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DoodlebearsI have a lady who wishes me to make a bear for her with some mohair that she bought at a show. The problem is she doesn't like the colour, it is two tone. She wants me to use the product that hairdressers use to take the colour out of human hair before dying it a lighter colour. Would this work and if it worked on the hair would it ruin the backing? What do you think?
I would really appreiciate any help.
Hugs Jane. 
I don't think it would work because they don't use oxidising colours on mohair in the first place...ie colours that need hydrogen peroxide in order to work. The colours work by removing part of the hairs natural colour and depositing the new shade in it's place...mohair dye doesn't work in this way..it simply stains the fabric and deposits the colour on top of whatever colour is there originally.
Colour reducers strip the colour out of hair by reversing the oxidising process...and if it isn't an oxiding type dye then , in theory, it won't remove the colour. It may take it out a little but I am not convinced it would work at all. We have similar products to fabric dyes which we use in the salon...they are semi-permanent colours (non H2O2) and the are notoriously difficult to remove from blonde hair and require specialist treatment to remove them and, as mohair is pale in the main to start with, I think it might be hard to remove.
There are fabric dye removers (dylon?) which you could try...or household bleach in a weaker solution, kept off the backing as it will rot the cotton could work...hair bleach might work as it always seems to work on my teeshirts(LOL) but again keep it off the backing...
I'd tell her to get a new piece of fabric!!!
Posts: 8,574Any of those products are very likely to damage the cotton backing that the mohair is woven into. Also bleach will damage the fibers.
Why not try over dying it.....for instance if it is gray try a dark purple/blue/black....or a warmer brown...
I often overdye if I'm not happy....
Boy-do you guys have strange requests!!! Thats because you make such great bears and the customers thing you can do anything....
I have never tried dying anything so I can't help on that.
What I can't understand is why she bought some fabric that she doesn't actually like. That is just strange, most people buy things because they like them. Mohair isn't exactly the cheapest material either 
DoodlebearsThanks for the detailed answer Jenny, I thought the idea was ridicules.
Dilu the mohair is grey backing ith light grey hair with dark blue tip and she wanted it dyed a traditional teddy golden yellow...crazy I know but I thought I would ask. I have phoned her and told her she will have to buy the right colour mohair for the bear she wants.
Kat I agree mohair isn't the cheapest of materials but if she wants the bear made she will have to buy some more mohair.
Hugs Jane.
Jane you did the right thing..for a kick off blue is the single hardest colour to remove..I have a story about a man who dyed his own hair blue who came to the salon to have it removed...he went for a curry and started sweating and turned the table cloth and everything blue...his clothes ..the lot!! It wouldn't come out either!!! Not fully..we ended up dying it dark brown.
I can't believe that someone would be so daft as to buy grey and blue mohair and then expect to change the colour to a light gold...the words 'cloud' and 'cuckoo land' spring to mind!!
Sorry about the long winded answer but I am never one to be short and sweet....why use a sentence when a paragraph will do?!!!
