Ice Dye: The Benefits of Ice for Extracting Botanical Color

Summer heat has infused our side of the globe with lots of warmth. Humidity is high and rains are intense, gushing and fleeting.  I love this time of year in the tropics because it reminds me about the importance of balance and duality — while some plants struggle in hot temperature, they are also gifted with frequent hydration that trickles down their stem and nourishes their roots.

Cold drinks and frozen treats are common to consume during this season to offset the potential damage that extreme heat can cause to our health, helping to regulate our body temperature. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ice is known to restrict our blood circulation and suppress life force energy, which manifests through heat in our bodies. This ancient knowledge system emphasizes the importance of warmth for optimal body function, especially for digestion. 

However, like any substance in the natural world, ice has its benefits. Due to its astringent and constricting qualities, it helps reduce skin swelling and inflammation on wounds. It is generally recommended to use ice as a short term solution while keeping in mind the fact that it can disrupt natural processes in the body and contribute to long term stagnation. 

Using Ice for Natural Dye

In Color Lab, we explore a variety of dye techniques to extract color from plants onto fabric. Two of the primary methods you can use for dye relate to temperature: a hot dye bath, in which the fabric is fully submerged, dipped and soaked, or ice dye, in which cubes of ice are layered onto fabric or paper beneath the color source.

Ice dye is a technique using cold temperature. Colors can be sourced from whole plants fresh or dried in powder form. This method takes advantage of the astringent properties of ice that give it a strong binding ability. The ice collects natural color as it melts and then applies that color directly to the surface.  You can get very creative with it and arrange the ice in your desired pattern. 

When we practice natural dye, it’s important to consider the historical tradition of this art form and its connection to land. Cultures around the world have used natural dye as a tool to develop a deeper understanding of their environment, often sourcing materials from their local region where color-producing plants, clays and soils live in abundance.  

In an indigenous or rural setting, ice dye could only be practiced with snow or icicles available during the winter months when the temperature drops below freezing. In urban areas, we are lucky to have access to this technique using electric freezers that generate ice at our leisure anytime of year. The image above shows how vibrant ice makes the color of roselle hibiscus when dyed on cotton, compared to the light pink created from soaking the fabric in a hot dye bath. 

How to Ice Dye

• Gather all materials. You will need ice cubes, a surface for dyeing, and plant-based colorants. 
• Choose the surface you would like to use. I’ve dyed both fabric and paper using ice and they turned out well. 
• Select a natural fabric, such as cotton or linen, and a type of paper with no glossy coating such as cardstock or watercolor paper. 
• Assemble the plants you will extract color from. It’s best to use either fresh or powdered plants. Some options are hibiscus flowers, beet root, turmeric root, moringa leaves, butterfly pea flowers and marigold flowers. 
• Set your fabric or paper on a surface that can get wet and stained like a glass tray, plastic bin or outside on concrete. 
• Arrange ice cubes in your desired pattern on the surface. 
• Layer plant material on top of the ice.
• Let the ice melt. This usually takes less than 30 minutes. 
• After the ice is finished melting and the color has successfully adhered to the surface, remove the ice and plants.
• Allow your artwork to dry in the shade.