HOW TO NATURALLY DYE DARK COLORS WITH IRON | BOTANICAL DYE | BLACK AND GREYS

Today I'm showing you some simple steps to achieve dark colours with natural dyes. It's actually super simple and you don't need any special dyes.
BillyNou shop on www.billynou.com/
To buy some gorgeous natural dyes and tannin products from a long standing family run business: themazi.com/?a...
How to naturally dye black and grey with pomegranate, iron and logwood, natural dark colors.
How do you dye fabric with vegetable?
How do you natural dye?
Which plants and vegetables make the best dye?
How do you dye fabric naturally?
BillyNou is about the wonderful process of natural dyeing I do for my brand, life, motherhood and the trails and errors of making and crafting.

I’d like to inspire others to become more conscientious, to find a connection with nature and benefit from this immense and totally accessible energy.

I love what I do and try to live what I love. I offer you a window into my personal journey with the hope of being some benefit to you in one way or another.
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WEBSITE: www.billynou.com/

[@dylanknight3624]

Also it would be great to see footage or photos of the fabrics after they’ve dried!

[@billynou]

Ok! A lot of people say this so next video I will make sure to have dry results! I do also post a lot of my results on my Instagram page @billynouapparel if you’d like to check them out 🥰🥰

[@ludouglas1]

J'adore l'enfant. hahahaha loved her french. children are such sponges -they soak up everything.

[@billynou]

Haha yes they do!! It’s incredible ! 😅

[@tubervan]

I just found your channel and I feel so inspired and so relaxed watching your content. I love how informative your videos are while bringing such a calming feeling to me as a viewer. Subscribed in a instant - can't wait to see more content from you

[@billynou]

Yay welcome! Thank you 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@dylanknight3624]

Thank you so much for this! This is what I’ve been looking for for ages now. Very little information or visual guides online to achieving darker tones, love your channel.

[@billynou]

You’re welcome 🥰 and thank you!

[@elinordrake7129]

I agree with the previous poster about dry fabric! I've tried this method and been very excited ....until it dried. I've so far gotten nothing darker than a dishwater grey & the color just looks horrible on me! :) I have not tried onion skins then iron though, so will keep that one on my list to try!

[@billynou]

Hmmm maybe you need to try something with a higher tannin content and let it soak in the tannin for a little longer or give it multiple dips before adding the iron... I find this can help sometimes

[@elinordrake7129]

@@billynou thank you, after watching your other video on dying with pomegranate, I am thinking that I kept adding more iron assuming that was the problem, when I actually needed to, as you are suggesting, adding more dips in the tannins. I am not sure why I was so sure that Iron was the issue. :) Thanks!

[@serendipidus8482]

Willow bark makes an amazing red and it needss to be about the same weight of dry leaves as dry fabric. For a medium dye for stronger it needs to be more concengrated. I did nettles which did a lovely die by itself ...with alum mordant. I did it with iron and it turned to look dirty grey green. Also elder leaves make a chartruse yellow on thei own. Things like indigo madder etc are lbeloved because they make bright colours. Everything nstural makes a pretty muddy shade of something. The most bright ones ive done are willow bark whcih takes a few days to go red too. Soaked and boiled and soaked again...then use as dye. And advoacod makes a nice orange. Onion skins make a nice yellow but you need a lot to weigh as much as your fabric. Otherwise just looks pissy. If you don't mind it not lastibg very long then some vegetables make beautiful colours. You can also use food colouring on silk with vinegar which works well to make bright colours.

[@serendipidus8482]

​@@billynouiron makes colours more dark so also less vibrant. If the dye is strong it will make it dark but if the dye is weak it will make it very grey and muddy the brightness. Lots of dyes are better with alum mordant and no modifiers.

[@gretahancock4725]

This is great.. so inspiring. thank you! Ive been wanting to get started with dyeing but the measuring was stressing me out.. im ready to dive in now!

[@billynou]

I only measure when I really have to!! Cos it’s stresses me out too 🥴 😆

[@iroulilak6754]

I can’t wait to try it!! Lovely video..like always!!

[@billynou]

Thank you ... I hope you share your results! Would love to see them 🌸

[@sandytwinkie]

I so enjoy watching your dying. Your videos are one of the best. I’d really like to know and easy way to figure out how to mordant and to use with each kind of dye Most are so complicated. I do a lot of the dying with black walnut because so easy to do Thank you for your help

[@billynou]

I hear you... things do start to seem simpler the more you do them though.... I think the simplest options to start with are alum acetate for cellulose fiber and alum for protein and it’s really as simple as soaking your scoured/cleaned fibers in the hot mordant solution .... iron is also great and simple but you’ll always have the saddened colours. 🧡

[@silviochan89]

all are so beautiful, thanks so much for sharing

[@billynou]

You’re very very welcome 🥰🤍🌱

[@icrisologo]

So cool, i cant wait to try it!

