Dyeing Studies of Cotton Towel Product with Natural Dyes and Effect of Cationization on Colour Characteristics Cholthicha Sarikanon 1,a *, Sudakan Yabdee 1,b , Kasem Manarungwit 1,c , Chamlong Sarikanon 1,d , Rattanaphol Mongkholrattanasit 1 , e and Visan Jitkrajaisaeng 2 , f 1 Faculty of Industrial Textiles and Fashion Design, Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand 2 Thailand Textile Institute, Bangkok 10110, Thailand a cholthicha_s@rmutp.ac.th, b sudakan.ya@rmutp.ac.th, c kasem.m@rmutp.ac.th, d chamlong.s@rmutp.ac.th, e rattanaphol.m@rmutp.ac.th, f visan@thaitextile.org * Corresponding author Keywords: Natural dye, Towel, Cationization, Dyeing Abstract: This research was focused upon and concerned with the resulting effects of dye extraction from using the following natural products: Lac, purple corn cob, golden shower tree seed pods, garcinia dulcis bark and dried mangosteen leaves. After applying them to cotton towel products, from their natural dyeing ability using the exhaustion process. The cotton towel was pretreated using a cationizing agent (Starcat PD) before dyeing. The cotton towel was then dyed in the solution extracted from the lac, resulting in forming a pink shade as a result. The sample dyed with purple corn cob and golden shower tree seed pods resulted in violet-brown colour and dark brown shades, in varying results respectively. Using the garcinia dulcis bark and dried mangosteen leaves, the colour shade varied beteen a yellow and brownish orange. The results showed that the dyes K/S values of the treated cotton towel were improved, compared with those of the un-treated one. Introduction Colour is one of the fundamental used in translation and information used by nature, that makes (human) life more aesthetic and fascinating upon our planet [1]. A dye can generally be described as a coloured substance that has a beautiful descriptive and creative affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied [1]. Natural dyes considered to be eco-friendly are most beneficial environmentally are obtained from minerals, plants and animal resources, as compared to synthetic dyes which are derived from petroleum resources [2]. Synthetic dyes are widely available at an economical price and produce a wide diversity of colours. However, synthetic dyes can cause skin allergy, toxic waste and other risks with negative outcomes and experiences to our human bodies and environment [3]. Therefore, in order to avoid the use of risky synthetic dyes that create negative side effect, the use of natural and non-allergic dyes on textile fibers has become a matter of significant importance due to increased ecological awareness globally [3]. At present the main problem in natural dyeing is the limited resources of natural colouring materials, in recent years, a range of research projects have been developed to discover new sources for natural colouring substances. Furthermore, the price of such natural colouring materials needs to be lowered considerably, to produce affordable production, as well as raising the quality level of dyeing, requires substantial improvement [4]. Cotton towels are woven pieces of fabric, either cotton or a cotton-polyester mix that are mainly used to absorb moisture on the body after showering. Cotton towels are the most used textile structures in water related absorbance, using a of terry- woven procedure, with a loop or pile structure that is soft and absorbent thus used to wick then absorb the water, holding it away from the body. In this present study, cotton towels were treated with and without cationizing agents, namely cationic modifier Starcat PD, and then dyed with five aqueous natural dye extracts using exhaustion dyeing methods, without mordants. This process also aided the purpose to compare the depths of shade in terms of the K/S and CIELAB value between treated and un-treated cotton towels. Applied Mechanics and Materials Submitted: 2015-08-28 ISSN: 1662-7482, Vol. 848, pp 149-153 Revised: 2016-02-17 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.848.149 Accepted: 2016-03-24 © 2016 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications, www.ttp.net. (#68404362-01/07/16,16:35:50)