Where can I buy Organic Powdered Dye?

What is a good substitute for Organic Powdered Dye? I need Organic Powdered Dye and I cannot find it ANYWHERE!!

Most dyes are organic dyes. "Organic" does not mean "natural," in chemistry. It only means that the molecule contains carbon. There are very few dyes which are not organic; these would be the mineral dyes, such as iron buff. All other dyes are carbon-based and therefore organic.

You can buy organic dye powder in most grocery stores, in the form of Rit all-purpose dye, which contains direct dyes for cellulose fibers such as cotton, mixed with acid dyes for protein fibers such as wool, plus sodium chloride (which comprises the largest portion of the powder), and anionic and nonionic surfactants to aid dye dispersal.

You can also order different kinds of dyes from a good dye supplier. Dye suppliers sell acid dyes, direct dyes, vat dyes, fiber reactive dyes, naphthol dyes, etc. All of these dyes are organic dyes, and most are available in powered form.

If what you really want is natural dye, not organic dye, then you should look at a supplier of natural dyes, such as Earthues or Aurora Silk, both of which are listed on the page Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World. Most natural dyes are also organic dyes, of course, just like synthetic dyes, and most are available in powdered form.

If you are looking for dye to make a colored smoke bomb, not just any organic dye will work. Many dyes will burn up, adding no color to your smoke. You can buy smoke dyes from a company called Skylighter.com. Be careful that no one breathes any of the colored smoke, because the dyes are highly unlikely to be safe for ingestion by humans in any form, including breathing.

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[This answer was first posted, by me, on Yahoo answers, on June 4, 2008.]