[@billynou]

Yay! If you feel like sharing your results I’d love to see! You can tag me on my Instagram @billynouapparel 🥰

[@serendipidus8482]

Ive made jars and jars of plant teas or dyes. Theyre sitting fetsering a bit ..elder is supposed to make black but it doesnt look at all black and i may have done it wrong. I have willow which is an amazing red. And copper beech which looks similar. I have elder leaves which are a yellow. And nettles and thats it i think..oh onion skins. I did try willow leaves but threw it out cos it looked a boring khki green.

[@shoosakurai4189]

Thank you so much for this inspiring video, I been looking for it for a long time! I try find natural way dyeing back my favorite dark navy grey skirt that fade after first wash. I wonder is this process work for linen? Can I just jump in to second step? (iron powder) coz I afraid hot water will shrink linen. And Is there any suggestion about choosing iron powder? I am appreciative if you can answer my question. 🙏 thanks.

[@billynou]

You need to use a tanin rich dye first so that the iron has something to react with to create the darker colours. Iron powder is ferrous sulphate and it’s super easy to find on line or you can make an iron solution with rusty nails 😊.... I find linen usually relaxes back out after a couple of wears but maybe you could try on some samples first to get a feeling ?

[@shoosakurai4189]

@@billynou thank you! I will try it. 😊

[@trinescheele1050]

Dear Billy where do you buy your fabrics. I think it’s hard to find nice neutral colored fabrics in soft fabrics. At least it is in Denmark Thank you for your lovely videos ❤

[@billynou]

I like the mazi, organic textiles, fibre bio, merchant and mills…. There are many but I also like to try and source vintage fabric to give it a knew life xx

[@rupalichahar1782]

You are truly amazinggggg!!!!

[@billynou]

Haha thank you!!! 🥰🥰

[@feetjeforever]

loved it !!!!

[@billynou]

Thank yooooo 🥰

[@sun6moon9]

Pretty awesome if you ask me. Ive just finished doing one with promegranate, hibisc flower, wine, paprika and charcoal. This is my first dye, and just a impulse of recycling my older brothers unwanted cotton shirts. Wish i saw you channel beforehand. I am trying to find online that iron dust but very strange things appear. Some with the looks of very hazardous sci fi thing. Can you specify what it actually is? And how many washes before it starts to lose colour? Awesome vídeos and info. Thank you for sharing. Also, can charcoal be used? Kind regards and good health to you and yours. Cheers from Portugal

[@billynou]

Hey! Haha so glad your going full in even with wine!! It’s called ferrous sulphate and it’s basically just rust and you can even make a rusty water liquid yourself and use that. The colour fastness with iron tends to be pretty good but it does all depend on fabrics and pre and post treatments ... lots of experimenting and playing and just doing are a old idea to get a feel for how things last and how they dye. Good luck! 💜

[@sun6moon9]

@@billynou thank for you valuable and prompt reply. Yes...wine may not be that great huh? Due to it having alcohol. I have a bunch of rusty nails, gonna try to sand the rust out of it and add to the mix. And will try to find the ferrous sulphate, cause i do have other things to do. Well...I did jumped in, and it was fun, thinking about how our ancestors would have coloured their fabrics. But seeing your video after i did it, made me feel like i jumped in a river that was mooving, but under a layer of ice. Your results are perfect and thank you once again for teaching us this not so easy, (but very important to find alternatives for) colour. All the best! Kind regards and much success.

[@sun6moon9]

Ps: i farm food...and never wished i had cochinillas so much as i do now. Those little buggers make that wonderful mayan rojo.

[@sophievautour8573]

I heard that with sumak, it will turn purple only if you mordant it before, with iron...interesting to think that the order of dyeing, mordanting, etc can affect the outcome

[@billynou]

Oh yes so many possibilities!!

[@ohmarthein9911]

Please let me know ,Is just use the Iron powder for color changing or mordant??

[@billynou]

Iron is both a mordant and a colour shifter 🤎

[@yasminmackay1103]

I love watching your videos, they are so beautiful and inspiring! 🌻 When you mention ironing the fabric after they dry- does this help the colour? And then how long would you wait before washing with PH neutral soap? Thank you

[@billynou]

Yes it kind of heat sets the colours in ... and I usually wait a minimum of 24hours and thanks for watching 🥰🥰🥰

[@crazylilkid1]

what are some of the best blanks I should use for dying clothing? thank you

[@billynou]

Do you mean the fiber? Anything natural, plant or animal 😊

[@yourespeakingtoSibel]

Hello there! What a lovely video - the atmosphere in your house seems just amazing. I've been looking into the iron and it comes with some (chemical) warnings , so I was wondering how you handle it exactly? Is it, for example, dangerous to dye with the iron - and can you just pour the iron infused water down the drain? Also - does the iron help with to set the color into the fabric more, or is it just for darkening the color? Thanks so much - I look forward to future videos of yours!

