Health is a big topic in today's society- as it should be. There are so many factors that contribute to our overall health (including the clothing we wear, believe it or not), so we decided to share our top five reasons to choose natural dyes as a healthier choice.

Now let's dive into the health benefits of natural dyes, don't worry we're keeping it short and sweet. Our goal here is to empower you with this info, not all health related articles should be stress-inducing (haha, yes we're talking to you web-md)

1. Natural dyes are non-toxic

We figured we should start with the biggest issue and the most important one-toxicity. It's a hard pill to swallow but a lot of clothing in the market today is toxic... yes, full of chemicals. A few chemicals in conventional dyes (any dyes that aren't natural-most of what exists in the world today) include chromium, lead, and cadmium. These chemicals can cause hormonal imbalances, respiratory problems, skin irritation and more. Some research even claims they can be carcinogenic..a lot of research actually. On top of the fact that you shouldn't we wearing these clothes-think of the workers in the dye factories overseas...

2. Naturally dyed clothing is *almost always* PFA free

PFA's: a big concern are commonly found in plastic products, and as you may known most fabrics on the market today are polyester. Microplastics can absorb into your skin through your pores as you sweat, never forget your skin is your bodies biggest organ! Typically if a piece of clothing is naturally dyed, it's also a natural fiber because natural dyes don't like synthetic fabrics. We use only natural fibers at Soul Studio for all of the health related reasons but also to protect the environment.

3. Natural dyes are hypoallergenic

If you have sensitive skin-natural dyes are your best friend. As mentioned above chemicals live in conventional dyes-these are irritants, aka your body telling you something is wrong. Natural dyes are truly natural and won't harm your skin, clog your pores or cause allergic reactions. 

4. Natural dyes can be anti-microbial 

Research has shown that some, not all natural dyes can prevent bacteria from growing because of their high tannin content. Tannins are a naturally occurring compound with bitter or astringent properties. 

5. Natural dyes are anti-oxidant (reducing stress, anti-aging and promote healing) 

Does this sound like magic? Well that's because they pretty much are. Dyes high in tannins, like we just talked about in point #4 give your skin a boost. They're responsible for free-radical neutralization, reduce inflammation, and promote healing in the cells. 

~

To wrap it all up, we really just think humans should avoid chemicals as much as possible. Choosing what's better for your health, better for the planets health and the truly natural choice, should be the right and obvious choice.

Hopefully this short and sweet info can help you make the choice to start integrating natural dyes into your everyday life.

With love, Melissa & Carol.