Here are the best fabric dyes. Type: Direct | Form: Liquid | Recommended Fabrics: Cotton, linen, silk, wool, ramie, rayon, nylon Type: Direct | Form: Pod | Recommended Fabrics: Polyester, nylon Type: Direct | Form: Pod | Recommended Fabrics: Linen, cotton Type: Direct | Form: Powder | Recommended Fabrics: Cotton, linen, silk, wool, rayon, ramie, nylon Type: Acid | Form: Powder | Recommended Fabrics: Silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, feathers, nylon Type: Direct | Form: Liquid | Recommended Fabrics: Synthetic fabric and fabric blends with 35 percent or more polyester, acrylic, acetate, or nylon Type: Direct | Form: Powder | Recommended Fabrics: Cotton Type: Direct | Form: Powder | Recommended Fabrics: Linen, flax, bamboo, rayon, hemp, cotton
Safety
“If you are dyeing with children or in a poorly ventilated area, you will want to consider what chemicals are in or need to be added to the dye you are using,” Olsen says. Otherwise, tie-dying can pose potential hazards to children when there’s no adult supervision.
Saturation and Vibrancy
Olsen also recommends considering how vibrant you want the color saturation to be and choosing a dye based on its saturation. For the most vibrant and saturated projects, it’s best to dye a natural fiber with a compatible dye type.
Why Trust The Spruce Crafts?
Contributing writer Jessie Quinn has a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Journalism from Academy of Art University. As part of her education, Jessie studied textiles and traditional fabric dyeing techniques, which she now applies to her own fabric dyeing projects. She’s a big fan of tie-dye and has used fabric dye to refresh some old, faded garments in her wardrobe, too. When researching the best fabric dyes, Jessie considered the various types of fabric dyes, the importance of fabric type when dyeing, and the different techniques required for transforming textiles with dye. She also looked at her own stash of fabric dyes and considered how well they hold up long after the dye project concludes. As a result, Jessie curated a list of the best fabric dyes for different fabric types and purposes.