[@billynou]

Hello! So iron is toxic if ingested in large quantities but working with small amounts should be fine. You only need a very small amount of iron to shift colours on fibers and you can reuse the solution multiple times. It is a mordant and drastically aids in colourfastness but always dulls or dampens the colours and you can dispose of it down the drain 😊

[@serendipidus8482]

Wear gloves dont breath in the powder wash any powder off hands or clothes immediately if it gets in your eye call a doctor. Dont get it in your eye. Same with alum if you use that. I got alum on my hands the other day they felt aweful for days. Lye is similar. Dont get it in your eye ever.

[@serendipidus8482]

​@@billynouyou didn't use it as a mordant you used it as a modifier. Modernting is is preparing the fabric to take dye. Using it after dying is modifying and so when used this way it is not being used as a mordant.

[@creatcity4184]

Wow......😍Where avalable to Buy Iron Powder...?

[@billynou]

On line ☺️

[@nothing-b2n]

Yep

[@shoosakurai4189]

One more suggestion, hope you can add the name of the material used in process on video description. It will help follower who are non-native English speaker understand the whole process correctly. Also, seems the IG and FB link you have here is not working. Maybe some link mistake you should check. Best :)

[@billynou]

I don’t go on fb much but here is my Instagram @billynouapparel and website www.billynou.com/ 🤍🤍

[@TxgrlnGa]

Are you not contaminating when you use the spoon in all pots?

[@billynou]

These are my iron pots 🖤

[@silverpromidi]

Would home made laundry soap be 'ph neutral'? Great experiment.

[@billynou]

You’d have to test it... you can usually get ph paper from the pharmacy or online 😊

[@silverpromidi]

@@billynou I make 100% coconut oil soap and use the cold process method. Next time we are at the chemist I will ask them if they have any. Thanks.

[@terrafae9136]

Were the fabrics pre mordanted before going in the onion skins or avocado skins?

[@billynou]

Yes they were 😊

[@sousandi8952]

iron powder we find?

[@deborahcost217]

After these are dyed and dry can you eco print later

[@billynou]

Yes but you may need to remordant... also you would need to experiment with eco printing to see what will work on the dark fabric 🧡

[@deborahcost217]

@@billynou thank you so much. Love your videos

[@kavitajilkar8784]

How can we make browns and rust

[@jamessteel4243]

hey, where would one purchase iron powder :)

[@billynou]

There are lots of places online that sell it but you could also check out the link on my website “buy natural dyes” and it will take you to the mazi natural dyes and they sell iron powder and great quality natural dyes 🥰

[@beetooex]

Scrap metal and an angle grinder/file/hacksaw

[@daunsimbukan]

is it tannin for wine?

[@billynou]

Apparently it is used in the wine making process! I’m not sure how though 😊

[@ludouglas1]

@@billynou You can use leftover red wine by putting it into the bucket with the fabric. it works, as does urine for other baths. but I haven't done that one :-0 hehehehehe

[@renatakuti234]

@@ludouglas1 wine tannin is good too, i have tried it. what I have done is placed the wine tannin in tap water (lukewarm) and let it soak for an hour. Bamboos turned out bluish, cottons more steel grey.

[@churbichurbi]

I just tried this and it totally works, BUT, big downside: the iron dust creates an absolute mess that you can only wash away with chemicals, especially if you live in a flat. I feel as unsustainable as if I had bought the fabric already dyed :(

[@billynou]

Hey what iron dust did you use? It shouldn’t make a big mess!! Just a small spoonful of ferrous sulphate is more than enough and, as always, you should be using a separate pot for dyeing to keep it separate from anything you might use to cook with. Also don’t feel bad about that! Things happen and, in my opinion, the goal is/should never to be “perfect “ ☺️☺️

[@churbichurbi]

@@billynou thank you! i also read your other comment. i definitely put too much iron dust :( i used the green one, the same as you. Its definitely a tricky process specially if you live in a flat. But as you say, the colors are not perfect but its ok. What worries me now is where to dispose the iron water. I read it can contaminate rivers and i used lote of it because i dyed meters of fabric.

[@jdmosaics]

@@churbichurbi I realise this is an old post but just in case this helps some one…..the iron sulphate is not bad for the environment… you can dilute with water and pour it on your garden… iron is naturally occurring in our soil… easy to buy a container of the Iron Sulphate that is sold in Garden Nurseries or stores if you need.

[@sanjayadukia2430]

R the colours fast

[@PoojaYadav-kn7oy]

How is your iron powder white? Can you share chemical formula and link?

[@billynou]

It’s not white it’s kind of green colour. You can google ferrous sulphate and you should get lots of options 😊

[@rossisbudda]

[@billynou]

🤍

[@gavinnoah8771]

Hi Guys 😍💋 💝💖

[@billynou]

Hi! ☺️

[@serendipidus8482]

Those first colours are just like if you washed your clothes with a colour wash ...like dirty stain. Old clothing look. Which i do not like. I like bright colours ...iron will dull colours as well as darken them. Which is fine for really dark dyes but for piss weak dyes like this it just looks like dirty clothes to me.

[@bharatikelkar159]

Instead of seeing the dyeing process I just either just dark and hazy room ambience, your back or otherwise even nothing at all.

[@TheAce736]

What did he mean by this?