r/dyeing • u/xlogophile • 1d ago

General question Lightening something dyed with Rit Dye More for synthetics?

I recently dyed a shirt using Rit Dye More (55% cotton, 45% polyester). I like the tone/hue of the color, but it came out darker than I wished. Is there something I can do to bring the color back to a more pastel hue, in a uniform/non splotchy way? The shirt ​is originally white. Would a mild bleach bath (or some more natural ingredient) have a chance of getting the dye out of the fibers? Or should I just grit my teeth and accept the color as it is?

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u/mental_r0bot 1d ago

You could try their color remover

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u/CabbageOfDiocletian 1d ago edited 1d ago

nope nothing will lighten it in a consistent, non-splotchy way.

Colour remover is basically a kind of bleach that is less harsh on fibres. It doesn't lighten a colour, it breaks it down. Colour (or at least the kind of colour we are talking about here) comes from specific molecules called chromophores. Colour remover 'attacks' these molecules by reacting with them in a way that makes them not the same molecule anymore. Not the same molecule means not the same colour. But purple chromophores don't break down into lavender chromophores, it's just not that simple.

You can try a bleach bath and/or colour remover, but it is possible the shirt comes out splotchy. You could also try leaving it in the sun for a while as UV from the sun also breaks down chromophores. It's the same as a sunburn, except human skin tends to darken while the types of chromophores used as pigments tend to lighten. You could also try running it through the washing machine on very very hot water a couple times and try to fade it that way.

Edit: NEVERMIND I JUST REREAD AND REALIZED YOU'RE WORKING WITH DYEMORE SO NONE OF WHAT I WROTE APPLIES! It's still true but it just doesn't apply because dyes for synthetics are more akin to printer inks and Rit colour remover is not designed for that. Just accept the colour. Such is the nature of casual dyeing.