Easy DIY Non-toxic Easter Eggs

Dye Easter Eggs Without the Chemicals!

I recently picked up a box of a famous name-brand Easter egg dye, and was shocked at the list of chemicals.  I had assumed there would be artificial dyes, but sodium lauryl sulfate and silicon dioxide too?  I realize that we aren't eating these things when dyeing eggs, but all the same, I would rather my precious baby boy not put his hands into what we know to be harmful ingredients.  While we are on the subject, it is sometimes easy to blow off the chemicals that come in contact with our skin, because we think we are not ingesting them.  On the contrary, monitoring what goes onto our largest organ or through the nasal passages might be even more important, as toxins that are ingested have the help of enzymes to break them down and the liver to detoxify us, while chemicals that touch our skin or are inhaled become directly absorbed into the bloodstream.  

That said, it is easy enough to dye eggs with some of nature's most vibrant colors, many of which may already be in your pantry.  See the recipe below and have fun decorating, knowing that you are keeping a short list of chemicals out of the bodies of those you love.

Ingredients:

mugs or shallow bowls
forks and spoons
hard-boiled, white free-range eggs
egg carton

For colors 
Blue:  1/2 cup frozen (thawed) blueberries
Red/Orange:  4 tbsp paprika
Lavender:  100% grape juice
Yellow:  2 tbsp ground turmeric
Pink:  1/2 cup cranberries, beet juice, or frozen thawed cherries

1. Cover work surface with a washable covering.
2. For each color, put fruit, juice or spice in a mug or bowl.
3. Use a fork to mash fruit or to stir concentrate until smooth.
4. Add 1/2 cup boiling water into each mug.  Add 1 tsp. white vinegar to each mug and stir well.
5. Place a hrad-boiled egg into the mug/bowl and soak for at least 5 minutes.  
6. When desired color is reached, rinse egg and allow to dry in egg carton.   
7. Decorate with crayons, markers, stickers or glue and glitter if desired.