Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 1 od 7

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5 Author: kate12345 (Minieco)

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I have discovered lately that its really easy to dye homemade playdough with natural ingredients. We
Related: natural, dye
dyed ours using raspberries, rose petals, beetroot, blueberries, turmeric and oak tree bark. Check out the
results in the picture. Pretty good eh?

As well as creating some great playdough it’s also a lovely way to teach kids that some of the most Related
beautiful dyes can be found in your own back yard.
Playdoug
You can read this, and other eco-craft ideas at minieco.co.uk . by

Step 1 Extract the dye

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-dye-for-homemade-playdough/?ALLSTEPS 6.10.2011.
Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 2 od 7

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Dyeing W
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Raspberries
How to A
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Put a big handful of raspberries and a cup of water in a pan. Bring to the boil then gently simmer on stove
for 20 minutes (until liquid has reduced to about half). Once cooled pour through sieve then follow
playdough recipe below
Naturally
Rose petals by two

Roughly tear up the petals from about six red roses and put in pan with a cup of water. Bring to the boil
then gently simmer on stove for 20 minutes (until liquid has reduced to about half). Once cooled pour
through sieve then follow playdough recipe below.
More Related
Beetroot

Chop up one medium sized beetroot and put in pan with a cup of water. Bring to the boil then gently
simmer on stove for 10 minutes. Once cooled pour through sieve then follow playdough recipe below. Guides

Blueberries

Put a big handful of blueberries and a cup of water in a pan. Bring to the boil then gently simmer on stove
for 20 minutes (until liquid has reduced to about half). Once cooled pour through sieve then follow
playdough recipe below.

Turmeric

Put approx two teaspoons of turmeric in a pan with a cup of water. Bring to the boil then gently simmer on KIDS CRAF
stove for 20 minutes (until liquid has reduced to about half). Once cooled pour through sieve and follow
the recipe below.

Oak tree bark

Put a big handful of oak tree bark in a pan with a cup of water (its best not to take it directly from the tree
– if you scout around you will find plenty on the ground). Bring to the boil then gently simmer on stove for
20-30 minutes (until liquid has reduced to about half). Once cooled pour through sieve then follow
playdough recipe below.

Step 2 Gather all your ingredients TEACHER'S

RESOURCE
SCHOOL PR

http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-dye-for-homemade-playdough/?ALLSTEPS 6.10.2011.
Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 3 od 7

CRAFTS FO

½ cup of flour,
½ cup of dyed water,
¼ cup of salt,
½ tbsp cream of tartar,
½ tbsp cooking oil,

Step 3 Make your playdough SEPTEMBE

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♥ Combine all the ingredients in a pan (don’t worry about sieving the flour).
♥ Put the pan on a medium to low heat and keep stirring until mixture forms a ball. It will probably stick to
the bottom and sides of the pan too!

Step 4 Knead!

♥ Allow it to cool a little and knead it on a well floured worktop.

27 comments Add Comment

Batness says: Aug 18, 2010. 1:28 AM

http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-dye-for-homemade-playdough/?ALLSTEPS 6.10.2011.
Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 4 od 7

Interesting and great! I'd love to see a little more added to this 'Ible though. Like, could you show us a
better photo of the different dyes and what they look like once added to the dough? I can't tell which
dyes were used in which dough from the one photo. Also, it'd be nice if there were some additional
3 directions on what to do with the dough/how to use it. Like can I bake this dough? If so at what
temperature? Does it dry out easily? Does it stain fingers/countertops?
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 18, 2010. 3:33 AM

