Yes, its called Alum. In olden days, apart from its use for filtering water and an industrial purifier, it was also used as an aftershave, you will still find many barbers in India who use it.
"Har" is used in this proverb to mean "dye".
The proverb literally translated means "The cloth gets bleached without using any dye or purifier".
Ever seen a 10th floor being designed first for a building ?
Nah ... always ... always the foundation, base, ground then the next steps eventually follow.