Have you ever wanted to try making your own natural plant dyes? It’s as easy as 1…2…3! Follow along with my tutorial video above and make your own natural pink avocado dye today! While you’re checking out my video, you can also follow along with my step-by-step instructions below! Let me know how your natural pink avocado dye turned out in the comments below!

Large pot
100% Cotton napkins (or 100% cotton tee shirt)
Bowl (to soak napkins/shirt)
3-5 Avocado pits (washed clean, the more pits used the deeper the color)
Spoon to stir

Prewash your fabric intended for dyeing with a gentle soap.

Soak your fabric in warm water for minimally 20 minutes as this will help open the threads to help evenly dye the fabric.

Take your 3-5 avocado pits and add to your pot and fill with enough water to cover your fabric and enough room for the material to move easily.

Bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer for 20-40 minutes.

(The longer it simmers, the deeper the color.

More water may need to be added due to evaporation.)

Once color is achieved, remove from heat and strain or scoop out the avocado pits.

Take your soaked fabric and wring out before adding to the dye.

Stir frequently so the dye evenly disperses throughout the fabric.

(The longer you let the fabric soak, the deeper the color.

I usually leave mine to soak for 1-2 hours.)

Once the color you desire is achieved, wash your fabric with cold water and gentle soap before drying.

Note: Some fading is to be expected when washing so always be careful to wash separately or with like colors.

In the dyeing process, you often hear the discussion of “mordants” which are metal-based or plant-based fixatives that help the dye adhere to the fabric.

A fortunate aspect of avocado dyeing is that the tannin that is already in the avocado pits and acts as a mordant that binds wonderfully to the cotton fiber.