Bleach Tie-Dye—A DIY Twist on This Great Trend

Tie-dye, as we know it, has been around for decades—the colorful dyeing technique rooted in the hippie culture that thrived in the ’60s. However, similar dyeing techniques date all the way back to ancient times. My experience with tie-dye has been a long journey filled with rainbow-stained hands, crafting with friends, and super casual T-shirts. I’ve probably had at least one DIY or store bought tie-dye shirt in my wardrobe since elementary school—I’m no stranger to tie-dye.

But… this time I tried out a new (and improved?) method.

Directions

All you need are three things: bleach, a T-shirt, and some rubber bands. I got my plain black shirt from a thrift superstore, which is a great idea because it’s cheap and shopping at second-hand stores supports sustainability.

Just a little warning: I highly recommend doing this project outside and wearing clothes that you don’t really care about. This is especially true if you are messy like I am!

You take a shirt and simply pinch the part of the shirt where you want the center of the spiral to be. Then twist all of the fabric until the shirt is in a spiral and secure it with several rubber bands. Afterwards, grab the bleach and have fun with it!

Those last steps are where you can get creative—there are a bunch of other designs for tie-dye besides the traditional spiral, and the amount of bleach you pour on will obviously produce different designs as well.

This is the first bleach-dyed shirt that I have ever made. The design is closer to a splatter than it is to a perfect spiral, but hey the uniqueness is half the beauty of tie-dye! Next time I would add more bleach for a more prominent design.

This look is a little less hippie and a little more grunge, which I love. Plus, it’s one of those shirts that feels super soft and comfortable but has more style than just any old T-shirt. Not to mention that tie-dye has been trending lately in all types of products. So basically it’s like cheating but in a good way. You get to have a unique and cute top while feeling like you are wearing a shirt to sleep in. It’s truly the best of both worlds!