If you learn how to distress jeans, you'll be able to save lots of money on one of the hottest fashion trends. Distressed jeans go in and out of style, but with this simple technique you'll always be ready with a perfect pair.
Distressed Versus New Jeans
Most people have seen distressed jeans without realizing what they are. Distressed jeans, or worn-in jeans, are normally softer than new jeans. They have worn-out areas that are either created by machines or through natural wear and tear. Although crisp new jeans are sometimes in fashion, the comfort and unique look of distressed jeans is a style that always comes back.
You can get the look by wearing new jeans for a long time and washing them frequently, or you can speed up the process by following these simple steps:
Choosing Your Distressed Areas
Jeans look best when they are distressed in the areas that naturally become distressed with wear. For inspiration, you can look at an older pair of your jeans to see where they naturally wear out. The most common areas for distressing are on your bottom, on your hips, on your knees and around the cuff. Sometimes the thighs of jeans will also become lighter with wear. You can put on your jeans and mark the areas you want to distress with a pencil. The pencil mark will wash out, so you don't need to worry about the marks being there once you are done.
Lighten Jeans With Bleach
If you want to fade certain areas of your jeans you can use a mild bleach solution. Wear rubber gloves, and mix bleach with water. Use a sponge, and dip it into the solution. Wring the sponge out thoroughly, and then apply it to the areas of the jeans that you'd like to distress. After applying the bleach solution, be sure to wash the jeans immediately in cold water before going on to the next step. This way, the bleach won't disintegrate the jeans.
Distress The Jeans With Sandpaper
Sandpaper can help create the worn areas that are so popular in distressed jeans. You can use either sandpaper, a cheese grater or a steel brush depending on the degree of distressing you'd like to see. Run the distressing tool of your choice along the hems, the back pockets, the hips and the knees.
Fray The Edges With Scissors
If you'd like a more intense distressed look, you can use scissors to rip at the hem and at the seams. But be sure not to cut too much into the seams, or your jeans will end up coming apart a lot earlier than you intended them to.
Remember to add the distressing slowly. Do a little, and then wash the jeans to see how you like it. With practice, you'll be able to create perfect custom-distressed jeans.
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