Want to know how to tie dye with black without it turning navy or purple? You’re not alone. One of the most common questions I get is how to achieve a deep, true black when tie-dyeing — especially when ice dyeing. The short answer? You probably need to switch to liquid dye.
In this post, I’ll walk you through everything I did to get this true black result using Dharma’s Raven Black. I’ll also share how bamboo fabric differs, how much dye you actually need, and why rinsing out black dye is a whole event.
I have a whole post where I share single-color projects with all sorts of other colors if you want to branch out!
Curious to watch the process? Here’s that video.
Can You Ice Dye with Black?
You can ice dye with black, but it won’t look truly black. Most black powders will split into navy, purple, or blue — still pretty, but not what you’re aiming for. On this tag in this picture you can see how it ‘splits’ or the other colors it turns into. When you do liquid, in theory it should be completely black.
If you want deep, consistent black, you need to use liquid dye — and a lot of it.
Best Black Dye for Tie Dye
I used Raven Black from Dharma Trading Co. It’s the blackest black I’ve personally tested. I’ve heard Jet Black from Jacquard is also great, but Raven Black is my go-to.
Other Dharma blacks like New Black or Better Black exist, but Raven is the most saturated.
If you’d prefer to ice dye instead, you can find a step by step instructional of my ice dye shirt tutorial here.
How to Mix Black Liquid Dye
Before you start, make sure you have the right supplies! I put together a full guide to the Best Tie-Dye Supplies I use for every project — check it out here.
You need a high concentration of dye to get true black. For Dharma dyes:
- 1 oz of water per 1 tsp of dye powder
- I used 4 oz of water with 4 tsp of Raven Black for this batch
The water should be warm (not hot) to help dissolve the powder.
👉 Important: Don’t mix soda ash into your whole black dye batch. It reduces shelf life and makes the dye unstable. You can soak your fabric in soda ash separately.
Tie Dyeing with Black: Step-by-Step
1. Prep Your Fabric
- Soak your fabric in a soda ash solution (1 cup soda ash per gallon of water)
- I used bamboo socks and a cotton t-shirt for this test
- Bamboo absorbs black better than cotton — you’ll see that in the final results
2. Geode Folding
- I wrapped both the socks and the shirt with sinew 4–5 times to create a geode effect
- Use gloves — soda ash makes things slippery!
3. Apply the Dye
- Use a squirt bottle to apply dye generously
- Flip your pieces over and dye the backside too
- I used about 6 oz total of liquid dye (6 tsp of black powder)
- Use a draining rack or mesh basket over a container to catch runoff
4. Batch and Rinse
- Let the dye sit and react with the fabric
- Rinse in cool water first, then hot water
- Use Dawn dish soap to help strip excess dye
⚠️ Black dye takes forever to rinse out. My rinse took 17 minutes — compared to 5–8 minutes for most ice dye projects.
Final Results
The bamboo socks turned out blackest — the cotton shirt still had a slight blue tint, but it was the best black I’ve gotten on cotton so far.
Key Takeaways
- Use liquid dye for true black
- Raven Black is the best option from Dharma
- Don’t add soda ash to your bulk dye
- Bamboo gets blacker than cotton
- Rinse time is LONG — be patient
And before you start, here are some classic mistakes to avoid while tie dyeing.
Supplies I Used:
Want More?
- Grab my free tie dye folds printable with 12 of my favorite techniques
- Check out my Etsy shop for socks, shirts, and more
Related Posts:
- How to Wash Tie Dye
- How Long Should Tie Dye Sit?
- Tie Dye FAQs
- Reverse Tie Dye with Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Now you know how to tie dye with black — and actually get black. Let me know what other color tutorials you want next!
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