A classic style choice will always be a good pair of jeans. They are timeless and look good with an endless amount of accessories, tops, and footwear. However, that doesn't mean that jeans don't have a few pitfalls of their own. Have you ever noticed how a pair of jeans sometimes feel looser after wearing them for a bit? Do you sometimes put them on, and they even feel tighter for some reason? We have looked into all of the reasons that could make jeans shrink or stretch to help you get exactly what you want out of your denim!
Your jeans have the ability to shrink or stretch depending on how you treat them. The amount to which they can do both depends on several varying factors. There are a couple of techniques to shrink your jeans. There are also many methods to stretch them out!
Shrink
- Wash them
- Boil them
Stretch
- Wear them
- Make specific movements to promote stretching
- Wet and stretch them
- Wet and wear them
- Heat and stretch them
Jeans are such an important part of everybody's wardrobe that you want them to always fit perfectly! It might be tempting to start trying out all of these methods until you find one that works for you and your denim. However, you may want some more information before you do that. Keep reading below to get an in-depth look at how to stretch or shrink your jeans.
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Shrinking And Stretching Your Jeans
Some things about jeans are relatively well known. One of those things is that after you wash them, they're going to be tighter. Another is that when you wear them regularly for a while without washing them, they feel looser and more relaxed. It may not be known why these things happen, though.
There are also more ways to create these effects in your jeans that are less obvious. Let's take a look at all of the things that can create these outcomes in your favorite jeans!
What Decides How Much Your Jeans Shrink Or Stretch?
Jeans are arguably the most inconsistent type of clothing around. Depending on what company you buy them from or their fabrication, they can fit wildly differently. This is also true for how they shrink or stretch. The main factor of jeans that affects their ability to do these two things is what they're made of.
Jeans are usually a mix of materials. They have denim, obviously, but also cotton and things like polyester. These different blends of materials are what decide how much your jeans will shrink or stretch in the right conditions.
Shrink
Sometimes you find that perfect pair of jeans, but when you get them home, you find that there just a bit too loose. In those situations, it's good to know exactly how to tighten that perfect pair up a bit so that you can wear them with confidence.
1. Wash Them
This method may seem obvious, but that's just because of how well it works! When you wash and then dry your jeans, it always makes them constrict and tighten. This is because of how the fabric reacts to moisture and heat.
The water causes the fabric to become easier to manipulate. Then, the quick heating and drying make the fabric constrict and pull together. For an even more efficient way to shrink jeans, you should wash and dry them on high heat! This will do the same thing but on a deeper level.
2. Boil Them
The boiling method makes your jeans react the same way that washing and drying them does but to more of an extreme. This makes sense when you consider how much hotter boiling water will be than your standard washer.
To do this, start by boiling water in a large pot. Then, carefully place your jeans in the pot and boil them for 20 minutes or so. Once they are done boiling carefully remove them and immediately place them in the dryer. This will shrink your jeans faster and even more than washing and drying the standard way will.
For a more comprehensive guide on this method, here is a great video for reference:
Stretch
On the opposite end of the spectrum, sometimes you need to loosen up and relax your denim to make them fit perfectly. Whether you purchased your jeans just a little too snug or you just washed them, it's good to know how to make them a bit more comfortable.
1. Wear Them
Again, this seems obvious, but there may be more to it than you think. When you wear your jeans, you break them in and form them to your body naturally. A big part of this is not washing your jeans too much. Many people over wash their jeans, and it undoes the natural stretching that wearing them provided.
To prevent this, there are a few things that you can do. First, stop washing your jeans after every time you wear them. If you think they might be getting a little funky, but you don't want to wash them, then consider freezing them instead.
To do this, freeze your jeans overnight, and that will help to freshen them up! When you do need to wash your jeans, also make sure you're doing it correctly. You should always turn your jeans inside out when you wash them. This will help protect them from wearing out faster in the washer and dryer.
2. Make Specific Movements To Promote Stretching
This goes along with wearing your jeans to stretch them out. Except, it has you do specific movements to stretch them more deliberately. These movements include things like doing squats and lunges while wearing your jeans.
This may feel silly to do at first, but it will speed up natural stretching in those areas of your jeans! With the right movements, you can promote stretching in the thighs, hips, and even the backside of your jeans!
3. Wet And Stretch Them
This method helps us to use moisture to stretch instead of shrink. Water on your jeans helps to make them easier to stretch and manipulate. To do this, take a spray bottle filled with room temperature water and moisten the areas of your jeans that you wish to stretch. Then, with your hands, pull and stretch the jeans in those areas as they dry.
This is another way to stretch jeans in specific places, except you can do it faster than when wearing them!
Here is a visual guide to this method!
4. Wet And Wear Them
Wearing wet jeans may seem weird at first, but hear us out. Since moisture helps to stretch the fabric of jeans, this is just a more natural way to get a great result. Get your jeans completely wet, and then wear them as they dry. This helps your jeans conform to your specific body shape. As they dry, they will mold to your body and help make them the perfect fit!
5. Heat And Stretch Them
Using heat instead of water will still help you get a great stretch in specific areas of your jeans. Sometimes you don't have a water bottle, but you might have a hairdryer. For this method, heat your jeans in the places you want to stretch them with a blow dryer. Then, stretch them deliberately with your hands as the fabric cools down. This will give similar results to the "wet and stretch" method.
More On Shrinking And Stretching Jeans
Just in case any other questions come up while trying any of these methods, it's great to have an answer ready!
Do Jeans Stretch As You Wear Them?
It's very similar to breaking in shoes. They may feel uncomfortable at first, but the more you wear them, the more perfectly they fit! The more you wear your jeans in everyday settings, the more they stretch and fit your unique body. Your movements and natural body oils help to manipulate the jean's fabric as you wear them.
Why Are Jeans So Tight After Washing?
This happens because of how the fabric of the jeans reacts to the sudden moisture and heat changes. It's basic science. The sudden change of these factors causes the fibers of the jeans to constrict and tighten.
Does Boiling Jeans Shrink Them Permanently?
The permanence of this method is debatable due to how much jeans can vary. It will help to shrink your jeans and doing it once or several times may make the changes semi-permanent. However, as you wear your jeans, some parts of them may stretch out again. It just depends on your jeans and your body.
How Can I Permanently Stretch The Waist Of My Jeans?
Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee a permanent stretch. Just like with shrinking your jeans, there are just too many factors. You can repeatedly use all of the methods above to stretch your jeans, but they may shrink back again when washing takes place.
Final Thoughts
Using the correct method, you can shrink or stretch your jeans. The amount to which you can do these things depends on the individual pair of jeans. To shrink them, you can wash or boil them, followed by a trip in the dryer. For stretching your jeans, the most effective method is to wear them.
However, you can wet them or heat them for a faster and more specific stretch and then stretch them out. You can also make specific movements while wearing them or put them on wet and let them dry. Now your favorite jeans should fit even better!
To learn more about how to get the most out of your jeans, click on the links below:
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