Many things come to parents’ minds regarding their children’s safety, from falling off a bicycle to eating the wrong thing. One often overlooked aspect is the presence of harmful chemicals and dyes in kid’s clothing. Nowadays many fabrics are treated with chemicals including synthetic dyes to produce vibrant colours.
While these bright and vivid colours are eye-catching and often appeal to little ones, they can seep into their skin and cause many health problems such as skin allergies, rashes, respiratory, and hormonal disruptions. Children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive than that of adults, so it is more susceptible to irritation and the absorption of harmful dyes.
If you or your little one loves bright and vivid colours, there’s no need to settle for harmful synthetic dyes. Plant-based dyes offer a safe and sustainable alternative. For instance, pigmented and skin-friendly plant-dyed wool is a classic and popular clothing choice. Wool itself is a natural fibre, and when combined with plant-based dyes, it creates a perfect blend of comfort, warmth, and beauty.
How Plant-Dyed Wool Is Made
Plant-dyed wool clothing and accessories for kids are made by extracting colour from leaves, roots, woods, flowers, insects, and minerals, to create rich and unique colours. For instance, turmeric produces vibrant warm yellow colour on natural fabrics while indigo extracts from plants like Indigofera tinctoria (true indigo) and Polygonum tinctorium (Japanese indigo) can create stunning cool hues of blue. The wool is then soaked in these plant-based dyes and often treated with a mordant to help the colour adhere to the fibres.
Clothing is something we all come into contact with daily, so making informed decisions about its safety is essential for little ones’ health and comfort. Thankfully there are safer alternatives, like opting for light-coloured clothing or plant-dyed clothing and accessories.
Light or pastel shades like white beige, light blue, or soft pink are generally less likely to contain harmful synthetic dyes compared to darker colours. Dark dyes, especially black, navy, and bright red, are more likely to contain chemicals such as azo dyes or heavy metals which are a big red flag.
Why Choose Plant-Dyed Wool
This type of clothing reduces the risk of skin irritation and chemical exposure. Apart from being a safer alternative, each piece of plant-dies clothing is one of a kind and different in colour. That’s because plant dyes create tones that are impossible to replicate with synthetic dyes. The colour variations in naturally dyed wool make each piece unique.
Besides safety and comfort, plant-based dyes are an eco-friendly and sustainable choice that benefits both the environment and communities. Unlike synthetic dyes that can persist in the environment for years, plant-dyed options break down naturally.
How to Choose Plant-Dyed Wool Clothing
When buying wool kids’ clothing dyed with plant-based colours, it’s important to pay attention to the quality and safety of the product. Ensure the base wool is of high quality, such as organic merino wool, alpaca wool, or sheep’s wool, as these are soft, durable, and less likely to irritate the skin.
Organic merino wool, for instance, is a warm and cosy material sourced from ethically raised merino sheep (known for producing the softest wool on earth). It also has the usual wool benefits, such as breathability and durability, and its self-cleaning and hypoallergenic properties make it a super fibre and one of the best materials for making safe kid’s clothing.
Besides this, look for 100% wool kid’s garments without synthetic blends, which might compromise the benefits of natural fibres.
Next, ensure that the plant dyes used are non-toxic and free from harmful additives. Choose clothes labelled with safe dye certifications like GOTS or OEKO-TEX. These labels confirm that the dyes and manufacturing processes meet rigorous safety and sustainability standards, ensuring the clothing is safe for sensitive skin and eco-conscious parents. When you choose GOTS-certified kids clothing and accessories, you can rest assured your little one is safe and protected from dyes, chemicals and other irritants.
Transparency is another important aspect to consider when buying kids’ plant-dye clothing. Reliable brands should always provide clear information about their wool sourcing, including whether the wool is ethically and sustainably obtained. They should also detail their dyeing processes, explaining how the plant dyes are extracted, fixed, and applied, ensuring they are non-toxic and eco-friendly.
Last but not least, check if the plant-based dyes are properly fixed using safe, non-toxic mordants. This helps the colours stay vibrant and prevents fading or bleeding during washing.
We all know that children are naturally active, and their clothing must withstand frequent movement, washing, and wear without losing its quality or vibrant colours. Following proper care instructions, such as hand washing in lukewarm water with wool shampoo, can also help maintain the longevity and vibrancy of plant-dyed clothing. Also, you might have to let this type of clothing air dry flat to avoid shrinking or warping.
