Henna ~ Natural Dye Results

Natural Fiber Results with Henna

Henna is an herbaceous, earthy natural dye that creates gorgeous tan to olive greens. It has a long history of use in dyeing everything from hair to patterns on the skin to textiles in eastern Europe, northern Africa and in Asia.

Henna gives golden olive hues to protein (animal-based) fibers and lighter greens to cellulose (plant-based) fibers. Mordants, like Alum, ensure the color will last while also brightening it a bit. Iron shifts it to darker browner-greyer hue depending on the fiber type.

Check out the results below for more variations.

HENNA ~ SAMPLES

Below, Henna shows in radiant forested olive hues on protein fibers of wool and silk.

Below, two Silk samples:

pre-mordant of Alum + Henna, and

pre-mordant of Alum + Henna + a dip in Iron afterward.

And lastly, below, Henna shows a lighter leafy shade of greens on cellulose fibers of bamboo, cotton and cotton velvet. Please take this into account when planning a project with cellulose fibers/fabrics (plant-based).

Notice that the weave structure of each has a great effect on the final color results as they interact with our eye.