Premium Lac Extract

Description

We were able to obtain a very beautiful variation of lac dye that has us swooning over its rich shade. This extremely strong, refined premium lac extract is the historic red insect dye from Southeast Asia to the Himalayas. The powder is a brilliant red in comparison to our other lac varieties, which are much more purple in appearance. It creates a bright raspberry and fuchsia on both protein and cellulose fibers and is easy to use; no straining required!

25g of premium lac extract will dye approximately 500-750 grams of fiber (1.1 to 1.6 lbs.) a bright pink color. The remaining dye bath may be used to dye additional fibers lighter shades. For more information, please visit our how to page on natural dye extracts.

More on the history of lac from Britannica:

“Lac, also spelled Lack, sticky, resinous secretion of the tiny lac insect, Laccifer lacca, which is a species of scale insect. This insect deposits lac on the twigs and young branches of several varieties of soapberry and acacia trees and particularly on the sacred fig, Ficus religiosa, in India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The lac is harvested predominantly for the production of shellac (q.v.) and lac dye, a red dye widely used in India and other Asian countries. Forms of lac, including shellac, are the only commercial resins of animal origin.

As early as about 1200 BC, lac products were being used in India as plastic and decorative materials. During the 17th century, after traders had introduced lac dye and, later, shellac to Europe, lac became commercially important there. Eventually, lac products came to be used in most of the industrialized countries of the world.”