Case study: Proven anti-fungal properties in lotus silk
What happened when we dyed a lotus silk scarf in avocado dye?
Experiment
We experimented with dyeing our pure lotus scarves using natural plant-based dyes. The first experiment was dying with avocado seeds, which is a popular technique for natural plant dyes.
Boiling avocado seeds releases a natural red dye, and is used as an eco-friendly technique for colouring fabrics such as cotton, linen or silk, to produce light peach or pink hues.
Below are the results from dying cotton, linen or silk.
We dyed our raw lotus scarves in the avocado seed dye and the results were astonishing.
Findings
The anti-fungal properties still present in the pure lotus scarf cleared the red ink in the water and returned the water back to a clear colour and didn’t accept the dye at all.
The scarves were 14 months old and had been washed twice, but the natural properties of the lotus stem were still active in the scarf. Lotus has a strong purpose in its natural habitat, and that's to self-clean and purify the water, killing off any microbes that threaten the eco-system. Our lotus silk yarn is a lotus stem in its raw form and is unprocessed, therefore the scarf mimicked the same activity of a lotus stem in its natural environment. A self-cleaning fabric is ground-breaking, not to mention the high vibration that the lotus flower brings to its surrounds. This has prompted interest from several textile professors at Australian Universities and we’re currently conducting further research and testing into our lotus silk’s powerful abilities, that go far beyond any other fabric in existence.
Explanation
Avocados pit’s red ink contain a small amount of a natural toxin called ‘persin’, and acts as a fungicidal toxin. The pure lotus scarf detected the persin fungicide in the water and acted as an antifungal agent to the persin and destroyed it, returning the water to a clear colour. The amount of persin in an avocado seed isn't enough to harm a human, but is harmful to animals and insects.
The avocado dye did not stain the lotus silk scarf at all and it returned to its natural raw colour.
Although this was remarkable to witness, it’s not surprising given the medicinal power of lotus, which has been documented for centuries by alchemists and traditional Chinese medicine. And now in recent years, several modern academic journals for its medicinal benefits.
What does this mean for lotus silk skincare?
The properties in lotus silk provide a huge advantage when it comes to clean skincare. Our award-winning reusable lotus silk eco pads are made with lotus silk, meaning there's another level of clean for your skin, thanks to its antimicrobial acitivity. Most customers don't use a cleanser at all, just a gentle massage of the eco pads with water, and their skin feels cleaner and smoother than any chemical cleanser can achieve. There's a soft side for removing foundation, dirt and other impurities, then the light exfoliation side to smooth pores to polish the complexion.
