Aluminum Acetate – A chemical salt derived from aluminum and acetic acid that is used primarily for mordanting cellulose fibers.

Aluminum Potassium Sulfate Dodecahydrate (alum) – A chemical salt derived from aluminum that is used to mordant protein fibers. Alum may also be used to mordant cellulose fibers by combining in a solution with (i) soda ash or (ii) sodium acetate. In both cases, cellulose fibers must be either immersed in a tannin bath prior to mordanting or dunged in a calcium carbonate (chalk) bath after mordanting.

Black Walnut (juglans nigra) – Native to North America, the black walnut tree’s dye comes from the hull and husk of the walnuts and provides shades of brown.

Calcium Carbonate (chalk) – Sourced commonly from chalk, a form of porous limestone, calcium carbonate is used to make hard water, in which certain dyes perform best, and to fix mordants in cellulose fibers.  

Calcium Hydroxide (slaked lime) – A white powder with a high alkalinity used to create and maintain indigo vats.

Citric Acid – Naturally occurring in citrus fruits, citric acid can be used to shift colors, discharge mordants from cellulose fibers, or used for one-bath acid dyes.

Cochineal (dactylopius coccus) – A scale insect that lives on cacti and is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the North and South American continents. Cochineal can be used to obtain red, pink, and purple hues.

Copper Sulfate (copper) – A chemical salt derived from copper and, generally, only used by leaching it from scraps in a dyebath rather than in its chemical form due to disposal hazards. Copper sulfate helps to brighten yellows and gives a slight green tint to the textile.

Cutch (acacia catechu) – Only available as an extract, cutch comes from the heartwood of a tree native to south and southeast Asia. Cutch is both a direct and mordant dye that gives shades of brown.

Ferrous Acetate (iron) – An iron salt of acetic acid that is created by combining in a solution of ferrous sulfate and sodium acetate. Ferrous acetate is used to deepen and sadden the color of the dye and is generally preferred over ferrous sulfate as its less damaging to fibers.

Ferrous Sulfate (iron) – A chemical salt derived from iron that is used to deepen and sadden the color of the dye.

Fructose – A monosaccharide sugar commonly found in fruits that is used to reduce and feed indigo vats.

Fustic (maclura tinctoria) – A bright yellow dye, also known as dyer’s mulberry, that is a tree native to the neotropics from Mexico to Argentina.

Hydrogen Peroxide – A chemical compound of water and oxygen generally used for antiseptic and cleaning purposes. May also be used to substantially darken a cutch dyebath when added for the last fifteen minutes or so.

Indigo (indigofera tinctoria) – A shrub of unknown origin but presently grown in tropical and temperate Asia. Indigo is used as a vat dye and gives shades of blue.

Lac (kerria lacca) – An insect dye that comes from the female insect's secretions, which is also the source of shellac. The dye is first separated from the resin and turned into an extract that provides crimsons and burgundies.

Lake Pigment – Made by precipitating a dye by attaching it to a mordant. Once separated and dried, the pigment can be ground into a fine powder and used to create inks and watercolors. 

Madder (rubia cordifolia / rubia tinctorum) – Developed in the roots of the plant, madder is famous for its clear red colors that develop best in hard water. Rubia cordifolia, commonly known as Indian madder, is native to south India and is slightly more orange in appearance. Rubia tinctorum, commonly known as European madder, is thought to be native to Persia and the eastern Mediterranean region but has since become naturalized in Europe. It gives famous turkey red colors.

Marigold (tagetes) – From the dried flower petals of the tagetes species, marigold is native to the region from the American Southwest to South America. The petals provide shades of yellow ranging from mustardy to bright yellow orange.

Myrobalan (terminalia chebula) – Derived from the nuts of a tree, myrobalan dyes a buttery yellow and is high in tannins, meaning it can be used to pre-treat cellulose fibers prior to mordanting.

Oak Gall (gallnut) – A gallic tannin, oak galls come from the Aleppo oak (quercus infectoria) native to eastern Europe and western Asia. The galls are formed in response to a wasp’s sting that deposits its larvae on the tree. The chemical imbalance causes the tree to form gall nuts. Gall nut extract is excellent for pre-treating cellulose fibers prior to mordanting due to its high tannin content and near colorlessness.

Osage Orange (maclura pomifera) – Native to North America, Osage Orange trees have bright yellow colored wood that can be used to achieve the same color on textiles. Typically, wood chips or shavings from the tree are boiled to extract the dye.

Pomegranate (punica granatum) – A fruit-bearing shrub native to Iran and northern India, pomegranate provides muted golden yellows. The rinds are dried, pulverized, and then simmered to extract the dye.

Potassium Permanganate – A potassium salt of manganese, potassium permanganate is used as an oxidation agent to discharge indigo from textiles. Other common uses include water filtration, wound care, and disinfectant.

Potassium Tartrate (cream of tartar) – A chemical salt of tartaric acid, potassium tartrate increases the acidity of a heated mordant bath to protect wool fibers and increase uniformity of absorption.

Sodium Acetate – A sodium salt of acetic acid, sodium acetate can be combined with alum to create aluminum acetate or with ferrous sulfate to create ferrous acetate.

Sodium Carbonate (soda ash) – An alkaline chemical that aids with scouring cellulose fibers and can be combined with alum to create a mordant for cellulose fibers.

Weld (reseda luteola) – Native to Europe and western Asia, weld produces bright yellows extracted from its leaves, flowers, and stems. Like madder, weld performs best in hard water.