How to Make Natural Dark Brown Dye for Clothing

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Things You'll Need

  • Coffee beans

  • Cocoa powder

  • Walnut husks

  • Gloves

  • Large pot

Use natural products to achieve a dark brown dye for fabrics.

Whether you want to dye an article of clothing brown or need to fix a spot that was accidentally bleached out, there are several natural plants and foods that can be used to create a natural dark brown dye. When dying fabrics, make sure that you have a piece of disposable fabric to use as a test piece. This will help you adjust the color to the desired hue.

Advertisement

Step 1

Decide whether to use cocoa powder, walnut husks or coffee beans to create a dark brown dye. Grind the walnut husks or the coffee beans, if you are using either of these. Measure out 1/2 cup of the raw ingredient, whether it is natural cocoa, walnut husks or coffee grinds. Wear gloves to avoid temporarily dyeing your skin.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

Step 2

Pour the ground plant material or powder into a large pot. Add one cup of water to the pot and bring the solution to a boil. Turn the heat to low and allow the solution to simmer for approximately one hour.

Step 3

Wash the fabric that is going to be dyed then place the fabric in a 4-to-1 vinegar/water solution. Allow the fabric to steep in this solution for at least one hour. This solution allows the dye to become "fixed" to the fabric.

Advertisement

Step 4

Place the fabric and the vinegar solution into the pot with dye on the stove. Allow the fabric and dye to simmer until a dark brown color has been achieved. Wash the fabric in cold water by itself so that no dye is transferred to other fabrics.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

references

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...