How to Tie-Dye Beach Towels

Nothing quite signals the start of the summer like fresh beach towels coming out of storage. Whether you’re heading to the beach or your neighborhood pool, having an eye-catching and fashionable beach towel can help you start your summer off on the right foot.

A unique way to add an artistic effect to your beach towels is tie-dyeing. You may know you can tie-dye T-shirts and pillowcases, and you can tie-dye bath towels and beach towels, too! Tie-dyeing is a fabric coloring process involving tying fabric in certain areas and dying the remaining fabric with color, creating unique patterns.

Interested in creating some fun and colorful beach towels before you head out to the dunes? Check out our tips for tie-dying towels.

What Materials Will I Need to Tie-Dye Towels?

One of the most exciting things about tie-dyeing is that it’s an incredibly simple process and doesn’t require a lot of materials or a high budget.

Towels: First and foremost, you’ll want to choose the right towel to tie-dye. What kind of towels should you use for tie-dye? For the dye to look its best, you’ll most likely want to use a light color towel, preferably white. You’ll also want to ensure that the towel’s material is 100% cotton for the dye to create its desired effect. Check out a wide selection of white towels from Towel Super Center!
Dye: After you’ve settled on the right towels, you’ll want to choose your color palette. Most fabric tie-dye kits include multiple colors. Consider purchasing a kit that includes a wide variety of colors so that you can pick, choose, and mix colors to create your desired effect.
Rubber bands: As you may have guessed from the name, tie-dyeing requires ties in addition to dyes. One of the most effective materials to tie your towel is disposable rubber bands. These ties will be dyed along with the fabric, so it’s important that you don’t use a material you want to reuse later.
Disposable gloves: You’ll also want a pair of disposable gloves to protect your hands from the dye. The dye used on your beach towel can stain your hands and can be tough to get off. Using disposable plastic gloves will keep your hands clean and lessens the chances of smearing dye on your towel.
Plastic bag or saran wrap: Finally, you’ll want a bag or plastic wrap that will keep your towel’s dye from leaking. Because a dyed towel will have to sit overnight, it’s beneficial to keep your towel in a plastic bag to ensure that the dye doesn’t run or bleed through onto anything else.

Now that you have the required materials, it’s time for the fun part — tie-dyeing!

How Do I Tie-Dye a Beach Towel?

There are a few main methods to tie-dyeing fabric. Each method will produce a different end result and effect. Learn how to make tie-dye beach towels using some popular tie-dye towel patterns.

Rainbow Method

The rainbow method, much like its name implies, will create beautiful streaks and swirls of rainbow color on your towel. This is the most common method used for tie-dyeing and is what people often picture when they think of the process. Here is how to tie-dye your beach towel using the rainbow method:

Dampen: Begin by dampening your towel with water. You won’t want the fabric to be soaking wet, just slightly damp.
Lay flat: Lay your towel on a flat surface. To prevent the surface from being dyed along with your towel, lay down newspaper or plastic wrap.
Pleat: Scrunch and pleat your towel together, beginning at the bottom right corner until the towel is fully pleated.
Tie: Squeeze your towel together tightly and secure it into sections using rubber bands. The most common method is to create about 11 different sections in a radial pattern.
Dye: Apply the dye color to each individual section in your desired color sequence. You’ll want to ensure that each section has a unique color next to it. For example, a blue section should not have a blue section neighboring it.
Let sit: Wrap your dyed towel in a plastic bag and let it sit for about eight hours.
Remove ties: Once your towel has sat for the required amount of time, remove the rubber bands and rinse the fabric with warm water. Switch continuously from warm to cold water for about five minutes.
Wash: Run your towel through the washing machine by itself. Once it fully dries, your tie-dyed towel will be complete!

Crumple Method

Another popular technique for tie-dyeing is known as the “crumple method.” Similar to the rainbow method, crumpling your towel will still give you a brilliant color effect. However, the finished product will look different than its counterpart, with bursts of color rather than streaks. Here is how to die-dye your beach towel using the crumple method:

Dampen: Start by dampening your towel with water. Ensure it’s slightly damp and not soaking wet.
Lay flat: Lay your towel on a flat surface. Lay down plastic wrap or newspaper to prevent the surface from being dyed along with your towel.
Crumple and tie: Using one hand, scrunch a portion of the towel. Apply a rubber band around the section with the other hand. Repeat this throughout the towel in as many sections as you like. The more sections you add, the more color you can add to the towel.
Dye: Apply dye to the scrunched sections of your towel in your desired color combinations.
Flip and repeat: Flip the towel over and do the same process on the opposite side.
Let sit: Wrap your dyed towel in a plastic bag and let it sit for about 8 hours.
Remove ties: Once your towel has sat for the required amount of time, remove the rubber bands and rinse the fabric with warm water. Switch continuously from warm to cold water for about five minutes.
Wash: Wash your towel in the washing machine by itself to avoid dying other materials. Once dry, your tie-dye towel is finished!

Letters and Personalization

Want to create tie-dye towels with names and other personalizations? It’s easier than it sounds!

Before starting the tie-dye process, simply spell your name out on your towel in painter’s tape. Leave the tape on while you tie-dye the rest of the towel. Once the towel is completely dry, wait six to eight hours and peel off the tape. Your name should appear in white wherever the tape was. If your whole family or group has their names on their beach towels, nobody will mix up their towels ever again.

Shop Towels to Tie-Dye From Towel Super Center

Tie-dyeing beach towels is a process that is not only creative and artistic but can be a fun experience for the whole family. Looking for a white beach towel to tie-dye or a dozen for a large group? Shop bath towels to tie-dye from Towel Super Center today!