Name: Chris
Message: Do you have any suggestions for dyeing jeans bright neon colors such as green and orange?

Since dye is transparent, dyeing any color of jeans besides white will not produce bright colors at all. In order to produce bright orange or green jeans, you must start with white jeans.

If you have a source for white denim jeans, this is perfect. If you do not, you will have to remove as much of the original indigo dye as possible first, using either chlorine bleach or a product called Rit Fast Fade for Jeans. If you choose to use chlorine bleach, you must immediately follow the use of bleach of a bleach stop agent such as Anti-Chlor, which is the most economical option, or a rinse of pure 3% hydrogen peroxide, in order to prevent the bleach from eating your fabric.

Once you have obtained your white or nearly-white jeans that are ready to dye, you must choose the correct dye. All-purpose dye will never give you the neon-bright colors you crave. The brightest and best dye for cotton is fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye.

You can mail-order Anti-chlor and good Procion MX dyes from any of the companies listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page; you cannot, as a rule, buy them in local stores. (Here are direct links to Anti Chlor and Strong Orange MX dye and Brightest Green MX Dye at Fiber-arts.com.)

Note that the characteristic crossover pattern of the twill denim fabric can never be obtained by dyeing garments, since the denim look requires white threads to be woven with colored ones. The brightest colors are obtained by using the same color for both directions of thread, though, so this is probably not a problem for you.


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