There is so much that you can do with tie-dye, but did you know that you could even tie-dye denim to give it a completely fresh look?
If you have an old pair of jeans sitting in the cupboard or a tired denim jacket that needs some sprucing up, then tie-dyeing might be the way to go. With denim, you can either tie-dye the item or reverse tie-dye it, where you use bleach to remove the denim color.
Tie-dyeing denim, when you follow the right steps and have a few handy tips, isn’t too difficult to do.
How do you tie-dye denim? To help you tie-dye a piece of denim clothing you have at home, keep reading to find our complete guide on how to do so. You will need some basic products and tools to do it, but you will find that you either have most of it at home already, or it can be bought from your local store.
It is helpful to remember that tie-dyeing denim is different from tie-dyeing a plain white T-shirt, so you should take a read through the below guide to know how to get the best results with the denim you have.
Tie-Dyeing Denim – Getting Started
Before you do anything, you need to be sure that you want to tie-dye the denim item you have. Once you have used dye on the denim, or reverse tie-dyed the piece, which involves using bleach, there really isn’t any way to return the piece to how it originally was.
For this reason, it really is quite important to understand the tie-dyeing process for denim quite clearly, so that you know how to properly tie-dye the denim for it to look great once you are done. Heading in without knowing the process might just end up in disaster!
Tie-dyeing denim is a great way to give an old piece a fresh new look, and to be sure that nobody else is wearing the same item of clothing as you!
When you feel it is time to finally tie-dye your denim, you need to make sure that you have all of the correct items you need to go through the tie-dyeing process from start to finish. You don’t want to be stuck halfway through and missing the item you need to continue.
Along with this, you also need to have some sort of idea of what you want the denim to look like when it has been tie-dyed. As tie-dyeing is not a perfect art, there will always be variations, and it is very rarely symmetrical, but this is all part of the beauty!
Even though it won’t be perfect, you still need to know what you want your end piece to resemble, so that you know how to proceed. Once you have your denim piece and an idea in mind, you can get started!
Choosing The Right Denim Piece
Denim can come in many different colors and forms, and all of the different types will give a different result when tie-dyed. You do need to know what you are wanting to achieve in order to choose the right type of denim piece to use.
If you are wanting to do a traditional tie-dye, where you add color to the denim, then it is worth going for white denim, or a very light, faded denim. Anything darker than this will not show the color, and you might just land up with some darker patches. The dyes will not cover the denim, as they are transparent and will just sink into them.
If you are wanting to do a reverse tie-dye, then darker denim is a good choice. You can get away with light denim, medium blue denim, dark denim, or even black, as the bleach used in the reverse tie-dye will lighten the denim quite a bit.
You could even choose to be more creative and use colored denim, such as red or purple. This will create a really unique piece, and the bleach will give the color a really great effect.
Once you have an idea in mind, you need to look at the makeup of the denim, which can be done by checking the label. 100% cotton denim will work the best, and you know what material you are dealing with. However, blended denim can have varied results, so it is worth doing a small patch test.
This is especially true when bleaching the denim, as there are some blends that do not hold up well to the strong chemical, and the bleach could destroy the denim altogether.
Choosing Your Colors
Now you are at the fun part – choosing your colors! You need to have a good idea of the color scheme you are wanting for your denim piece, especially if you are using dyes to tie-dye the denim. The color scheme you are going for, and whether you are reverse dyeing the denim, will depend on the type of denim you are wanting to tie-dye.
My favorite tie-dyes for denim are these tie-dye kits on Amazon. These kits come in a variety of color options, so you can choose the one you like best without worrying about whether the colors will go together since they are pre-matched.
There is quite a bit that goes into choosing your colors to tie-dye with, as if you get it wrong, you could land up with brown patches that you never intended to have.
It can be a little tough committing to the colors you want, as there can be so many to choose from, but you need to pick colors that won’t create muddy brown or black splotches when they bleed into each other (which they inevitably will).
Looking at a color wheel can help with this, and it can help you pick out complementary colors too. However, these can sometimes cause unwanted colors when they bleed together, so you really do have to be careful!
Just remember to have fun with the colors, but also try to match them with some of the other items of clothing you have in your cupboard that you might want to wear with the newly tie-dyed denim!
Darker colors will stand out more on light denim, whereas white denim will hold just about any color, so the lighter the denim, the more color options you have.
Color Combinations To Avoid
These are some of the color combinations that you need to avoid. Do not put primary colors next to complementary colors, or place them next to opposite secondary colors. To save yourself having some unwanted brown or black areas, do not use the following colors combos on denim:
- Blue and orange
- Yellow and purple
- Red and green
These colors, when bleeding together, will give you a brown color. If you are adamant about using these colors, then leave some space between them on the denim so when they do bleed, they do not touch each other.
Recommended Color Combinations
If you want some inspiration, and some help on choosing the best color combinations, here are a few that you could try that do not give brown or black colors when mixed.
These colors, when they bleed together, will create bright colors of their own, which only add to the tie-dye effect on denim.
