Blending ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with clothing
Contrary to the belief that Ayurvedic herbal dyeing is some newfound process, it was in fact a common practice in ancient India. The herbal dyed clothing known as Ayurvastra meaning healing cloths is used more for health than for fashion purposes. Our fabric is dyed according to the wisdom of Ayurveda at a small dye-house using Ayurvedic herbal dyes that are rich in medicinal properties.
Ayurvedic Herbal Dyeing Process
The process of Ayurvedic dyeing needs a deep connection with mother nature as it is completely free from synthetic chemicals & toxic irritants. It is an ancient art of infusing blends of herbs into clothing in such a way that along with the colours, the fabric also holds the goodness of these herbs. It takes around 30 days for the fabric to get ready for stitching as dyeing is completely done by hand.
The fabric
The first step is to procure organic cotton as the only natural fabric that can absorb the goodness of Ayurvedic herbs.
Mordanting
After naturally bleaching fabric in an Aloe Vera solution, it is dipped in natural gums mordants such as the Haritaki, bark of Lodhra, and Kenduka so that they can absorb and hold on to the colour, and medicinal properties of these herbs.
Preparing Ayurvedic Dye
Our therapeutic Ayurvedic herbal dyes are prepared using 20+ mindfully selected herbs, plants, flowers, roots, and barks. Using the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, we carefully extract natural colors from these herbs by preparing a 100% vegan broth known as Kaṣhāya (the inspiration behind our name). Each color produced (peach in our madder clothes), is due to the Kaṣhāya containing one dominant plant/herb.
The Dyeing
The Kaṣhāya is filtered before infusing fabric into it. Fabric is infused not only with natural colour but also with the therapeutic properties of this 100% vegan Kaṣhāya for 6 hours at a controlled temperature. Once the fabric has been dyed, it is washed to remove any loose particles and dried naturally in the shade. It is then softened with the natural ingredients such as coconut oil.
The finishing
Pure water is sprinkled on the Unisex Baby Clothes and stretched using a hand roll. The dyed fabrics are allowed to season for a minimum of 2 weeks in a dark room before they are ready for tailoring.
The recycling
The dye water waste is used to nourish the land and the Kaṣhāya waste is a natural fertilizer for the surrounding plants.
How is Ayurvedic dyeing different from natural dyeing?
There are quite a few brands that use natural dyeing processes to avoid including potentially harmful synthetic chemicals such as carcinogens, parabens, PVCs and in their products. Often, natural dyes are extracted from tree barks, flowers, and other plant parts, but most often, these are chosen for their aesthetic qualities and may not contain any healing properties.
Ayurvedic dyeing is the next step, where only plants and herbs that contain healing properties are used. The following herbs feature prominently in Ayurvastra, each with its own benefits:
- Turmeric
- Sappan wood
- Harda
- Tulsi
- Madder root
- Neem
- Indigo
Our bodies are not exposed only to the toxins in food and air, but also to the synthetics and chemicals layered on our clothes.
buy online organic baby cloth,
Snuggling up in Kaṣhāya clothing means your baby’s porous skin is absorbing the benefits of herbs that enrich babies’ sensitive skin, promote restful sleep, are believed to strengthen immunity, and create a positive aura & calmness around your little one.
We take great pride in creating super soft, non-toxic, Ayurvedic clothing that will have both you and your baby feeling great, inside, and out.
Stay tuned to know more stories behind our brand!