Name: agnes
Message: Hello,  I'm going to dye a cotton skirt that I bleached and wanted to know if it is necessary to use the soda ash and the other items that you mention?  

You need to use soda ash only if you are using the kind of dye that needs soda ash. Procion MX dye needs soda ash. 

If you want the best results, you have to use good dye. If you use the inferior kind of dye known as all-purpose dye, you will get poor results, compared with using a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. 

If you use all-purpose dye, there is no need to use soda ash. Soda ash can do nothing to make all-purpose dye work better.

It is better to use a fiber reactive dye. Procion MX dye is easier to use, because, unlike all-purpose dye, it does not need to be used with boiling hot water. The results will be truer in color, and they will not bleed in the laundry. 

Urea is another chemical often used in tie-dyeing. Like soda ash, urea is no use at all for all-purpose dye. However, unlike soda ash, urea is optional for most dyeing, even with good fiber reactive dye.

There are other reactive dyes, as well, which all require soda ash or another high-pH chemical to work. "Dylon Cold Water" dye is Procion MX dye and needs soda ash (or 'dye activator') added to it. "Dylon Permanent" dye is also fiber-reactive dye, but it already has soda ash or another chemical mixed in, so there is no need to add soda ash to Dylon Permanent dye.

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