In addition to being widely used in the food industry, natural pigments are also widely used as natural dyes in the textile, apparel and home textile industries. Compared with synthetic colors, natural colors have different health benefits, both in dyeing and food coloring, with more natural and softer colors. However, not all natural pigments can be used as dyes, and they also need to be considered in terms of the composition of the textiles, the way they are washed, and their sun fastness.
Application of Natural Pigments in Different Fibers
Natural dyes have a long history of being used to dye clothing. The fabrics dyed with natural dyes have a natural color and fragrance. With the improvement and maturity of the natural dyeing process, natural dyes have a broad application prospect in textile processing.
Applications in Cellulose Fibers
There are many natural pigments used for cellulose dyeing, such as sorghum pigment, turmeric, chlorophyll, etc. In general, natural dyes are less effective in dyeing cotton and linen fibers, and often require the addition of mordants to help with coloring. In addition, the dyeing process conditions need to be optimized for these types of cellulosic textiles. Under the optimal dyeing process conditions, a better coloring effect can be obtained.
Applications in Protein Fibers
Natural pigments have a long history of use in silk dyeing. The dyes that have been used for silk are gardenia, turmeric, paprika, shellac, etc. These dyes have a good affinity for proteins. Dyes made from some natural pigments can be used to obtain natural, brightly colored protein fiber products with good sun fastness.
Applications in Synthetic Fibers
As synthetic fabrics become more high-grade, research on dyeing them using natural dyes such as gromwell is increasing. With the help of mordant, synthetic fiber products with good color fastness, washing fastness and rubbing fastness can be obtained.
Special Functions of Natural Dyes
Natural dyes are non-toxic and non-hazardous, with good biodegradability and environmental compatibility. Many natural pigments have anti-UV properties and anti-bacterial properties due to their special composition and structure, and they have a broad market in the development of new functional textiles.
- UV-resistant
Some of the natural dyes have good UV resistance and fabrics dyed with these dyes can absorb a large amount of UV light. Gromwell extract is a red dye that consists mainly of naphthoquinones containing two phenolic hydroxyl groups, a special structure that has good UV absorption. This dye has good dyeing properties for cotton and silk, and the fabrics dyed with it have good camouflage protection.
- Anti-bacterial Properties
Among the natural dyes that have been developed, most of them have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and insect repellent properties. For example, turmeric extract is a dye extracted from the roots of the turmeric plant, which has good hepatoprotective effects, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It is interesting to use these dyes to produce textiles with antibacterial and health functions.
Daji Belle has many natural colors that come from plants, insects, microorganisms and more. Here you can find a very wide range of color combinations. Our natural coloring products can provide a wide range of color solutions for textile industry. If you would like more information, please contact us.
For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
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