Organic Lac Extract

Colours:
Raspberry pink to deep crimson and warm purple

INFO/ ABOUT:

Similar to the cochineal insect, yet from a different part of the world and a different insect, giving a softer and more muted range of colours.

Lac product has been known in India for long. The insects were recognised as lakšã (Sanskrit for a hundred thousand) implying the innumerable numbers of insects in one cluster).
Many lac insects and associated fauna have become endangered where either lac cultivation has either been abandoned or habitat destroyed.
Promoting and encouraging lac-culture may reduce environmental degradation and conserve diverse forests.

It is used as a resin and wax for varnishing wood and as a colourant in the food and drug industries.

Ingredients:

GOTS certified organic Kerria lacca

Herbal and traditional uses:

Lac has been used in ancient cultures of India and neighbouring areas as wood finish eg for violins and other varnished goods, skin cosmetic, lacquerware and dye for wool and silk. In China, it is traditionally used to dye leather.

Although used less as a dye these days due to the popularity of synthetic dyes, it is still used in some food and drinks recipes.

Apparently it is also still used by the India Post for wac seling letters.

In traditional medicine, Lac is a hepatoprotective, which means it can prevent damage to the liver, and also an anti-obesity.

Recipe:

5% WOF - light pinks
10% WOF - Medium pinks/red
15% WOF - Deep crimsons

Put the required amount of powder in a bowl, add a few drops of water to make a paste and smooth out any lumps, before adding a few tea spoonfuls of water, to make an ink.
To make a dye, add enough water to create the space required for your fibres to move around freely in. Boil for 60 mins to dissolve the lac. Add fibres and heat for 60 mins until the desired depth of colour is acquired. Leave to saturate overnight for deeper shades. Remove and wash, rinse, air dry.
Ref Botanical Inks book for further info on dyeing instructions for cellulose/protein fibres, mordanting etc.

Fastness:

Strong light and wash fastness on protein fibres.
Less light and wash fast on cellulose fibres.

Mordants/Modifiers:

Acids turn dye to red. A little acidic modifier can offer more vibrant colours.
Alkali transform dye to warm purple
Iron shifts colours to deep purple

Ph sensitivity:

Very sensitive
Once modified, dyed fibre can change again after washing

ORIGIN:

Found throughout: India, South East Asia, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan and South China
Our lac is cultivated in and sourced from: India

Extraction technique:

Lac is the resinous secretion of the Kerria lacca species of lac insects.

Female lac insects colonise host trees, most commonly on the banyan (Ficus benghalensis, or F. indica) and juniper trees (Rhamnus jujuba), and secrete a resinous pigment which covers the branches of the tree. This resin harvested as "sticklac" and then crushed, sieved and extracted several times in water to remove impurities, resulting in a product known as seedlac, which still contains 3–5% impurities. This is then fully refined into shellac by heat treatment and broken off to make shellac.

Transport:

Air courier from India to UK
Shipped from Botanical Inks in Devon via Royal Mail

Packaging:

Packaged in a 100% compostable zip lock paper pouch and put inside a biodegradable corn starch mailer bag - safe for health and environment.