How to dye your own colourful Easter Eggs

With Easter Sunday fast approaching, dress up your eggs for unique displays and egg hunts

1 Boil the eggs

Place all the eggs you want to decorate in a saucepan and completely cover with water. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for about ten minutes. When the eggs are hard-boiled, remove them and place them in cold water for a couple of minutes before putting them into the fridge to keep cool. They should be ready for you to decorate within an hour. Use this time to prepare your colourful egg-painting materials.

2 Mix the dye

Drop a dye pellet, which can be bought at most craft shops, into a cup of water or vinegar. You can also use half a cup of water, a tablespoon of vinegar and about 20 drops of food colouring. Allow to settle and infuse. Alternatively, you can make natural colourings by boiling items like red cabbage (blue eggs) and spinach (green), but the colours will generally be less intense. Prepare at least three cups of different colours at once for easier and quicker dyeing.

3 Get decorating

If you want to add extra decorations, put patterned strips of tape on your egg. Carefully place the egg in the dye solution, leaving for at least three minutes. Remove the egg and allow it to dry. Make it even more attractive by dipping half in one solution and half in another, using a paintbrush to layer softer levels of dye on the egg or re-applying tape to the dyed areas and re-dipping for a tie-dye effect. Always let the eggs dry before dipping in a new solution.

In summary…

Apart from boiling the eggs and adding vinegar to the dye solution, it really is up to your imagination when it comes to making your own Easter eggs! Experiment with all sorts of different colour blends and patterns. Store them in the fridge till needed.

Main image credit: Karakal

Read more:

Why do we eat chocolate eggs at Easter?

How is chocolate made?

Home science experiment: Super strength eggs


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