The true hand dyed indigo from Africa does rub off easily on a persons hands or onto other things. This may be a problem quality of this product; but it is the way that this product comes and the fabric is not considered defective because of it.

There are several things that can be done to reduce this. Any washing of the fabric will remove some of the loose dye, and will keep the blue indigo in the fabric from rubbing off as easily.

If the indigo fabric is soaked in mixture of cool water and vinegar, this will act as a setting agent for the indigo dye. This is not a perfect solution, and the indigo will still rub off somewhat. This process does dramatically reduce the amount of indigo that would rub off though.

If you are making clothing or other similar items with the indigo fabric, the best practice is to use a lining of some sort to prevent problems from the indigo dye. Over time, the amount of indigo dye that will rub off decreases. Although this may never stop 100%, it will become almost un-noticable after time. If you'd like to find some indigo fabric or other African fabrics to own for yourself, just check out the links below!

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