Name: lisa
Message: Hi Paula,
What blessing your website is! I am in the midst of tie-dying some t shirts and was told when i went to order more dye that i needed "dye activator" to go in the Procion Mx fiber reactive dye? Is that true?? I'm using the urea and the soda ash. I wonder if the kits come with dye activator already in the dye. I hope my efforts/money/ havent gone to waste! Looking forward to your response so i can move out of limbo and either go ahead with my project or freak out;) Thanks:), lisa

Dye activator is exactly the same thing as soda ash, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.

You cannot add the soda ash to the dye before use, or the dye will go bad. The fiber reactive dye will react with the fabric only in the presence of the soda ash (or anything else that will raise the pH to between 9 and 11). Without soda ash, most of the dye will rinse away.

Soda ash can be added to the mixture before the dye, at the same time as the dye, or following the dye, with different results. If you pre-soaked your shirts in soda ash before adding dye, then all is well.

Once your t-shirts have both dye and soda ash on them, having applied them in whatever order you prefer, be sure to leave them to react at a warm enough temperature. At 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C.), leave them for 24 to 48 hours. At 80 degrees, six to eight hours will suffice. At 90 degrees, two hours is good enough. The purpose of the urea is to help them stay damp throughout this process, as the dye reaction stops if it dries out completely.