Naturally dyed skeins made with madder root, Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood—and other biological sources such as fungi.[1]
Archaeologists have found evidence of textile dyeing dating back to the Neolithic period. In China, dyeing with plants, barks and insects has been traced back more than 5,000 years.[2] The essential process of dyeing changed little over time. Typically, the dye material is put in a pot of water and heated to extract the dye compounds into solution with the water. Then the textiles to be dyed are added to the pot, and held at heat until the desired color is achieved. Textile fibre may be dyed before spinning or weaving ("dyed in the wool"), after spinning ("yarn-dyed") or after weaving ("piece-dyed").[3] Many natural dyes require the use of substances called mordants to bind the dye to the textile fibres. Mordants (from Latin mordere 'to bite') are metal salts that can form a stable molecular coordination complex with both natural dyes and natural fibres. Historically, the most common mordants were alum (potassium aluminum sulfate—a metal salt of aluminum) and iron (ferrous sulfate). Many other metal salt mordants were also used, but are seldom used now due to modern research evidence of their extreme toxicity either to human health, ecological health, or both. These include salts of metals such as chrome, copper, tin, lead, and others. In addition, a number of non-metal salt substances can be used to assist with the molecular bonding of natural dyes to natural fibres—either on their own, or in combination with metal salt mordants—including tannin from oak galls and a range of other plants/plant parts, "pseudo-tannins", such as plant-derived oxalic acid, and ammonia from stale urine. Plants that bio-accumulate aluminum have also been used. Some mordants, and some dyes themselves, produce strong odors, and large-scale dyeworks were often isolated in their own districts.
Throughout history, people have dyed their textiles using common, locally available materials, but scarce dyestuffs that produced brilliant and permanent colors such as the natural invertebrate dyes Tyrian purple and crimson kermes became highly prized luxury items in the ancient and medieval world. Plant-based dyes such as woad (Isatis tinctoria), indigo, saffron, and madder were important trade goods in the economies of Asia, Africa and Europe. Dyes such as cochineal and logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum) were brought to Europe by the Spanish treasure fleets, and the dyestuffs of Europe were carried by colonists to America.
The discovery of man-made synthetic dyes in the mid-19th century triggered a long decline in the large-scale market for natural dyes. In the early 21st century, the market for natural dyes in the fashion industry is experiencing a resurgence.[4] Western consumers have become more concerned about the health and environmental impact of synthetic dyes—which require the use of toxic fossil fuel byproducts for their production—in manufacturing and there is a growing demand for products that use natural dyes.
^Bechtold, Thomas, ed. (2023). Handbook of Natural Colorants. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. ISBN 9781119811718.
^Goodwin (1982), p. 11.
^Kerridge (1988), pp. 15, 16, 135.
^Calderin, Jay (2009). Form, Fit, Fashion. Rockport. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-59253-541-5.
Naturaldyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of naturaldyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots...
Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber. The majority of natural dyes...
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Indigo is a naturaldye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera genus...
coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the naturaldye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and...
also known as royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple naturaldye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon, once Phoenicia...
baby light results are very natural and subtle. Dipping or tip dyeing, where tips of the hair are dipped directly into dye. Hair coloring can also be applied...
products using naturaldyes. These dyes include natural indigo, Amami Ōshima mud dye, sugme dyp dye and cochineal. By using naturaldye, which is a bacterium...
these in the group of carbonyl dyes. Members of this dye group can be found in naturaldyes as well as in synthetic dyes. Anthraquinone dyestuffs are represented...
treatment with a dye. Archaeologists have found evidence of textile dyeing with naturaldyes dating back to the Neolithic period. In China, dyeing with plants...
dye indigotin. The precipitate from the fermented leaf solution is mixed with a strong base such as lye. Today most dye is synthetic, but naturaldye...
Dale Adam Dye Jr. (born October 8, 1944) is an American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer. A decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam...
Dye guest starred in Major Crimes and recurred in shows Roommates and Finding Carter. In 2016, Dye starred as Tyler Evans in the drama film Natural Selection...
colouring. For some applications, this naturaldye may be used to replace the use of synthetic dyes. However naturaldyes tend to have a lower colour fastness...
production has been lost in two families. Betanin is commercially used as a natural food dye. It can cause beeturia (red urine) and red feces in some people who...
widely used source of the naturaldye known as weld. The plant is rich in luteolin, a flavonoid which produces a bright yellow dye. The yellow could be mixed...
The extract of mangosteen peels is traditionally used in Indonesia as naturaldye for coloring of brown, dark brown, purple or red hues applied to tenun...
making it useful in histology for staining heparin in mast cells. As a naturaldye, berberine has a color index of 75160. Studies on the pharmacological...
This naturally derived dye has been used as a histologic stain, as an ink and as a dye in the textile and leather industry. As a dye, haematoxylin has been...
dye prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. It has been used since at least the ancient Egyptian period as a hair and body dye...
cotton textile produced in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Only naturaldyes are used in Kalamkari, which involves twenty-three steps. There are two...
references to a mauve dye in 1856–1858 referred to a color produced using the semi-synthetic dye murexide or a mixture of naturaldyes. Perkin was so successful...
made with naturaldyes. The entire production of the products includes both vegetable dyes and mineral dyes. Indigo is a key dye. Naturaldye products...
another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored substances which are soluble or go into solution at some stage in their use. Dyes are often organic compounds...
mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e., bind) dyes on fabrics. It does this by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then...
Quercitron is a yellow naturaldye obtained from the bark of the Eastern Black Oak (Quercus velutina), a forest tree indigenous in North America. It was...
ancient Indonesia. White is the natural colour of woven cotton fabrics, while red is one of the earliest naturaldyes, acquired either from teak leaves...
secretion that is a color-fast naturaldye. The ancient Tyrian purple was made in this way as were other purple and blue dyes. The extreme expense of extracting...
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