If you’re using fresh eggs from your own chickens, soak your eggs beforehand in some hot water and a bit of vinegar overnight. This step makes it possible for you to rub off the protective layer that’s over the egg shell. That layer will come off after it soaks in your dye baths and it can take a good deal of the color with it. If you’re using washed eggs from the store, this step probably isn’t necessary.

If you haven’t done a vinegar bath on your eggshells, be sure to add 1 teaspoon of vinegar per 1 cups of dye liquid. The acid helps the colors stick more vibrantly to the eggshell. Without it, your colors will be a bit boring. I found that baking soda can lead to a more vibrant color in some natural dyes, but I have yet to discover a pattern to explain the chemistry (admittedly, I am NOT a chemist).

If you’d like to empty your eggs of their contents, just visit our post on Blown Eggs for Easter.

Bring one cup of your dye material to boil with two cups of water. Allow it to cool and strain out the dye material.

Allow eggs to sit in the dye baths (cups) overnight for the brightest colors. Light colors will result from several minutes to several hours soaking in the color bath. Natural dyes usually take longer to leave color on eggshells than commercial Easter egg dye tablets.

If the naturally dyed colors fade a bit as they dry, rub some coconut oil over the eggs to keep them fresh. Just warm the coconut oil in your hands and be gentle as you apply it. We use blown eggs for our Easter egg dyeing so we have to be extra careful of breakage.