Beginning your journey into the colorful world of ice dyeing presents one with no less than millions of possible color directions to go in. From single color splits to truly surprising combos that work every time, it is the literal business of WAXON Studio to think, study, and educate about the best ice dye color combinations!

The title of this blog mentions the Procion brand by name, but almost everything in this post will be applicable to any and all fiber reactive dyes— no matter where you bought them.

What Is Color Splitting With Procion Dyes In Ice Dyeing?

purple ice dye color combination — One example of how a color splits into many

What most ice dyers ask when encountering a new dye color is, “how does it split?” What they mean is, what are all the different colors that I end up with on my fabric if I use this one dye color?

Splitting is what the dye does when it slowly gets pulled across the fabric by the melting of the ice cubes. Here is how I like to explain what color splitting is in ice dyeing.

Fiber reactive dyes come in powder form, and those powders were designed to be mixed with water and dissolved into one uniform shade. Think about making a bottle for tie-dyeing: powder + water + shaking it all up = a bottle of a single liquid color.

Sure, you can use multiple bottles on a project, and combine colors next to and on top of each other. But, the powders themselves are designed to be one color each when mixed thoroughly with liquid. Make sense?

When we look at a powdered dye color like Dharma Trading Company’s Deep Purple (shown below), we have to think about not only the intended final solid color but all of the component colors that went into that powder. We know that red + blue = purple, but of course there are tons of different purples on the market, and we can deduce that different types of reds & blues (and different amounts of each) go into making each kind of purple.

Some purples will be made up of more pinks, some may have had darker colors added to get deeper hues, some are cool and some are warm, and all of those differences are made by adding different component colors into the mix. Take a look at the example below.

The swatch in the middle was done on woven fabric with dye over ice in the muck. It is only Deep Purple, making this a great example of what we call a single color split. That just means one color that splits into multiple colors.

The only thing we used was Deep Purple, but look at all the variants that are visible— from baby blue to grey to pink to fuchsia! Who would have guessed that all of those colors exist in only one dye powder? As an ice dyer, you get pretty good at guessing how a color will split.

Which Procion Dyes Split?

All of them except the primaries! Think back to your elementary school color wheel lessons.

Everything except the primary colors (i.e., lemon yellow, turquoise blue, fire red) are made up of a combination of other colors. The same is true in the dye world.

The closer you start to a pure primary, the less that dye will split, because it doesn’t have anything to split into. Instead of lemon yellow, grab an amber yellow or a chartreuse. Just a bit of a more complicated shade will give you way better splitting in your results. Instead of those bright primaries, for ice dyeing we here at WAXON use these instead: Dharma’s Amber Waves, Oxblood Red, and Midnight Blue. Each of these shades is one step more “complex” than its pure-tone cousins, so they create the desired look of a primary while still splitting well over ice. Make sense?

How To Select Ice Dye Color Combinations

Picking color combinations is such a personal thing! What I think looks good might make your skin crawl and your eyes dry up, so play around with what looks great to you.

What you choose & love might be completely surprising and mystifying to another dyer! So take all of our suggestions below with a giant grain of salt. And remember, your results will vary depending on so many factors:

whether your fabric is knit or woven
its thickness
how its been treated or washed
whether you’re doing DOI (dye over ice) or DUI (dye under ice)
if you’re muck dyeing or rack dyeing
the size & type of ice cubes you use
how heavy-handed you are with your dye powder
how you apply your powders (sifter, spoon, etc)
whether you do a SA (soda ash) soak, or sprinkle the SA onto the fabric or ice cubes
even the temperature of the room!

Do I Have Control Of Color When Dyeing With Ice?

Yes and no. You can learn to dial in and repeat the results that you like, whether that’s the results you get from dye under ice, or dye over ice; dyeing on a rack or in the muck; and applying your powders with a spoon or with a sifter.

Some folks use way more dye than others, some use way less. And even the type of ice cubes that you use will have an effect on your colors.

You can use certain methods to put the exact color you want on an exact part of your project. However until you’re an experienced ice dyer, I would really recommend you stay wide open to being surprised and just learn as you go.

It can take a lot of experimenting to get it all looking the way you want it to (or the way you pictured in your mind).

*Our favorite colors for ice dyeing,* *available affordably & ready to use*! *Or get a whole* *ice dye kit* *with instructions.*

The Best Ice Dye Color Combinations Using Procion Dyes

To tell the truth, some of my favorite finished dyes are those on which I used a simple single color and let the splits create the art for me. But it’s hard to limit yourself to one color only! So, what do I recommend as the best ice dye color combinations? Let’s review two families of color options below, so you can get some good ideas. We usually combine them, or throw a little warm in a cool colorway, for visual depth and interest.

*This shawl is* ***just*** *raven black, can you believe? Dye over ice, in the muck.*

Cool Color Combinations

I like to think of colors like families. When you want a foolproof color combination, stick with the same color family.

Purples, blues, and greens look wonderful together. As does any combination of those colors. Try using two different blues together in the same project, something light and dark. See what happens. Try two different teals together, or two different blues together, and see what you like. Add a cool grey like Timberwolf, Charcoal, or Blue-Grey to anything and it looks awesome.

Just remember, not all Procion dyes will split, so make sure you’re choosing something other than just Turquoise on its own. Turquoise plus something else looks great!

Our favorite cools: Cayman Island Green, Mermaid’s Dream, Chartreuse, Deep Teal, Sage Green, Moss Green, Avocado Green, Khaki

Warm Color Combinations

And here comes my personal favorite color family! I love reds, oranges, and yellows, and any combination thereof. Browns split beautifully and so do many greys.

Reds and oranges feel like a cool fall day, while yellows and reds can blend for a little of everything in this family. Just remember if you want a lovely split, make sure you’re avoiding using only vibrant yellows or reds on their own— primaries need to be used with other colors if you want to see lots of splits.

Our favorite warms: Truffle Brown, Golden Brown, Oxblood Red, Eggplant, Amber Waves, Brazilnut, Bronze

Why Are Procion Dyes Used For Ice Dyeing?

Unlike plant dyes (“botanical” dyes), fiber reactive (the procion type) dyes are mixed from different components of other colors, which is what gives us the splits we’re after. They store forever, are affordable and easy to find, and are incredibly versatile.

You can use the same dyes for liquid dyeing, ice dyeing, batik, thickening and painting on, in vats for Shibori and low water immersion, and more.

Which ice dye color combination will you choose?

There are so many possible color combinations when in comes to Procion dyes. Warm colors, like reds and oranges, will mingle beautifully. Blues, Greens, and Purples will have a much cooler undertone and are stunning together. And, like the examples above, you can go with a classic rainbow or a pastel play on a rainbow and never go wrong.

But really, it’s up to you. Everyone has their favorite colors, and those colors would probably be the best ice dye color combinations for them.

You can also try a little raven black mixed into literally anything else mentioned here and see what happens. I guarantee it will look amazing. You do you, boo!

Now if you are ready to start ice dyeing, go ahead and grab an ice dye kit. There are 24 different colors to choose from, and if you want more than one color you can add individual colors to your order here.

Finally, for more FREE dyeing tips go ahead and join the Dyenasty, my mailing list!

The Best Ice Dye Color Combinations for Procion Dyes