How to Dye Your Hipstik DIY Ready-to-Dye Opaque Tights

LAURA MCGUIRE

DIYers – this one's for you! Take your love of the unique Hipstik comfort top design into endless color possibilities! Order our ready-to-dye Hipstik tights and select your dye color: Red Wine, Hunter Green, Cocoa Brown, or Eggplant Purple. The stovetop method of dying your Hipstik tights for your favorite outfit or costume is as easy as wearing them. View our instructional slideshow in this article to learn how to dye tights.

Active process time: 1 hour

Materials:

Hipstik ready-to-dye white tights
RIT Dye pack
Big steel pasta pot (you will not ruin it!)
1 cup white vinegar
Big spoon or spatula for stirring
Plastic grocery bag for spoon
Plastic container for dye
Plastic fork or spoon for dye
1 Tablespoon Fabric Softener
½ Tablespoon Liquid Laundry Detergent
Rubber gloves

Instructions:

Shake tights to release folds. Rinse tights in the sink with tepid water so they are wet when they enter the dye bath.
Use a plastic grocery bag to cover your big spoon and secure it with a knot. This is an easy method to protect your tights from snags while stirring.
Glove up and pour a packet of dye powder into a plastic container. Slowly add about 3 cups very hot water and use a plastic utensil to stir carefully to dissolve the powder.
Fill the pot with water – about ¾ full. Add 1 cup vinegar. Bring to simmer. Once you see steam rising, it’s time to dye!
Set timer for 60 minutes. Gently pour the dissolved dye into the pot. Stir thoroughly. Ease wet tights slowly into pot.
Thoroughly stir with a plastic bag covered spoon. Stir regularly for 60 minutes.
To discard water at 60 mins of dye time, carefully pour water into steel sink or outside in a natural area away from plants.
Carefully place tights (alone) in the washing machine. Add fabric softener and detergent and wash normally in cold water.
Air dry and then they’re ready to wear with a fun outfit! Send your photos and dying tips to happy@hipstiks.com.

Our Tips:

For the full dying time, maintain steady steam rising – the perfect temperature for color adhesion. You don’t need boiling water.
You don’t need to dye longer than 60 mins for better results: at 60 mins the tights have reached max absorption of the dye. Final color results will vary.
Dye powder or water drips needs to be cleaned up immediately. We recommend wearing an apron and having paper towels handy.
Rit publishes multiple ways to dye including bucket and washer method. We’ve tried them all and we recommend the stovetop method as the best results for dying Hipstik's white tights.
Want to dye Hipstik with even more colors than we offer in our webstore kit? Rit All-Purpose Dye has been trusted for over 100 years by home dyers and their color options are truly infinite! Use one (1) bottle or box of any Rit All-Purpose to dye a pair of Hipstik read-to-dye white tights. View Rit's rainbow of color options here.
Have questions? Contact us at happy@hipstiks.com