Why Natural Dyed Fabrics are Not color Fast

Natural dyes, derived from plant sources or other natural materials, are known for their vibrant and diverse color palette. However, compared to synthetic or chemical dyes, natural dyes generally exhibit lower colorfastness. Here are some reasons why natural dyes may not be as colorfast:

Chemical Composition: Natural dyes are composed of complex mixtures of organic compounds present in plant materials. These compounds can be sensitive to factors such as light, pH, and washing, leading to color fading or changes over time.

Lack of Fixation Agents: Natural dyes often require the use of mordants or fixatives to enhance their colorfastness. Mordants help bind the dye to the fabric fibers, improving its resistance to fading. However, the availability and effectiveness of mordants for natural dyes can vary, resulting in varying degrees of colorfastness.

Light Sensitivity: Many natural dyes are sensitive to light and can fade when exposed to prolonged sunlight or artificial light sources. This light sensitivity is attributed to the degradation of the color molecules present in the dyes.

pH Sensitivity: Natural dyes can be sensitive to changes in pH levels. Factors such as the alkalinity or acidity of the environment or the washing detergent used can influence the stability and colorfastness of natural dyes.

Washing and Care: Natural dyes can be more susceptible to color loss or bleeding during washing compared to synthetic dyes. Harsh washing methods, including the use of strong detergents or high temperatures, can accelerate color fading or bleeding.

Variability in Plant Sources: Natural dyes obtained from different plant sources or batches can exhibit variations in their dye composition and quality. This variability can impact colorfastness, as different dye components may have different stability and resistance to fading.

Despite the challenges with colorfastness, natural dyes are still valued for their unique and environmentally friendly qualities. There are ongoing research and efforts to improve the colorfastness of natural dyes through advancements in dyeing techniques, mordanting processes, and the development of natural dye extracts or formulations.

To enhance the colorfastness of natural dyes, certain steps can be taken:

Pre-treatment and Mordanting: Proper pre-treatment of fabric and the use of suitable mordants can improve colorfastness by enhancing the binding of natural dyes to the fibers.

pH Control: Maintaining a stable pH environment during dyeing and subsequent washing can help preserve the color intensity and stability of natural dyes.

Avoidance of Harsh Washing: Gentle washing techniques using mild detergents, cold water, and minimal agitation can help minimize color loss or bleeding.

Protection from Light: Limiting exposure to direct sunlight or storing natural dyed textiles in dark or shaded areas can help reduce color fading caused by light.

While natural dyes may have lower colorfastness compared to synthetic dyes, they offer unique aesthetic qualities and can be appreciated for their sustainable and eco-friendly nature.

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How to Dye Using Indian Natural Dyes

To Dye the Fabric with natural dyes, we proceed as follows:

Tanning

1. Take 20% Harda powder on the weight of material.

2. Make into a smooth paste , add about 10 liters of water.

3. Soak the fabric in this bath for 10-15 minutes.

4. Work it well and dry.

5. After drying remove the extra unfixed harda powder by brushing.

Mordanting

1. Take about 200 gms of alum or 50 gms of Potassium Dichromate or 200 grams of copper sulphate accoding to the color desired.

2. Add 20 liters of water

3. Mix well

4. Enter the Harda Treated material into the dyebath and work well

5. Keep of 10-15 minutes

6. Squeeze and wash once in plain water to remove excess of mineral salt.

Developing

Please see the "Developing of Color" Section of the article "How to Print Using Indian Natural Dyes" .  

How to Print Using Indian Natural Dyes

General Procedure

1. Tanning of Fabric with Myrabolan Powder

If myrobalan powder is taken

a. Take 200 gms of Myrobalan powder for 1 kg of fabric

b. Make a smooth paste with water, without any lumps

c. Add water till it becomes 5 liters.

d. Mix well

e. Soak the fabric in this

f. Work the fabric in this solution at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.

g. Squeeze the material and dry it in shade.

h. When dried, remove the unfixed material by striking it against wall.



2. Preparation of Thickening Agent

Using Tamarind Seed Powder

a. Add 100 gms of Tamarind seed powder in 1 liter of boiling wter.Sprinkle the powder in the boiling water stirring to avoid lumps.

b. Cook and mix till a fine paste is ready, cool it and filter the contents.

c. Remember that this paste is stable only for 2 to 3 days.

Or

Take Bhagvathi gum, add 30 to 50 gms of powder for 1 liter of water. It is also soluble in cold water.

This paste has better stability

Avoid Gum Arabic.