- Red and yellow (create orange)
- Red and blue (create purple)
- Blue and yellow (create green)
- Blue and pink (create purple)
- Yellow and green (create bright green)
- Red and purple (create burgundy)
For more color combinations and patterns, we have another article titled The Best Tie-Dye Color Combinations for you to check out.
Bleaching
If you are wanting to do reverse tie-dye and bleach the denim instead, you obviously will not have to worry about choosing the color scheme!
How To Fold The Denim
Choosing the colors is one step in determining how the denim will turn out. The next is deciding how to fold the denim. How you fold the denim, whether bleaching or dyeing, will determine how the colors are shown on the denim, and the patterns they form.
There are so many different ways to fold clothing and material to achieve different patterns of tie-dye, and if you need some help, there are some great tutorials online.
You could fold it simply and add in some rubber bands in places for a bit of definition, or swirl the clothing and rubber band it together that way. One bit of advice is to test out the folding and dyeing on an old piece of fabric first, so you can see how it might turn out.
How To Tie-Dye Denim
There are two different methods to tie-dye denim, whether you are using bleach, or using actual dye. Here is how to do both!
What You Need:
Before you get tie-dyeing, you need to get all of your tools ready. Here is what you need to tie-dye denim:
- Your denim piece
- The right dye in the color of your choice (check to see if there are any pre-soaking requirements that the dye requires, although most do not)
- Bleach if you are reverse tie-dyeing
- A bucket
- Rubber bands
- Squirt bottles or spray bottles
Tie-Dyeing With Color Dye
Note: if you are tie-dyeing a new denim item, it is worth washing it first. This will remove any excess dye that might still be found in the garment.
- Dampen the garment and wring it out.
- Fold the denim item up to your preference, whether it be scrunching it, folding it, or twisting it. Use rubber bands to keep it in place if needed.
- Prepare your dye following the packaging instructions (it might help to put the dye in pouring bottles, which can help you apply it to the denim)
- Apply the dye to the denim, soaking the fabric well. Make sure to leave space between colors if you are worried about bleeding and brown spots.
- Turn the denim over, and add more dye to the other side. Make sure all sides of the denim item are covered with dye (depending on your preferred look)
- Place the denim item in a bucket or in a sealed bag and follow the instructions on the dye packaging for how long it should be left to sit.
- After the recommended amount of time, rinse out the garment fully and wash it according to the instructions.
- Leave the denim to air dry.
Reverse Tie-Dyeing With Bleach
Note: if you are tie-dyeing a new denim item, it is worth washing it first. This will remove any excess dye that might still be found in the garment.
- Dampen the denim item with water and wring it out.
- Fold the denim item how you wish, crumpling it, scrunching it, or twisting it, and secure it in place with rubber bands if needed.
- Next, prepare your bleach solution. Mix a 1:1 ratio of bleach to water, and make sure to prepare enough that you can submerge the garment in the solution if needed. If not, it could be a good idea to put the bleach solution in a squirt bottle or spray bottle to make it easy to apply to the denim.
- Wear gloves when applying the bleach, and make sure you only do this outside or in a very well-ventilated room.
- Apply the bleach to the denim garment to get the look that you want.
- Leave the bleach on the garment for around 10-15 minutes. After this time, check to see if it has lightened enough. If it has not, leave for another 5 minutes.
- Once the denim has lightened to the look you want, remove any rubber bands from the garment and rinse it thoroughly.
- Washing the garment in the washing machine can help remove the bleach well. However, the bleach might still have an effect on the fabric after rinsing, so you could use 3% hydrogen peroxide to stop the process of bleaching. Just wash the bleach out of the denim, pour the hydrogen peroxide over the denim, and then wash and dry the garment as normal.
Take Note Of The Stitching
When tie-dyeing denim, there is one thing you need to be wary of that you wouldn’t have to be when tie-dyeing other clothes, and that is the stitching.
Almost all stitching on denim is done with polyester thread, and the polyester thread will not bleach and it will not take on the color of dye. Whatever the original color of the stitching is, is what it will stay after the tie-dyeing process.
Take note of the color of the stitching on your denim before tie-dyeing it, to make sure it will suit the end result!
Final Thoughts
There are so many different looks you can achieve when tie-dyeing denim, and you can create a fun and stylish piece that nobody else will have in their wardrobe!
With denim, you can either add a pop of color, or a whole set of colors, to light or white denim, or you can reverse tie-dye and use bleach to create light patterns on darker denim.
Whichever look you choose to go for, take a look through the above guide to make sure that you are properly prepared for the denim tie-dyeing process, and that you have all the tips and tools you need to tie-dye your denim successfully!
Related Questions
Is it better to tie-dye clothes wet or dry?
It is usually best to tie-dye your clothes when they are damp. It is worth washing new clothing first and then drying them until they are just damp. The dye will saturate the denim easier if it is damp compared to if it is dry.
Should I wash tie-dye clothes in hot or cold water?
It is best to wash your tie-dye item in hot water, as it can help to set the color in the fabric. For the first wash, you should definitely wash the tie-dye item separately from other clothes, so that the dye does not run into the other items of clothing and stain them.
Up Next: How To Do Striped Tie Dye – The Right Way