Natural Dyes, Paints, & Colors
The ancient Hawaiian artisans would use anything and everything that would contribute to the beauty of their kapa. From octopus ink to tree barks, they did not limit their imagination.
With the influx of non-indigenous plants and access to so many new fruits and vegetables, I incorporate a variety of traditional and non-traditional dyes in my art. Many of the dyes are made by me and are responsibly gathered in my yard, in the sea, or purchased from the local farmers.
***Always remember to source your plants and animals responsibly. Please Malama (care) for our land, our home.***
Kukui Nut soot
Kukui: Use the oily kernels located in the nuts.
Dye/Color: Black
Use: Dry rub, liquid when combined with oil
Harvesting: De-shell the older hard black kukui nuts. Then, light the kernels on fire and capture the soot while it burns. When the fire has cooled down, scrape the soot off the covering and add it to a jar.
Storage: When left in soot form, it will have a strong rotten kukui nut smell. If odorless oil is used, then the soot will remain odorless and last without being placed in the fridge.
Ma’o
Ma’o: Beautiful yellow blossoms and shiny loped leaves
Dye: Yellowish greenish dye (more on the yellow side)
‘Olena
‘Olena: The roots of this plant are used to create beautiful shades of yellow and is also used for medicinal purposes. The ‘olena will die back during the winter and puka again during the spring.
Dye Color: Yellow
Use: Liquid, powder, shavings or frozen sticks
Harvesting: I gently move the soil around the tuber and “trim” off a piece. I want the plant to thrive despite missing a piece so it is important to pay attention to how much I am removing.
Storage: You can boil it and store the remaining liquid in the freezer and re-use it for a later dye project or you can freeze it as little ‘olena “crayons” and use them to draw.
‘Uki’uki
‘Uki’uki: A plant that makes an excellent ground cover but you would need a lot of it as it does not travel but rather clumps together as it expands. This plant produces an inedible blue berry in which the ancient Hawaiians used to create various shades of blue.
Dye Color: Blue, silver blue, grey, dark grey, purple
Use: Liquid (boil), rubbing
Harvesting: Easy to harvest the berries as they are low to the ground.
Storage: I anxiously wait for each berry to “fruit” and keep track of each one to make sure I don’t lose a single one. Once its ready I pluck it and store it the freezer until I have accumulated enough for a project.
African Tulip
African Tulips: I never really noticed until I started making dyes how many of these trees are located all over Maui. From commercial buildings to residential back yards, these trees are everywhere!
Dye Color: Light Brown & dark brown
Use: Liquid
Harvesting: Due to the extreme height of these trees I would wait until a windy day and pick up the vibrant orange and yellow blooms from the ground.
Storage: I soak the flowers before I boil them and any remaining unused liquid is frozen and stored until I need the color again.
Milo Nut
Milo: A tree found towards the makai side of the islands. The nuts turn from green to brown and stay on the tree despite how desecated and dry the brown nut becomes.
Dye Color: Yellow, Orange, Reddish-Orange
Use: Liquid
Storage: I do not recommend storing this particular dye. The longer the liquid sits the more slimy and pa’a it gets. Eventually you would be hard pressed to even be able to use a brush with it and would instead have to smear it on your item (which is not always a good look).
**Side Note: Super fun to use for keiki as they get a kick out of seeing how the bright almost florescent fresh color burst from the nut when its cut. Just be sure they do not consume any of it or rub their eyes, face or mouth once they’ve touched it.
‘Alae
‘Alae: Red Dirt can be found all over the islands with slight differences in richness. The above image is from my little stash that I found on Maui.
Dye: Brownish Red
Use: Dry rub or liquid
Storage: You can leave it in the clump form, powder form, or if you have added liquid then store it in a container.
**Side note: after I have ground the ‘alae into a fine powder I then warm it up with water and store it in my fridge. Also, I looooovvvve the combining ‘alae and ‘olena together!
Wana
Wana is considered an animal dye as it is attached to a live “being”.
Dye: Light Purple & Dark Black
This creature is alive and deserves utmost respect and should only be harvested if you intend to eat it. If you personally do not eat it, then double check with the local kupuna in the area and see if they would enjoy a taste of this rich and flavorful sea urchin. If not, then please do not touch them and especially not out of season. Mahalo nui loa.
Ulu
Ulu: This tree has large beautiful glossy green leaves and bears delicious round fruit. Okay, its an acquired taste for some, but to me it tastes like luck. Its not so easy for me to find it hence, luck.
Note: Kapa can be made from the branches of the ulu tree, burning the dried male flower is a good mosquito repellant, ulu poi can be made from the fruit as well as ulu chips, flour and other super yummy dishes. Aaand its gluten free.
How does it pertain to dyes? The sap from the freshly picked or cut fruit is a white tacky substance. For kapa making it acts as an excellent natural glue and when you mix it with dye it holds the colors well. The issue is having enough fresh sap to work with. And when I say “fresh” i mean literally picked from the tree and used within minutes.
Butterfly Pea Blossoms
Butterfly Pea Blossoms: A climbing vine that merrily takes over the whole space and keeps on climbing.
Dye: Light blue to navy blue-great depth of color
Use: Dry rub or liquid
Harvesting: A happy vine will have many flowers growing and you can pick flowers guilt free.
Storage: To darken the dye you can store the flowers in a container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Liquid can be stored in the freezer until ready to use.
*Side Note: The above image is unfiltered , the blue is just that intense!
Hau tree bark & leaf dyes
Java Plum
Java Plum: Usually considered an irritant to most, these inedible purple berries can create a very beautiful pin to purple dye (just ask any local whose car has been stained by the berry).
