If you are a winter sports lover, you have probably tried some winter activities so far. Whether you enjoy skiing or snowboarding, one thing is sure – you will need proper clothes.

If you’ve got a new pair of snowboarding pants as a gift, or you’ve bought them yourself, but don’t like the color, there is a chance you could change that. You’ll just need a little bit of free time and will to try out the re-dyeing techniques.

Whether snowboarding pants can be painted or not will depend on the type of fabric they are made of. Avoid recoloring if your pants are made of polypropylene since you won’t be able to achieve the wanted result. In an ideal situation, the fabric you want to dye should be of bright color and made from nylon. 

So, today we are going to discuss whether it is possible to change the color of snowboarding pants, as well as what kind of fabrics can be re-dyed and how to achieve that. 

Can You Dye Snowboarding Pants?

When it comes to snowboard pants dyeing you should consider the fabric that the pants are made of. If you have to deal with polypropylene material it’s going to be quite impossible to re-dye it. 

But, if the label says the pants are machine-washable they could probably be re-dyeable. If the fabric has a “dry clean only” sign, that means you can’t dye it. On the other hand, dyeing cotton or uncoated nylon probably won’t be a problem.

You should use fiber reactive dyes for cotton and acid dyes for nylon. When it comes to polyester fabric, you could have a difficult time tinting it, but it’s not impossible. 

How to Dye Polyester?

Polyester fabric is an extremely difficult type of material to dye, if the fabric is 100% polyester you could have a much harder time dyeing it. It is due to polyester’s synthetic compounds that are made from petroleum, and also because of the manufacturing process. 

Basically, you’re dealing with plastic material. But, luckily there are a few products that can dye polyester and polyester combinations. So, check out some steps to consider when dyeing polyester clothes.

Weigh the Clothes to Determine How Much Dye You Need

Regularly you’ll need one bottle of DyeMore dye up to two pounds of material. If you need to dye very light clothing, or a very dark one, be sure to have at least one additional bottle of dye.

Polyester might need a second bottle of DyeMore because it has synthetic compounds. Keep in mind that if you want a darker color at the end, you’ll need more dye.

Wash the Fabric Before Dying It

This way you’ll be able to remove finishes that might interfere with dye absorption. Just use warm and soapy water to wash your piece of clothing.

You could use a sink or small tub for smaller pieces. Larger and bulkier clothes can be washed in a tub.

Consider Tying the Clothes up to Get Cool Patterns

That way you can create diverse patterns, such as sunbursts and swirls. Check out some ideas on how to do it:

• Simple, crumpled look – Crumple your clothes into a ball, and make sure it is secured with some rubber bands.
• Banded effect – Twist the clothes into a rope, then tie some rubber bands around it. Be sure the rubber bands are several inches apart.
• Sunburst or swirl – Pinch the center of your clothes and twist it. You’ll need to keep twisting and turning the material until you get a shape like a cinnamon roll. To secure the clothes, wrap a few rubber bands around them.

Grab a Pot With Hot Water

Place a large pot on your stovetop, and bring 3 gallons (11.36 liters) to boil. Dyeing polyester fabric is challenging, that’s why you’ll need the stovetop method in order to get some results. You will need hotter water to achieve this. 

Cover the pot and turn the heat up. Heat the water to almost boiling point. You could use a temperature probe because the dyeing process needs a steady temperature of about 180F (82.3C). The probe can help you to make sure the water has the right warmth.

Add Fabric Color Into the Pot

Pour one bottle of DyeMore into the water, once the water is simmering. Make sure to shake the bottle of DyeMore well before using it. You can add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing soap and stir the mixture. 

• If you have white fabric and want to achieve a lighter, pastel color, you should start with half a bottle of DyeMore. So you can easily add more dye later if you need it.
• If you would like to dye your clothes in more than one color, make sure to pour the lightest color first and separate a dye bath for other color options.

Place the Fabric Into the Dye Bath

Stir the clothes slowly for 30 minutes. The polyester requires at least this amount of time to absorb the dye. Wear rubber gloves to avoid coloring your skin.

Even if your fabric has reached the desired color in less than 30 minutes, leave it longer. The color can rinse from the material if it’s not given enough time, so you could get a lighter color than you wanted.

Remove the Fabric When It Reaches the Desired Color

Squeeze out excess dye over the color pot, and make sure you wear rubber gloves. As the clothes dry, the shade of color will be lighter. If you wrapped rubber bands around your clothes to tie-dye them, be sure to cut rubber bands with a pair of scissors.

Rinse the clothes under warm water.  During rinsing, be sure to make the water cooler, and rinse the fabric until the water is clear. If you would like to add more different colors to your clothes, dip the material into another dye bath after the rinse.

How to Dye Nylon?

If you want to dye nylon snowboarding pants, you’ll have a much easier time than with synthetic fibers like polyester. For nylon dying you will need either acid dye or an all-purpose dye. 

Nylon can react really great to dyes you might already have at your home. For example, food coloring and even powdered drink mixes. To achieve good coloring results you should soak nylon fabric into a dye mixture for half an hour. 

But, take a look at the more detailed instructions below.

Fill a Pot 3/4 With Water, Heat It, and Add Vinegar

Use some pot that you won’t prepare food in. Acid dyes and all-purpose dyes leave chemicals that can’t be removed even after washing and rinsing the pot. You could both use filtered and tap water, the results will be the same.

Place a pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. You should heat the water first, before adding anything else into it. Let the water simmer before moving onto the next step.

Add 1 cup (240ml) of white vinegar to the pot. Nylon clothes need a little bit of acid to better soak up the dye. So, make sure to add a small amount of vinegar to the water, no matter what type of dye you’re using. Some dye brands recommend adding a little bit of salt to the water for better results. but, make sure to check the instructions to see if it’s really necessary.

Add Nylon Fabric Into Hot Water

Add nylon clothes and simmer it for 30 minutes, stirring it every 5 minutes. Make sure the water won’t start boiling, you don’t need extreme heat, especially because it can damage the material.

Remember to stir with a spoon that you won’t use with food again. As a reminder, you could put a sticker around the spoon handle, or write on it with some permanent marker.

Rinse and Dry

Rinse the nylon clothes with hot water, and wait until the water runs clear. Be careful not to hurt or burn yourself with hot nylon, as it won’t cool down so quickly. Try using rubber gloves to protect your hands.

Expect to spend 10 to 15 minutes on this process. Rinse your nylon clothes in ice-cold water in the end, to set the dye properly. When you spot clear running water, turn the water to the cold setting and give your nylon a good rinse. Make sure to double-check the water is running clear, and there are no stains.

Dry your nylon somewhere it won’t come in contact with other clothes. Let the nylon dry completely before wearing it.

You can put a towel underneath your nylon clothes to avoid any potential drips. Recently-dyed nylon clothes should be washed by hands 2 to 3 times so that any potential residual dye won’t affect other clothes.

What to Consider When Dying Snowboarding Pants?

When it comes to snow pants dying, you should definitely check out the pants material. It all begins and ends with that. If you’re dealing with some waterproof polypropylene snowboarding pants, you should avoid re-coloring.

But if you have some nylon pants, the coloring could be possible. Of course, bear in mind that the re-dyeing is best when you have bright colored materials, brown or black fabrics are really hard to re-dye.