How to Dye Fabric with Onion Skins at Home

Onion skins are one of the easiest natural dyes to start with. The dry outer skins of yellow and red onions give golden yellows, oranges and rusty browns, and soft olive greens with iron. They are free if you save them from your kitchen, and you can also buy dried onion skins in larger amounts. Here is how to dye fabric with onion skins at home.

What colors do onion skins make?

• Yellow (brown) onion skins: golden yellow, orange and rust.
• Red onion skins: warmer orange-browns, and sometimes greenish or pinkish tones depending on the fiber and water.
• With iron: khaki and soft olive greens.

The exact shade depends on the onions, the fiber and your water. That is the beauty of natural dyes.

Do you need a mordant for onion skins?

No. Onion skins contain tannins and bind to fibers on their own, so you can dye without a mordant. However, onion skin color is only moderately lightfast and will fade over time, especially in sunlight. An alum mordant gives brighter color and better light and wash fastness, so we recommend it. For cotton and linen, use a tannin such as oak gall before the alum. Learn more in our guide to mordants.

What do wash fastness and light fastness mean?

Wash fastness is how well the color stays when you wash the fabric, without bleeding or running. Light fastness is how well it resists fading in sunlight or artificial light. Onion skins have fair wash fastness but only moderate light fastness, so they are best for items that are not kept in strong light.

How to dye with onion skins, step by step

What you need

• Onion skins: about 50–100% of the dry weight of your fiber (two good handfuls for 100 g of fiber)
• Natural fabric or yarn: cotton, linen, wool or silk
• A large stainless steel or enamel pot, a spoon and a strainer
• Gloves
• Optional: alum for mordanting and iron (ferrous sulfate) for greens

Step 1: Scour (and mordant) the fabric

Wash the fabric in hot water with a little detergent, or soda ash for cotton and linen, to remove oils and finishes, and rinse until the water runs clear. Mordant it now if you want brighter, longer-lasting color. See how to prepare fabric for natural dyeing.

Step 2: Make the dye bath

Put the onion skins in the pot with enough water to cover the fabric. Bring it to a simmer and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the water is deep orange. Strain out the skins if you want even color, or leave them in for a speckled effect.

Step 3: Dye the fabric

Add the wet fabric and simmer gently for another 30–60 minutes, stirring now and then. For wool, keep the heat below a simmer and stir gently to avoid felting.

Step 4: Cool and rinse

Turn off the heat and let the fabric cool in the bath for several hours or overnight. Then rinse it until the water runs clear and wash it with a pH-neutral soap.

Step 5 (optional): Iron dip for olive green

Dissolve a small amount of iron, about 1–2% of the fiber weight, in a bucket of warm water. Dip the dyed fabric for a few minutes, moving it constantly, until the color shifts. Rinse well. Use only a little iron: too much can make fibers brittle.

Step 6: Reuse the dye bath

The bath can usually dye a second batch in paler shades. Reheat it, add more fabric and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Tips

• Save onion skins in a paper bag until you have enough; they keep for months when dry.
• Wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
• Wash onion-dyed items separately the first few times.
• Dry naturally dyed items in the shade to keep the color longer.

Video: dyeing with onion skins

Related: Natural yellow and orange dyes · 12 natural dyes for fabric · Dyes that don't need a mordant