Hi batness, Have a look at my main photo. In the front row (running left to right) you can see a)
undyed b) raspberry c) turmeric. In the second row back there is a) blueberry b) beetroot c) oak tree
1 bark and d) a tiny peek of rose petal. As for colour intensity – its a bit hit and miss really. If in doubt
make the colour as strong as you can. Then you can mix it with some undyed playdough to make
the colour less intense! Generally speaking beetroot is a very strong colour so thats the only one I
would be inclined to go easy with! You can make different kinds of playdough that you can bake but
this one is meant to stay soft and is only for play! No - it doesn't dry out - as long as you store it in
an airtight container. If it does get a little dry then simply knead in a teaspoon of water. Once made
it lasts for ages. No need to keep it in fridge - the salt is a fantastic preserver. Once the dough is
made I have experienced no problems with staining (having said that I wouldn't let my son wear a
pristine white top whilst playing with it - but that also applies to regular playdough) When you are
making the dough I would take the usual precautions - use a chopping board, wear an apron, avoid
using your best saucepans etc. Having said that I used my best stainless steel pans and
experienced no problems at all. If you are worried about staining just give your kids an undyed
batch. My kids love it undyed because it looks like ‘proper’ pastry. :-)
flag Reply

mce128 says: Aug 19, 2010. 9:45 AM

Hmmn that's really interesting about the heating to combine... What is the purpose of that?
Perhaps to unravel some of the gluten in the flour? when I was a kid we just mixed the flour, salt
and water (with coloring or not) in a bowl. It would dry out eventually, but as you said it will
rejuvinate with a little water unless you let it get too dry, then it's just easier to make more if you let
it get dry enough to crumble into little rocks. However, the one thing I'm wondering is, you state in
your comment above that this one isn't for baking, is it the salt/flour ratio or something that affects
that or that you heated to combine? Because the stuff we made was remarkably similar (I don't
remember exact proportions as it was a VERY long time ago) but didn't combine heated. This
stuff turned into an extremely hard substance once baked. Have you tried baking your formula just
to see what would happen?
flag Reply

AbstractDragon says: Sep 18, 2011. 7:51 AM

Heating makes it more elastic. I'm not sure about the chemistry, but I've made both the standard
salt clay you describe and this type, and the uncooked stuff can get pretty crumbly, but this mix
is more plasticky in texture.
Not sure if this can be baked.
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 19, 2010. 11:02 AM

Hi MCE, i actually haven't tried baking it. I just presumed it wouldn't bake very well (or keep its
shape). I'll give it a go and let you know.
1
flag Reply

mce128 says: Aug 19, 2010. 12:44 PM

That would be really nice! Thanks!
flag Reply

NaturalCrafter says: Apr 22, 2011. 1:13 PM

Anything that allows you a chance to work with natural dyes has got to be fun. I wanted to try this with
some natural wool. Thanks for the tips
2
flag Reply

AbstractDragon says: Sep 18, 2011. 7:46 AM

Remember that with wool you will need a mordant to set the dye, like salt or vinegar.
flag Reply

Victoria_Girard says: Mar 17, 2011. 8:34 AM

That is a great idea! It looks yummy enough to eat and I bet it smells good too. It reminds me of
growing up with sheep. My mom would die the wool with natural ingredients and it was really cool
knowing that the colors were straight from nature.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-dye-for-homemade-playdough/?ALLSTEPS 6.10.2011.
Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 5 od 7

Victoria Girard
Publisher, http://revealgreatskin.com
flag Reply

popina says: Sep 24, 2010. 7:48 PM

Love these recipe, want to try that..
Was wondering about the turmeric, does it stain cloths after it is mixted up w/the playdough?
flag Reply

NatureBoom21 says: Aug 25, 2010. 11:30 PM

OOOOHHHHH PREEEETTYYYY COLORSSSSS :D. One question though. how does this stuff
smell? just curious. Also, I rated it 5*s :)
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 26, 2010. 2:37 AM

Hi Nature boom - to be honest the dough doesn't really smell of anything. You can put a few drops
of essential oil in if you want it to though. Thanks for the rating :)
1
flag Reply

grooooovy says: Aug 24, 2010. 11:41 AM

This is a new idea... pretty creative! Warning though, just in case, berry stains don't come out.

