What's Inside a DIY Ice Dye Box? Everything You Need for Your First Dye Day

The number one question I get from people who want to try ice dyeing at home is "where do I even start?" I remember that feeling. When I first got into ice dye back in 2021, I spent hours tracking down the right dye, figuring out which soda ash to buy, guessing how much I needed, and hoping the blanks I ordered were actually suitable for the process. It was a lot of trial and error before I had a reliable setup. That's exactly why I created our DIY Ice Dye Box, so you can skip the guesswork and start dyeing with the same materials I use in my studio.

Here's a full breakdown of what's inside the box and why each component matters.

Procion MX Fiber-Reactive Dye

Every DIY Ice Dye Box includes Procion MX dye, the same professional-grade, fiber-reactive dye I use for all of our ready-to-ship ice dye collection and wholesale orders. This is not the all-purpose dye you find on craft store shelves. Procion MX forms a permanent covalent bond with cellulose (cotton) fibers, which means the color becomes part of the fabric at a molecular level. It won't fade, bleed, or wash out when you care for it properly.

The dye comes pre-portioned so you have the right amount for the blank included in your box. One of the most common beginner mistakes is over-applying dye and ending up with a dark, muddy piece that has no white space or color definition. The portioned amount takes the guesswork out of that equation.

Depending on the box you choose, you'll get either a single dye color or a curated combination. If you want guidance on which colors produce the best results on ice, I wrote a whole breakdown of the 15 color combinations I use most in my studio.

Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate)

Soda ash is the fixative that makes permanent ice dye possible. Before you dye anything, you soak your blank in a soda ash solution. This raises the pH of the cotton fibers so that the Procion MX dye can form its permanent chemical bond. Without soda ash, the dye just sits on the surface of the fabric and washes right out. It's the single most skipped step by beginners, and it's the number one reason first attempts fail.

The box includes a pre-measured amount of soda ash with instructions for mixing your soaking solution. You'll dissolve it in warm water, submerge your blank for about 20-30 minutes, wring it out, and then you're ready to fold and dye. Simple, but absolutely essential.

A Premium Blank

Every box comes with a blank selected from the same brands I use for our boutique production: Comfort Colors, Bella Canvas, or Gildan, depending on the box variant. These aren't cheap blanks from a craft store. They're the same wholesale-quality blanks that absorb dye beautifully and feel great to wear.

The blank is white (or natural), which gives you the truest expression of your dye colors. And because we include high-cotton-content blanks, the dye bonds deeply with the fibers for saturated, vibrant results. I've seen too many people ruin a perfectly good dye session with a 50/50 poly-cotton blank from a discount store where half the fibers can't even absorb the dye.

Nitrile Gloves

Procion MX dye bonds with protein fibers, and your skin is made of protein. Gloves are not optional. The box includes a pair of nitrile gloves to keep the dye off your hands. Trust me on this one: dyed fingertips look cool for about ten minutes and then you spend three days scrubbing.

Detailed Instructions

The box includes a printed step-by-step guide that walks you through the entire process: mixing your soda ash solution, soaking and wringing your blank, folding or scrunching the fabric, applying ice and dye, the 24-hour cure time, and the rinsing and washing process. It's condensed from the same process I follow in my studio for every piece I make.

If you want the full expanded version, our complete beginner's guide to ice dye covers everything in detail with photos and troubleshooting tips. I'd recommend reading through that guide before your dye day so you know what to expect at each stage.

What You Still Need to Supply

The box gives you the materials, but there are a few things you'll need on your end:

• Ice. A full bag of ice from the store. Use bagged ice, not crushed from your fridge freezer. The larger cubes melt slower, and that slow melt is what creates the signature watercolor patterns.
• A wire rack or cooling rack. Set it over a plastic bin or tub. The ice melt and excess dye need to drain away from your fabric, not pool around it.
• A plastic bin or container. To catch the dye runoff underneath your rack.
• Plastic wrap or a garbage bag. For covering your project during the 24-hour curing period.
• A bucket for soda ash. Any plastic bucket or bin to mix your soda ash solution and soak the blank.
• A dust mask. Procion MX is a fine powder you don't want to inhale. A basic dust mask or respirator is important when handling the dry dye.

Most people already have these items around the house. The things that are harder to source on your own (the professional dye, the right amount of soda ash, and a quality blank that will actually take the dye) are what's in the box.

Tips for Your First Dye Day

A few things I tell everyone before their first attempt:

• Start with the scrunch technique. Crumple the soda-ash-soaked blank into a loose ball on your rack. It's the most forgiving fold and produces beautiful organic patterns without any precision.
• Less dye is more. You can always go bolder next time. First-timers who dump all the dye in one spot end up with a dark blob instead of the watercolor effect they wanted.
• Wait the full 24 hours. I know it's tempting to peek. Don't. The dye needs time to bond with the fibers. Pulling it early gives you pale, washed-out results.
• Rinse until the water runs clear. This is the tedious part, but if you don't rinse out all the excess unbonded dye, your piece will bleed color in the wash.

Ready to Dye?

Our DIY Ice Dye Boxes are designed to give you everything you need for a successful first dye day. No hunting for specialty supplies, no guessing on quantities, no settling for craft-store materials. Just add ice and a flat surface. They make a great gift for the creative person in your life, or a fun weekend project for yourself.

If you'd rather wear the finished art without the DIY, our ready-to-ship collection has one-of-a-kind ice-dyed pieces hand-dyed by me in my York, PA studio. Every one is made using the exact same dyes and process that come in the box, just with a few more years of practice behind it.