Red Dye from Annato (Achuete)
For cotton:
1. Soak the annato seeds in boiling solution of carbonate soda.
2. Soak the cloth to be dyed for 15 minutes.
3. Squeeze the cloth, rinse in water with alum.
For silk:
1. Dissolve equal amounts of annato and sodium carbonate.
2. Soap may be added.
3. Soak for one hour (according to desired color) in 50° C heat.
4. The resulting color may be made yellowish if the cloth is rinsed with small amount of tartaric
acid.
For wool:
1. Wool is dyed in annato at 80° C-100° C without any additives.
National Dyes of the Philippines
by William H. Brown