How to Make DIY Tie Dye Face Masks

Are you looking for a fun way to update your plain white washable mask?  You’re in the right place because  I’ve got a fun DIY and I’m sharing how to make tie dye face masks!  Groovy, right?!

Because of the pandemic, we’re all required to wear masks out in public.  Obviously, I like to wear cute masks that show my personality – enter my DIY tie dye face masks!  We were running into our local Walmart when I saw a pack of white cotton face masks at the front of the store.  Instantly, I thought let’s make tie dye face masks!!!  I went to the craft area and they had so many options to choose from for the tie dye colors. For your convenience, this post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.  Thanks for supporting Sweet Southern Oaks!

The kit with the fushia pink, purple and teal is what I choose because I love those colors together!  It worked out great because the kit came with disposable gloves, rubber bands, and three bottles of dye.

Tie Dye Face Mask Supplies:

• White Cotton Face Masks
• Tulip Tie Dye Kit (in the colors of your choice) – I used this one
• Water
• Paper Towels
• Plastic Tablecloth to cover work area, optional
• Plastic Wrap
• Disposable Baking Pan with a lid

Note: The Tie Dye Kit came with disposable gloves and rubber bands.  If you only buy the dye colors and not the kit, you will need rubber bands and disposable gloves!

Tie Dye Design Ideas:

• On one of the masks: I simply folded it in thirds.
• Traditional Tie Dye Design: I pinched the mask from the middle and twisted it into a little ball.  Then secured it in place with several rubber bands.
• Tie Dye Stripes: I kind of rolled and twisted it up like a snake.  Then secured it into four sections with rubber bands.

How to Make Tie Dye Face Masks:

1. Set up your work area:  You will need to cover your table with a plastic tablecloth or paper towels to protect it from the color dye.  I used the disposable baking dish to dye the masks in, then placed them in the lid of the disposable baking dish to dry.
2. Create your tie dye patterns on the masks.  I followed the directions from the tie dye kit to do this.  See examples in the pictures above on how I folded each one.
3. Fill the bottles: Wearing gloves, fill the dye bottles with cold water up to the fill line.  Put the cap on top of the bottle tight and shake well.
4. Dye the masks: Now comes the fun part!  Make sure you have your gloves on and place one mask into the disposable baking dish (or an old container).  Use the rubber bands as your guide for where to squirt the dye in each section of the mask.  Then flip it over and dye the other side.  There is no right or wrong way to put the dye color on – just whatever you like!  I would just recommend to use all three of the color options for each and let your creativity take place!
5. Once you have dyed the mask, wrap each individual mask in plastic wrap to keep it damp.  I placed the plastic wrapped masks in the lid of the disposable baking dish I was using.
6. Repeat these steps for each mask.
7. Let the wrapped masks sit for 6-8 hours.  I let mine actually sit a little longer because we went out with friends and it saturated the color a bit more.
8. Next, keeping the rubber bands in place, rinse each mask with cold water.  Continue to rinse until the water runs clear.  I would recommend to wear your gloves again – I forgot and ended up with blue dyed hands!
9. Cut off the rubber bands to reveal your tie dye!  I let mine sit overnight in the lid, and it was still really wet the next day (you can see from the picture below).
10. Finally, I washed the tie dye masks together on the gentle cycle with cold water.  Don’t put anything else in the wash with the tie dye!   Then when the wash cycle was over, I put the masks in the dryer to dry separately.  I’m obsessed with how the tie dye masks turned out!

These turned out awesome and even better than I hoped for!  The 90s kid in me is loving that the tie dye trend has made a huge comeback this year and I think it’s here to stay for awhile.  These masks would be so much fun to make with the kiddos!  They’re affordable, washable and super cute.  Plus, they’ll show off your kid’s fun and bright personalities this year as they head back to school.

Note:  I would recommend to wash the tie dye masks separately for a few washes to make sure the dye doesn’t get on anything else!

We are wearing masks to protect those that are more vulnerable and we each must do our part to protect them.  I’ve known several people that have contracted the virus and had to get tested (I was negative though!).  Recently I lost someone and he passed from complications to Covid.  The virus is a real thing and we are all in this together, working together to do our part.

I don’t know how long we’re going to need to wear masks, but at least I have some cute diy tie dye masks to wear in the meantime.  One for everyday of the week!  And you can have some cute diy tie dye masks to stand out in the crowd, too!  Sending you all peace, love and happiness through this.

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