Could you suggest a brand of dye that I can use to obtain these bright colours?


Name: Vanessa
Country: Australia
Message: Hi,
I have been tye dying for quite some years now, but can never seem to get the bright vibrant colours. Could you suggest a brand of dye that I can use to obtain these bright colours?

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Procion MX Fiber Reactive Cold Water Dye

Procion MX Dye

ideal for cotton, rayon, linen, and silk

When mixed with soda ash, Procion dyes are permanent, colorfast, and very washable. You can easily create a palette of brilliant colors ranging from light pastels to deep, vibrant hues.




Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

Dye up to 15 adult-size T-shirts, with vivid, electric colors that are so colorfast they can be washed with the daily laundry.


The most popular dye among tie-dyers is Procion MX fiber reactive dye. No other dye gives more vibrant colors. There are other fiber reactive dyes which produce similarly brilliant long-lasting colors, but they tend to be more expensive, and they are not superior in brightness. Drimarene K, Remazol, and Novacron F (formerly Cibacron F) are all similar in quality to Procion MX dyes.

In Australia, you can mail order Procion MX type dye from Kraftkolour or from Batik Oetoro; see Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World, and scroll down to the section on Australia and New Zealand. You can also order it from either Dharma Trading Company or PRO Chemical & Dye, in the US; if you call and arrange for the least expensive form of overseas shipping, the prices can be surprisingly competitive.

There are other important points to follow in getting the most vibrant colors possible, with fiber reactive dyes:

  1. Dye only natural fibers such as 100% cotton or 100% silk, or other cellulose fibers such as rayon. Avoid stain-resistant or water-resistant fabric.

    PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) fabric or clothing is the best, because it lacks surface treatments that can resist dye and will dim your ultimate colors. RTD (Ready To Dye) is also good. Rayon (the viscose rayon type) and mercerized cotton produce the most brilliant colors. 

  2. Prewash your fabric in hot water, preferably 60°C (or 140°F), with detergent and extra soda ash.

  3. Use soda ash (sodium carbonate or washing soda) to set fiber reactive dye.

  4. Make sure your reaction temperature is warm enough: minimum 21°C (or 70°F) overnight for tie-dyeing with Procion MX, or warmer for the other fiber reactive dyes.

  5. Choose colors that are close to the printers' primaries of cyan, magenta, and yellow for mixing the brightest colors. See "What colors should I buy to start out with?".

  6. Use enough dye! Use 20 grams (about 8 teaspoons) of Procion MX dye powder per cup of urea water for black; use 10 grams per cup (about 4 teaspoons) for dark colors; use 5 grams per cup (about 2 teaspoons) for medium colors; and use 1 gram of dye powder (about half a teaspoon) per cup of urea water for pale pastel colors. Also use salt, when using high water ratio immersion to dye solid colors, but not for tie-dyeing.

  7. Make sure your dyes are reasonably fresh (fiber reactive dye is expected to last for one to two years after purchase) and store it in a reasonably cool, dry place.

  8. Leave the dye to react long enough that there is no longer any unreacted dye on your fiber remaining. If all of the dye has had time to react with either the fiber or the water, then all remaining unattached dye will be removable with hot water, but if you rinse out while the dye is still active, it's possible to get a permanent dulling effect due to the bleeding of excess dye.

  9. Wash out all loose, unattached dye afterwards by rinsing first in cool water to remove the soda ash and any other auxiliary chemicals, then wash twice with hot water (60°C or 140°F) or once with boiling water.


The worst dyes for getting vibrantly bright colors on cotton are the all-purpose dyes (such as Rit Tint and Dye, Tintex Hot Water Dye, and Dylon Multi Purpose), because they contain direct dyes which bleed onto one another, dulling down the colors drastically. All-purpose dye is not suitable for tie-dyeing cotton.

Dylon Permanent Dyes contain good fiber reactive dyes, but they are not intended for mixing. The lack of good mixing primary colors in the Dylon dye lines means that colors tend to be dull when you mix them yourself. (This does not apply to the tie-dye kits made by Dylon.)

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Posted: Saturday - December 12, 2009 at 01:49 PM          

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