What if we told you that you already had everything you needed in your kitchen to dye your clothes naturally? We’ll explain. Has your garment changed color in the wash? Are you tired of a piece and want to pimp it up? No need to call in a professional or buy anything, you already have everything you need in your kitchen!
And yes, certain spices and ingredients can change the color of a garment, as Abou Séga Kanouté explains in “On refait la mode”, the program produced by M6. It works especially for materials like cotton or linen: they are more absorbent and therefore easier to dye. So, if that’s what you want, head for the kitchen to choose the ingredients. Of course, you need to know what color you want to achieve in order to know which natural element to choose.
Saffron, for example, produces yellow shades, as does turmeric. Abou Séga Kanouté recommends coffee grounds for brown tones (also possible with tea bags) and red cabbage for blue and purple colors. In addition to spices, other everyday ingredients can be used to color clothes naturally, such as beetroot, pomegranate and avocado pits and skins for pink and/or red colors. In short, all spices and colorful ingredients that easily stain our clothes work!
The process is quite simple. However, you need to pay attention to the initial color of your t-shirt. If it is white and you use red cabbage, it will turn purple, depending on the amount of cabbage and leaves used. On the other hand, if the t-shirt is orange, the color will not be the same, even if the starting ingredients are similar.
Once you know which item of clothing you want to dye and with which ingredient, all you have to do is bring water to the boil and add the spice or chopped ingredient of your choice. Leave to simmer for about an hour; you will usually start to see the colors extract after 30 minutes, or even faster for spices. You can then remove the ingredients from the mixture and add your garment.
Depending on the garment chosen, you will need more or less water and dye solution. The main thing is that the fabric is well covered for it to work. You can leave it to soak overnight or remove it as soon as it has taken on the desired color. Be careful, the fabric will appear 1 to 2 shades lighter after rinsing and drying. Once removed from the solution, rinse it in cold water and then wash it, either by hand or in the machine on a gentle cycle!
This process is very common in countries with a historically important textile industry, such as Morocco and India. No doubt about it, it will work just as well at home!
