Dying for Colour

Ever wonder if that new hot colour should truly be called painful pink, or blistering blue? Are colours just that ... colours? Or are they harmful toxin to the body creating nasty effects?


Colours are constantly something that every person has in their closet whether its the hottest pink for spring or the hottest auburn for fall. For some people colour goes to a whole new level which involves hives, and unbelievably painful blisters. As a consumer do we ever ask whether this colour will cause a reaction or where did the dye come from?Also you might ask if it would be safer to eliminate colour from your wardrobe. Or is that hot new shade of colour going to look great when it permanently seeps into your skin forever? Unfortunately were more excited about how it looks up to our skin instead of the next 12 hours you will endure in the hospital emergency room waiting for rash cream. Suppose now the question is – Should you be dying for colour?

Answers.com classifies dyeing of fabrics as “ the application of colour-producing agents to material,using fibrous or film, in order to impart a degree of colour permanence demanded by the projected end use.” So what this really means is the process of transferring a colour dye to a fabric. Depending on the fabric depends on the process that the dye will be transferred. For example a fibre such as cotton shall be submerged into the dye and using an assistant as electrolyte and the is boiled in the hot dye. Dyeing can take place in many countries as long as the country has the equipment. Dyeing of fabric is always great for the fashion world because we are provided with an array of wonderful colours. Fabric dyeing also provides many jobs for different countries who find themselves in hard economic times; such as India. Also dyeing can be very Eco friendly when using Eco friendly dyes that do not harm the water that is being used. Dyeing fabrics not only creates more prospering opportunities in places and to people who don't have many resources, but they also create a brighter and more beautiful world.

So how was that couple hours spent in the hospital, I had to ask a friend recently who had an reaction to a dye that had be running onto her skin from her purple cotton shirt. This hadn't been the first time that this unfortunate incident had happened to someone I knew. Of course I knew that coloured garments should be washed before warn,but had that been enough warning for the local consumers? Unfortunately maybe the question that should be asked is should dyed fabrics have a highly more dangerous warning label with red letters saying “ proceed to wear with caution”. Now a days manufacturers tend to use more synthetic dyes which can be highly toxic as well as flammable. Many of the ingredients that are used to create a brightly coloured dye can also be a “ hormone disruptor” as said by Brit who wrote Synthetic dyes: a look at environmental and human risks. Dyeing factories have to be extra careful when working with these highly flammable toxins to ensure the workers safety from possible fires. Dye manufacturers have also been warned of the high risks of getting tumours and cancers of many sorts. Often these types of diseases are selective to the workers yet many consumers have complained of issues with colours containing what they thought was safe dyes. Often consumers have complaints about rashes such as hives, headaches, and difficulty breathing. Although the garments are washed before they are sent out to suppliers sometimes there is still dye left and can seep into the skin. Well ladies how about honey hives as the hottest new colour?

In the end colour is something that will stay in our closets as a staple that wont disappear unless washed more then 30 times. The days of trying to match the perfect shade of pink with the perfect shade of blue is gone, and the days of black is always safe is in. Is it safer to stick with neutrals then to trade in the bland's for the brights? In truth colours are both the devil and the angel. Would anyone truly stop wearing that hot new shade of purple in order to be able to breathe better? Also think of those small areas that prosper from dyeing manufacturing factories. I'm dying for colour-are you?