Lac Natural Dye Powder

 Botanical name: Laccifer lacca

Common name: Lac, Shellac, Stick Lac

Colorant:
Laccaic acid

Dye type:
Adjective dye (you need mordants to get good color fastness).

Shade Range:
It produces shades from bright crimson, burgundy red to deep purple. It is a very pH sensitive color, reds are produced under acidic conditions, and purples under alkaline conditions.

Mordant Requirements:
For vivid reds on yarns of protein (silks and wools), alum is commonly employed. Cotton is one of the plant fiber and to have good fastness, this requires application of an alum mordant and one needs to apply tannin first.

Fastness:
Good lightfastness and washfastness are offered by lac dye on protein fibers, surface fastness on cellulose is lowered without the use of proper mordanting​​.

Common Uses:
Common in the traditional textile dyeing of wool, silk and rarely of cotton. It’s also highly valuable for its eco friendly properties and is still used in sustainable dyeing today​​.

Country of Origin:
India, Southeast Asia, Nepal, Bhutan.

Vegetarian product: No (insect-based)