What’s so good about natural dyes?

A series of dye swatches created using natural dyes.

Natural dyes are produced using the pigments found in organic sources. The majority of dyes come from vegetables, plants, roots, berries and bark but can also come from insects. Evidence of natural textile dyes has been traced back to more than 5,000 years ago! This ancient process has barely changed over time and remains much the same today as it would have all those years ago.

Natural dyes are only really effective when used with natural fibres, such as cellulose (cotton, linen, hemp) and protein (wool, silk) fibres. Due to the different molecular structure of the fibres, they need slightly different pre-treating methods, known as mordanting, to ensure successful results.

The majority of textile dyeing that happens in commercial production uses synthetic dyes, which were discovered in the mid-19th century. Whilst synthetic dyes are cheap, quick and reliable, they are detrimental to the environment. Synthetic dyes are particularly water intensive, it is estimated that the textile industry uses 1.3 trillion gallons of water every year just to dye garments! The majority of the waste water, often still containing harmful chemicals and residual dyes then flows into rivers and streams, contaminating the water ways.

Natural dyes however, do not contain any harmful chemicals and use much less water than their synthetic counterparts. Whilst the colours can be unpredictable, the process of dyeing with organic matter is more about the process, and of course will still produce fascinating and beautiful results. Research also suggests that colours derived from nature have a number of positive psychological benefits as well as environmental. Natural colours are soothing and restorative, they can evoke feelings of calmness and improve concentration levels. The magic of natural dyes is a deep and broad subject which has the ability to positively impact not only the environment but also our lives.