photo of my golden/yellow shirt! The turmeric turned out to produce a really beautiful color. I hope you enjoyed learning how to do this process and stay tuned for another blog post because I’m going to dye something using beets and I am also going to try some tie dye using all natural dyes!