Natural Dyes - Ferrous Lactate

Ferrous Lactate is produced from lactic acid obtained by fermentation of renewable materials.

This new mordant can be used on any fiber for dark shades.

Use: Natural dye – mordanting and to give nuance to any fibers. Iron is the basis of all grey and black shades by reaction with natural tannins. In a general way, it is used to darken colors and make them deeper. It slightly improves light- and wash-fastness from those obtained with aluminum mordants. Recommended use at 1-3 % of the Weight of Fiber (WOF). A higher % may alter the structure of protein fibers and make them breakable.

For grey and black shades, we also recommend using our extracts of logwood, oak gallnut, sumac gallnut, tara, or acacia. The best results will be obtained with combinations of these extracts.

Also, combinations of aluminum and iron mordants or a last (very light) iron bath after an aluminum-mordanted-color will widely increase the number of shades.