Name: Sarah
Message: I have 100% hemp trousers, dark brown with a slight purple-ish tone.  I would like to dye them a more true dark brown, essentially get rid of the purple hue.  I have a front loading washer with a separate detergent compartment.  Any ideas?

Overdye them yellow. That should correct for the purple hue. A greenish yellow is best if it's a red-violet hue, while a golden or orangish yellow is best for correcting a blue-violet, or if you want a rustier brown. Use a fiber reactive dye that will work on cellulose fibers such as cotton; the same dyes work on cotton and hemp. (Avoid all-purpose dye which requires clothing-shrinking boiling water to work at all well, and even after that bleeds a lot in the laundry forever.)

What country are you in? Dylon Machine Dye, widely available in the UK, is ideal for the front-loading washing machine, but is not available in North America. Dylon Permanent Dye is readily available in the US but includes instructions only for use in a small bucket of water.

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