Name: Graham

Region: California

Message: I have seen several different jean brands (volcom, Bullhead) come out with a black jean that is overdyed with red, like this one [pictured at left].

I really like this look and color, but I've only been able to find this type of overdyed jean in skinny cut. I was wondering if I can make these myself. Should I just buy a red cotton dye and just go for it?  Or should I bleach the black jeans first? I'm not really sure how to go about doing this. 

I appreciate your help. This website has been really informational. Thank you.

It looks to me as though these black jeans were bleached a great deal before the red dye was applied. There is a little black remaining only next to the seams; in most areas only a partial gray remained before the red dye was applied. If you try to dye black jeans without bleaching them first, you'll barely be able to see any of the red dye, if at all. You need to bleach out much of the black dye in order to get this effect.

For most clothing, I recommend a non-bleach color remover, such as Rit Color Remover, which is sodium dithionite, or Jacquard Color Remover, which is thiourea dioxide. (See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".) For indigo-dyed blue jeans, you cannot use any of these color removers, because of the peculiar chemistry of indigo. I don't know what sort of dye is used on black jeans, but I suspect it's likely to be sulfur black, which is similar in chemistry to indigo. I would probably try chlorine bleach first, the ordinary household bleach that contains hypochlorite, to bleach black jeans, since this is what works for blue jeans. One caveat is that you should use bleach only on 100% cellulose fibers, such as 100% cotton; hypochlorite bleach will damage or destroy synthetic fibers. Another is that some dyes resist all forms of bleaching, so you can't be sure how well this will work for a particular garment until you try it. If it doesn't work, you'll have a pair of black jeans that can't really be dyed.

It's a good idea, after using hypochlorite bleach to remove the color from anything, to neutralize the bleach after rinsing by using Anti-Chlor or Bleach Stop.  See "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?". This will prevent the hypochlorite and its reaction products from continuing to eat away at the cotton fiber.

Assuming that you successfully bleach a pair of black jeans, or manage to find some bleached black jeans all ready to go, I recommend that you choose your red dye carefully. If you use an all-purpose dye, such as Rit or Tintex, or a direct dye such as iDye, you will find that the dye is poorly washfast and fades quickly. It is better to use a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye; see "About Fiber Reactive Dyes". You will also need soda ash to set the Procion dye, and also a large quantity of salt if you're dyeing in a bucket or in the washing machine. The washing machine is particularly convenient way to dye two or more garments a single solid color. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

If you want to buy your red dye in a local crafts store, look for Jacquard Procion MX dye (not Jacquard Acid Dye or Jacquard iDye, which are different types of dye). If you can't find that, look for Dylon Permanent fabric dye, Dylon Cold Water Dye, Tulip One Step Fashion Dye, or Tulip Permanent dye. If you're located near San Rafael, California, go to Dharma Trading Company. Most serious dyers buy their dyes by mail-order. I maintain a list of mail-order dye suppliers; see "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".

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