Dye Color: Pink to purple
Use: Liquid (boil), rubbing
Harvesting: The tree can be several stories high so picking the berry off of the tree is not really feasible. Luckily, the tree is more than happy to drop them all over the ground, usually during September-November. Collect as many as you can during the season to last you throughout the year as this gorgeous color can be used on multiple projects.
Storage: I sometimes parcel out the berries into smaller containers and leave it in the freezer until I need it. If I have boiled a batch and there is any remaining liquid then I freeze it for later use.
Naupaka
Naupaka: This prevalent and hardy shrub can be found along the coast line of every Hawaiian island. My favorite mo’olelo of star crossed lovers is associated with this particular plant. It produces delicate white flowers that appear to be missing half of itself.
Dye Color: Yellow Green & Dark Rich Green
Use: Liquid, rubbing
Harvesting: The plants circumference is usually large so when I pick the leaves I simply make sure not to “ballahead” it. Be respectful to any plant you are harvesting from whether it’s a rare or prevalent one.
Inia
Inia: A gorgeous tree with lovely leaves. The boiled leaves are normally used for medicinal purposes, more specifically for various skin conditions such as eczema and dandruff.
Dye Color: Light Yellow
Use: Liquid
Storage: The leaves can be dried and stored in an air tight container (similar to process of making tea leaves) or you can boil the leaves and freeze the leaves and liquid until you are ready to use it.
Popolo Berry
Popolo Berries: A fairly hearty plant that is often mistaken for a weed. It can be grown in various climates as long as there is sufficient amount of water . I currently grow it in Kahului which is a dry desert like climate however, I have always seen it flourish on the East End of Molokai which is a wet climate. This plant is used for traditional Hawaiian medicine but I do not suggest ingesting any part of it without first consulting someone with knowledge of La’au Lapa’au.
Dye: Purple, Green, purplish green
Use: Dry and wet rub, liquid
Harvesting: If you are trying to obtain a stronger purple dye then I would recommend picking only the darkest purple berries. If you mistakenly pick the lighter purple hued berries then I would suggest letting them sit and ripen for a bit before processing it.
Storage: They can be dried out and pounded into a powder once the seeds are removed, or frozen freshly picked, or processed into a liquid dye and frozen. However you choose to store it remember that it will change the color since it will no longer be “fresh”.
***Pure purple Popolo berry dye and green Popolo leaf dye painted one on top of the other create a gorgeous stunning green color.
Popolo Leaves
Popolo Leaves: A fairly hearty plant that is often mistaken for a weed. It can be grown in various climates as long as there is sufficient amount of water . This plant is known for its medicinal properties however, I do not recommend ingesting any part of it without first consulting someone with knowledge of La’au Lapa’au.
Dye: Shades of Green
Use: Dry rub, liquid, powder
Harvesting: When harvesting I tend to gather leaves from various branches to ensure it still has enough for photosynthesis. Generally that is something that should always be considered however, this plant is different from a tree or a shrub that needs to be trimmed. This plant I do not trim at all which means I can only obtain leaves by deliberately picking it.
Storage: I prefer to only store the finished, processed liquid form or the dried dye form NOT the leaves.
Noni
Noni: Better known for its medicinal qualities and its smell, the Noni is a pretty hardy tree that can thrive in various climates. From the leaves to the fruit and down to the root, this tree is AMAZING and completely underrated.
How does it pertain to dyes? Well the juice from the fruit can be used to change the PH balance of your dye, thereby changing your color. The root of the tree is said to produce a red dye color however, I have not experimented enough with that part to give an opinion. I will update more on this plant as I continue to experiment with it.
hAU FLOWER(5 DIFFERENT DYES)
Yes you read that right! These beautiful hau flowers create 5 DIFFERENT dyes depending on how you process them. The flowers start to bloom in the morning in a sunshine yellow color. As the day progresses the flower petals begin to darken from pink to a reddish tone.
Dyes:
1. Yellow & pink blooms in its complete forms create a dark greenish color
2. Yellow blooms only-no stamen-creates more of a green & maroon mix, uneven
3. Pink blooms only-no stamen- creates more of a brown/maroon color
4. Stamen-yellow pollen- creates a soft yellow color that has difficulty fasting
5. Anther- velvety red tips- create a deep maroon/red/pink color depending on how you process it and with what liquid (oil or water).
Use: Petals would liquid form, stamen & anther would be liquid or dry rub
Storage: I have been using them immediately so I have not stored it as much as I would like. What liquid I do have left I store in the freezer.
***See the other Hau dye feature for the other 2 dyes that this magical tree offers.
Favorite Products We Use to Make Our Natural Dye Experience Easier!
Below contains affiliated links where Kapa Curious receives a small commission at no extra cost to you. Only items that we have purchased or used multiple times are recommended.
Favorite Bag to filter with
Creating natural dyes with flowers, leaves, bark, and other plant parts will create large and small particles that can damage or discolor our fibers. We use these specific bags to strain/filter the dye bathe when it is time to add in the fabrics. Click below to purchase.
Color shift & Color fastner
Used to change the color and fastness for our natural dyes, this is extremely valuable to our company. Click below to purchase
Soda ash
Shifting our natural dye bathe from liquid to powder form we use a combination of Alum and Soda Ash. Click below to purchase..
portable stove for outside work & workshops
These coiled portable stoves are a staple for our Natural Hawaii Dye workshops. Check out our dye page to see some of the plants we use. Click below to purchase.
Gum arabic
When you continue your color journey and start to create lake pigments and then water colors! Click below to purchase.