12 flag Reply

pyogazel says: Aug 23, 2010. 10:58 PM

Very nice colours, thank you for this instructable! I have a few suggestions for colours : curry powder
for a yellowy green, matcha powder for light green black sesame paste for black. I don't make
playdough anymore, I was tired of seeing the "work of art" laying around so now I make coloured
cookie dough and we bake it : et voilà! edible colourful work of art :)
flag Reply

Puzzledd says: Aug 20, 2010. 2:22 AM

I used to make playdough in a saucepan, but if you use a microwave, you don't end up with messy
saucepan and aching arms from stirring- just microwave in the (plastic) mixing bowl for 30 secs at a
13 time, taking out and stirring, until it's a nice lump. I love the natural colours!
flag Reply

Rivil says: Aug 19, 2010. 2:32 PM

Is the pink dye actually raspberries - because the picture has strawberries. I would think that
raspberries would give better colour, but the most i know about natural dyes is that lavender
produces a red dye. i.e. dyes are often not what you'd expect.
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 19, 2010. 10:32 PM

The pink dough in the main picture was produced just using raspberries. When I took more pictures
for the instructable I used both. Very similar result but a little more red. You are right about the
1 colour change. I made some with red cabbage (not pictured) - the water was blue /purple but it
made bright pink playdough. Something to do with the solution reacting to the acidity/alkalinity in the
cream of tartar/salt I think? Maybe a chemist can explain better than I can :-)
flag Reply

ansion says: Aug 19, 2010. 10:00 AM

Oh, yeah, and I color mine with 2 packs of Kool-Aid powder. It doesn't transfer either, after you've
cooked it and mixed it up properly. Plus, it smells really good. We love smelly playdough.
1
flag Reply

ansion says: Aug 19, 2010. 9:58 AM

To answer the cooking question, this dough doesn't bake well. I've made it for years for my kids. It's
the best for keeping and playing with, as it's a nice soft dough. But if you bake it, it will take HOURS
1 to dry it out, and then it puffs up and the insides run out and you end up with a perfectly puffy hollow
thing that resembles your original plan. But I always end up cutting off the excess that leaked out. I
think it's something to do with the cream of tartar, but I'm no chemist. If you're planning to bake it, I'd
suggest the old standby salt dough. If you're planning to bake it, I'd suggest the old standby salt
dough.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-dye-for-homemade-playdough/?ALLSTEPS 6.10.2011.
Natural dye for homemade playdough Stranica 6 od 7

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Reply

lynnmillard says: Aug 19, 2010. 8:52 AM

The pdf is for LED throwies and not for the play dough dies.
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 19, 2010. 9:27 AM

Hi Lynn, Try again - I just did and it seems fine. If you are still having problems then visit my site
and you will be able to view all steps of the same page: http://www.minieco.co.uk/natural-dye-for-
1 homemade-playdough/
flag Reply

HollyHarken says: Aug 19, 2010. 8:50 AM

The berry and rose ones must smell fantastic! How do you keep your kids from eating the dough?
flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 19, 2010. 9:25 AM

Hi Holly, To be honest the dough doesn't really smell that much. My kids are the kind of kids who
are compelled to play dough of any kind - I just make sure I supervise them and give them a firm
1 'no' if they try to sneak a bit in their mouth!
flag Reply

cherishcherub says: Aug 18, 2010. 4:53 AM

TIP: Put in a whole tablespoon of oil rather than a half so it doesn't stick to the pan!

7 flag Reply

cherishcherub says: Aug 18, 2010. 2:58 AM

do you have to put in the cream of tartar, cos i dont have any

7 flag Reply

kate12345 (author) says: Aug 18, 2010. 3:35 AM

It would be fine without. It just acts as an additional preserver.

1 flag Reply

ChrysN says: Aug 17, 2010. 4:43 PM

Nice, I like natural dyes. Watch that turmeric though that stuff really stains.

72 flag Reply

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