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All of those Easter egg dye kits in the grocery stores seem convenient enough – especially considering how quickly they produce vibrant – although unnatural – hues of Easter eggs designed to make any child’s eye’s light up. After all, dying Easter eggs is a childhood rite of passage. But surely there is a way to make beautiful dyed Easter eggs without resorting to artificial coloration? If you enjoy living green and teaching your children more natural ways of enjoying the beauty of nature, consider using natural Easter egg dyes this year using all-natural ingredients.
Preparing Your Eggs
As always before dying Easter eggs, hard boil your eggs to prevent messes and cracking. Just be sure to keep them refrigerated until you are ready to start the dyeing process. At that time, place all of your eggs into a pan, just barely covering them with cold water and two to three tablespoons of white vinegar. Heat the eggs up over a rolling boil for approximately 60 seconds, before turning the heat to simmer and covering the pan with a lid. Let the eggs rest in simmering water for about 10 minutes.
Customizing the Eggs
If you enjoy Easter eggs that are customized with fun designs or shapes, once the eggs have cooled, hand the kids a piece of wax to draw shapes onto the eggs with, or otherwise wrap the eggs in rubber bands for a fun tie-dyed look. When the time comes to color the eggs, the rubber bands or wax will prevent the natural dyes from absorbing into the surface of the covered parts of the egg shells.
Natural Easter Egg Dye Colors
There are many shades of natural colors you can achieve when using natural Easter egg dyes for your eggs, although the vibrancy of your hues will depend on how long you allow the eggs to soak in the dyes. According to Better Homes and Gardens, most shades can be achieved by mixing certain colorful food items with one to two tablespoons of white vinegar. For example, grape juice mixed with a single tablespoon of vinegar will produce a lavender purple, and a cup of coffee mixed with one tablespoon of vinegar will create a beautiful shade of brown. To dye eggs blue, try boiling a quarter of a head of red cabbage in a quart of water alongside two tablespoons of vinegar. On the other hand, if you have little girls hunting eggs on Easter Sunday, achieve a vibrant pink shade by switching the cabbage for sliced beet.
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