Skin Deep: The Healing Power of Wearing Natural Plant Colors

When we think about fashion, we often think about aesthetics—what looks good. But what about what feels good on a deeper level? What about what nourishes? In a world dominated by synthetic textiles and chemical dyes, we’re rarely taught to think of clothing as medicine. But at JUSTCOPPA, we know better—because we start with nature, not plastic.

Your Skin Is a Portal

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It breathes, absorbs, and detoxifies. What touches the skin enters the bloodstream, which is why transdermal patches and magnesium sprays work.

Unfortunately, in fast fashion, this is overlooked—or worse, exploited. Many industrial garments are coated or dyed with harmful substances such as:

• Azo dyes (linked to cancer and hormone disruption)

• Formaldehyde (used to make clothes wrinkle-free)

• Phthalates (used in prints and flexible plastics)

• Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) (disrupt hormones)

• Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and chromium in synthetic colors

These chemicals don’t just sit on the surface. With time, sweat, friction, and body heat, they are absorbed into your dermis, entering the bloodstream and lymphatic system.

The Solution: Wearing Nature

Wearing plant-dyed clothing is a radical return to our roots. It's a quiet form of resistance, restoration, and reconnection. Plant colors are more than pigments — they are compounds of life that carry the plant's healing intelligence into the body.

At JUSTCOPPA, every piece I create is hand-colored using plant-based dyes from roots, leaves, barks, and seeds. One of my favorite examples is a shorts set dyed with black walnut—a powerful plant ally that not only produces a rich, earthy tone but also holds deep medicinal properties.

Black Walnut: The Tree of Detoxification

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) isn’t just a dye — it’s a healer. Known in herbal medicine as a cleansing and detoxifying agent, black walnut husks are antifungal, antiparasitic, and antimicrobial.

When used in natural dyeing, the rich brown color transfers to natural fibers and leaves behind trace amounts of active compounds that can benefit the skin, such as:

• Juglone – a natural antifungal and antibacterial compound

• Tannins – astringent agents that tone the skin and reduce inflammation

• Flavonoids – antioxidants that protect skin cells from oxidative stress

Wearing garments dyed with black walnut is like cloaking your body in a protective layer — not just physically, but energetically as well.

What Can Plants Offer the Skin?

Beyond black walnut, many plant dyes carry bioactive compounds that can be absorbed through the dermis. Here are just a few:

• Indigo – contains indican and indirubin; cooling, antibacterial, and skin-soothing

• Turmeric – rich in curcumin; anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and brightening

• Madder root – contains alizarin and purpurin; detoxifying and blood-stimulating

• Chamomile – flavonoids like apigenin; calming and anti-irritant

• Neem – antibacterial and antifungal; treats skin irritation and inflammation

• Hibiscus – alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs); exfoliating and rejuvenating

Each plant brings its own medicine, which gently transfers into the garment—and eventually, into you.

This Is More Than Fashion—This Is Healing

Wearing plant-dyed clothing is a practice of intentional absorption. It’s not only healthy—it’s healing. It’s wearing your medicine. It’s letting your skin breathe and take in nutrients from the natural world, not synthetic toxins.

In a world oversaturated with fast fashion and chemical exposure, choosing natural materials and plant dyes isn’t a trend—it’s a form of self-care, sovereignty, and sacred technology.

At JUSTCOPPA, we don’t just color clothes—we infuse them with vibration, memory, and healing.

Ready to wear your medicine?Start with one piece. Let nature wrap you. Let your skin speak.