3. Mordanting the Solution with Mineral Salts

Take the mineral salts according to the following formula:

x parts of mineral salts
15 to 20% boiling water
70% thickening agent
to make it 100%.

The following are the general guidelines for getting the dark shades.

Alum= 10%, available by the name of Fitkari
Potassium Dichromate= 5%, available as Lal Kashish
Copper Sulphate= 10%, available by the name of mor Thuth
Ferrous Sulphate= 1 to 5%, available by the name of Hira Kashish
Iron Solution = 50%

Iron solution is made by the following procedure:

a. Take 2 kg of Iron Pieces, 1 to 1.5 kg of Jaggery and add 20 liters of water.

b. Keep in a plastic container for 3-4 weeks

Tin Chloride= 0.5 to 1.0 %

The Procedure for making the paste is:

a. Ground the mineral salt into powder form.
b. Add water and boil.
c. When completely dissolved, add the thickening agent.

The paste is ready for the printing process

4. Printing

Now Print the fabric using blocks. Dry and wash as follows:

5. Washing

 When washing in river keep the printed portion face down so that it touches water. Wash for about 5 to 10 minutes, printed portion is not touched. Care should be taken that printed portion should not touch the unprinted portion.

After washing, dry in flat on the ground. Dont hang. Now the fabric is ready for developing.


6. Developing of Color

Fabric is developed using traditional material. For yellow ranges Pomegranate rind ( Anar ka Chilka) or Forest Yellow (Amba Haldi) 50% or Moduga flowers ( Desuda phool) are taken. For Pinks to reds maroons Alizarin(0.5% with 10-20% Dhavdi flowers added to dye bath), Mnajistha(25-50%) is taken, for grey ranges: Rathanjoth(30% to 50%), Ferrous Sulphate is taken, for brown range: catechu ( Katha) and its componets are taken.

 Powder the dye and mix and boil with water for 3-4 boils. Filter it. Make a dye bath with material to Liquor ratio of 1:20 at 50 deg C. Add the solution in it. Enter the fabric ( already mordanted ) in it. Work well and raise the temperature to boil. Dye for 30-40 minutes. Wash and soap. Dry in shade.

Natural Dyes and their Application Classes

Natural Dyes and their Application Classes

S. No.	Common Name	Dye Class
1	Indigo	Vat
2	Madder	Mordant/Disperse
3	manjeet	Acid/ Mordant/Disperse
4	Sappanwood	Mordant /Disperse
5	Lac dye	Acid/ Mordant
6	Berberine	Basic
7	Tesu	Mordant/ Disperse
8	Kamala	Mordant/ Disperse
9	Dolu	Mordant/Disperse
10	Gall Nuts	Acid/ Mordant
11	Cutch	Acid/ Mordant/ Disperse

An excellent paper on the status of natural dyes in India can be downloaded from here

Here is a great blog talking about mordanting on wool.

Printing with Natural Dyes

Printing with Natural Dyes

In traditional methods in India, printing is essentially carried in three steps:

1. Preparation of the Cloth
2. Mordanting
3. Dyeing

1. First of all the cloth is prepared by applying tannin.

2. A thickened mordant is printed on this tannin treated cloth in the desired pattern.

3. The cloth is then dyed so that dyestuff attaches itself to those parts of the cloth to which mordant has been applied.

Thus the various processes are:

a. Tanning of fabric
b. printing of mordant
c. fixing of the modant
d. washing out the excess of fixing agent
e. dyeing
f. washing and soaping.

Harda or Myrobalan is used in India as a tanning agent for dyeing and printing with natural colours.

It is applied on scoured cotton fabric in cold ( 10-40 gpl) using conventional method of tub dip wherein the Harda powder is replenished with each piece added to the bath.

After drying various metallic salts such as alum or ferrous sulphate are printed on the fabric either separately or in mixtures.

It is then subsequently dyed with madder root ( Manjith), pometranate rind, kusum flowers and other vegetable dyes.

Trade Names of Natural Dyes

DYE SOURCE	BOTANICAL NAME/ SOURCE	TRADE NAME
Pomegranate	Punica granatium	Pacific
Myrobalan	Terminalia chebula	Kongo
Cutch	Acacia catechu	Thar
Kamala	Mallotus phillipinensis	Basant
Nut Galls	Quercus infectoria	Amber-M
Madder	Rubia cardifolia	Indus
Himalayan Rhubarb	Rheum emodi	Desert
Indigo	Indigofera tinctoria	Nile
Annato	Bixa orellana	Amazon
Lac	Coccus laccae	Rhine-M

You can find a tutorial on How to Use Natural Dyes here.  Receipes for natural dyes can be found here.