Dyeing with Avocado Pits & Skins: Natural Pink Dye Tutorial
If I asked you what colour avocado dye is, what would you say? Perhaps you’d guess green, after the colour of the fruit. Perhaps you’d think they would create an unsightly shade of purple-brown, just like the colour of the skin. As it turns out, avocado stones and skins have a little secret. Dyeing with avocado gives you the most gorgeous peachy-pink hues!
So I just had to try my hand at it. It turns out it’s incredibly easy, and the results? Well, I have a feeling I’ll be dyeing just about anything this gorgeous shade of pale pink. It’s super easy, very rewarding and a great way to bring new life to some old bits of clothing.
Here’s how I did it, and everything I learned along the way, so that you can start dyeing with avocado too!
Tips for Dyeing with Avocado
Dyeing with avocado is straightforward, but you need to know a few things before you get started. Read these tips to give you the best results from your dyeing project:
- Natural dyes can be a little bit temperamental and can give you different results depending on a number of factors – the pH of your tap water, the origin of the avocados, the time you soak for, and the fibre you’re dyeing, to name just a few. If you embrace the fact that the results will be a little different every time, it’s actually quite wonderful that the dye is unique to each batch.
- Avocado dye only works on natural fibres like cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen and wool. I used a piece of cotton fabric, a piece of hemp fabric, two cotton muslins and a bamboo wipe. I wanted to see how the different fabrics would respond.
- Scrub as much flesh as possible off the stones and skins to create the clearest shade of pink.
- Make sure to use a gentle heat when creating your dye bath, rather than boiling too hard.
- You may need to pre-treat your fabric in a mordant bath first. This is particularly important for plant fibres (also known as cellulose fibres) like cotton or linen rather than protein fibres like wool or silk. Avocado skins and stones are quite high in tannins which gives them a natural colourfastness, but pre-treating your fabric will give it an extra bit of staying power. Pre-treating your fabric can also give deeper colour. Rebecca Desnos has a great tutorial on how to pre-treat fabric with soy milk.
- You can just use stones (which are known as pits in the US), just use the skins, or use both together.
If you’re looking for even more information about natural dyes, the lovely Rebecca Desnos is queen of natural dyes and my go-to person for help. She has a membership that will teach you everything you need to know for success with natural dyes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does avocado dye need a mordant?
Technically avocado dye doesn’t require a mordant, but you will get better colour results and deeper shades if you do pre-treat your fabric.
Will naturally dyed fabric fade?
Often natural dyes will fade a little over time, particularly if they’re exposed to direct sunlight or washed very frequently at high temperatures. You can avoid the fading by pre-treating your fabric and caring for your fabric gently.
What can I try dyeing with avocado?
You can dye just about anything made of natural fibres like wool, silk, cotton or linen. Some things I’ve dyed include pieces of fabric, tops, old t-shirts, bedsheets and curtains.
My avocado dye is coming out more brown – what can I do?
Changing the pH of your dye bath will change the colour and can give you a whole range of colours from peach through to deep maroon. If your dye is looking more brown than pink, try adding a little baking soda or soda crystals to give you better results. You can also use this trick to revive a dye bath that has been stored for some time and has turned brown.
What other natural dyes can I try?
There are so many different kinds of dye you can make! Some other popular choices include onion skins, turmeric and black beans. You can also use some flowers and their seeds as natural dyes, such as coreopsis, hopi sunflowers and marigolds.
Why use a natural dye rather than a synthetic dye?
Besides being a really fun project to try, natural dyes have the benefit of having minimal environmental impact. By using food waste to dye your fabric, you’re avoiding plastic packaging and potentially harmful chemicals that are added to some synthetic dyes. You’re also likely to be able to get a dye colour that is more unusual, and unlikely to be achieved with an off the shelf dye. You even have the ability to control the depth of the colour in a way that isn’t always possible with machine dyes.
How to Make Dye from Avocado
Supplies
You will need:
- Approximately 4 avocado pits or 8 skins per 250g fabric
- Large saucepan or big pot (large enough to fit your fabric with plenty of space for it to circulate)
- A wooden spoon
- A sieve or colander
- An old muslin or cheesecloth
- Soy milk (optional)
Step 1: Pre-treat your fabric
If you’ve chosen to pretreat your fabric, make a mordant solution by diluting soy milk in a pot of cool water at a ratio of 1:5 milk to water. So for example, add 200ml of soy milk for each litre of water. Soak for 12 hours, spin the fabric in the washing machine to remove excess water and hang to dry. Once it’s dry, briefly dip the fabric into the milk and dry it again. Repeat this dipping and drying process one more time. Then leave the dry fabric to cure for a week before you begin dyeing with avocado.
Step 2: Prepare your avocado pits and skins
Clean your avocado stones and skins thoroughly so there is no flesh remaining and place them in a large saucepan with enough room for your fabric. Ideally the pot should be aluminium, but any will do. Add enough water so that it will cover the fabric when you add it (but don’t actually add the fabric in yet!)
Step 3: Prepare the dye bath
Bring the pot to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for at least 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot – you’re looking for a rich burgundy colour. It might take longer than 30 minutes, or a little bit less. Be led by the colour rather than the time! Once you’re happy with the colour, remove the stones or pits and strain the dye through a muslin or cheesecloth to remove all of the residue.
Step 4: Dyeing the fabric
Add your fabric to the pot of dye. If you’re dying wool or another fabric that struggles at high temperatures, make sure your dye has cooled a bit before you add your fabric. Otherwise, you can keep the fabric on a very low heat to keep it warm, or turn it off, as you prefer. The dye will continue to work when it’s at room temperature, but you may want to heat it gently now and again to give it a little boost.
Leave the fabric in the dye pot for a full day and night, or until it reaches your desired shade, stirring every now and again so you get an even colour.
Step 5: Removing your fabric
The next day, take your fabric out and rinse it with a gentle detergent. Hang to dry. Any excess dye in the pot can now be used to dye another piece of fabric or clothing!
How to Make Dye with Avocados
Equipment
- Large Saucepan or Pot (big enough for your fabric with room to spare)
- Wooden Spoon
- Sieve or colander
- Old muslin or cheesecloth
- Soy milk (optional)
Materials
- 8 avocado skins or pits per 250g fabric
Instructions
Pre-Treat the Fabric (Optional)
- Prepare a pot of cool water and soy milk with a ratio of 1:5 milk to water. Soak for 12 hours.
- Take the fabric out and spin in the washing machine to remove excess water. Hang to dry.
- Once dry, briefly dip the fabric into the milk and dry it again. Repeat this dipping and drying process one more time.
- Leave the dry fabric to cure for a week before you begin the dyeing process.
Dyeing the Fabric
- Clean your avocado stones and skins thoroughly and place them in a large saucepan. Add enough water so that it will cover the fabric when you add it (but don't add it yet).
- Bring the pot to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for at least 30 minutes.
- Once you're happy with the colour, remove the stones or pits and strain the dye through a muslin or cheesecloth to remove all of the residue.
- Add your fabric to the dye pot. Keep the fabric on a very low heat to keep it warm, or turn it off, as you prefer.
- Leave the fabric in the dye pot for a full day and night, or until it reaches your desired shade, stirring every now and again so you get an even colour.
- The next day, take your fabric out and rinse it with a gentle detergent. Hang to dry.
