Tips for Distressing New Jeans
Get the Perfectly Faded Look Without the Designer Price Tag
Aug 5, 2008
To make the perfect pair of jeans, find an inexpensive but classic pair of jeans, 100% cotton or stretch, which has the fit you’re looking for. Levi’s and Wranglers still cost less than $20 at Wal-Mart or Kmart, and they come in a variety of cuts: button-fly, boot cut, skinny leg, natural fit, or low-waisted. Take the time to find the perfect style for your body type and personal style.
Next, spend some time looking around a high-end department store or boutique to get a sense of current trends in distressing. Believe it or not, holes in the knees or hips can go in and out of style. If it matters to you, do your homework and find out what people are wearing and tearing.
Distressing Techniques
There are several ways to distress your jeans without tearing them apart. A few options:
- Razor blades: place a hard surface beneath your jeans. Using a disposable razor, “shave” the fabric in a quick, short motion, being sure to move the razor away from your body to avoid cutting yourself. Work at the bottom of the legs, around the pockets, and at the thighs and knees. You will begin to see fuzz gathering, and in a short time, the dyed areas will lift up and reveal the softer, un-dyed cotton underneath. Continue this until you’ve created the look you’re hoping to achieve.
- Scissors: turn the jeans inside out and use a scissor blade to scrape at the insides of the knee area. This will thin and soften the fabric and cause it to fade on the outside.
- Cutting and tearing: using scisoors or a metal nail file, cut a few small holes in the knee and hip areas. Using your hands, tear lateral holes in the knees. You may need to use the scissors again to create several horizontal layers of “tears.”
- Bleach: using a paintbrush, spatter bleach over the knees and hips to whiten the fabric, or for an interesting look, spatter the entire jean. Beach may also be used in droplets in random places, giving the look that you were unintentionally sloppy while doing your wash. Be sure to protect your hands with plastic gloves.
- Bleach and vinegar solution: using a sponge, apply the solution to the corners of the pockets, fly, and leg bottoms. The vinegar prevents the bleach from getting too strong or damaging the fabric.
- Sandpaper: brush the areas you want to fade. Be careful, because this works quickly and can tear the jeans if you’re not gentle enough. In a pinch, you can also use a nail file.
- Cheese grater: use the grater to "snag” fabric. Your friends will think you did it climbing a tree.
Washing Techniques
To soften your jeans, there are a number of inexpensive techniques (not intended to be used all at once):
- Vinegar: wash the jeans in hot water, and instead of using fabric softener, use vinegar. Be sure to run it through the rinse cycle twice to get out the smell.
- Detergent: use twice the amount of detergent you’d usually use.
- Fabric softener: use twice the amount of fabric softener you’d usually use and let it soak in by stopping the rinse cycle before it starts. Do this several times before washing completely.
- Stonewashing: use pumice stones or Lava soap in the washing machine. Legend has it that this will give the entire jean a more faded look. Not recommended if you’d rather have a naturally faded look, because jeans tend to wear in the seat, knees and hips.
- Rit dye Color Remover can be bought in most supermarkets or drug stores and can be used in specific areas of the jeans or in the wash to fade the entire jean.
Drying techniques
- Bathtime: an uncomfortable but effective technique. Wear your new jeans in the bathtub and let them dry on your body. A hair dryer can help to speed the process. The result? Jeans that hug you in all the right places. Teenage girls in the 1970s and 80s swore by this.
- Dryer: dry your jeans for several hours on high heat with some old towels and several sheets of fabric softener.
When all else fails, wash and wear often. With the money you’re saving, you may even afford to buy several pairs. Custom fading, at your fingertips!
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