Looking for a guide on how to distress jeans? This guide exclusively talks about how you can easily distress your jeans at home, and still look good on you, as well as comfortable in them.
One thing about fashion and clothing is, we are always endeared to one of our clothes. As a result, we often don’t want to let go of these clothing items. We are so used to them, mostly because of how fitted and beautiful they are on our bodies.
Distress jean came into trend in the ‘70s, and has since stayed, and with each passing year, the trends of these jeans tend to grow. Well, that shouldn’t surprise you, thanks to their elegance and distinctness.
You can distress all types of denim. Also, you can distress denim pants, shorts, skirts, and jackets. Let’s quickly learn how you can easily distress jeans from the comfort of your home.
Learn How to Distress Denim and Jeans
Do you like the looks of distressed jeans, and do you have a pair of denim or jeans you would like to distress? Let’s take a look at the steps to take to distress jeans at home.
Before then, here are items you will need for distressed jeans at home.
Items needed to Distress Jeans at Home
This guide easily explains how you can distress your jeans from the comfort of your home. As a result, the items needed in achieving this are what you have at home, and if you don’t have some of them, you can easily get them from the store; and they are as well very cheap.
Below are the items needed in distressing your jeans at home:
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Cutter
- Safety pins
- Pencil/chalk
- Blade
- Gloves
- Newspaper/Old magazine/cardboard
- Patch
- Bleach (optional)
- Coffee / tea (optional)
- New paintbrush (optional)
With these items, you can easily distress your jeans, and get a very great result.
Now that you have every item needed at your disposal, it is time to get on with distressing your jeans. Let’s get started with it.
Step 1 – Fading your Jeans before distressing them (this step is optional)
This is the first step in distressing your jeans. What you should do here is to fade the areas you want to distress. If you take a look at factory-made distressed jeans, the distressed areas are usually faded.
You can as well create the same style by letting your distressed jeans have a faded look. This step is optional; it is not important you do it. However, if you want to do this, then this step is for you, and if not, then skip to the next step.
You can fade your jean using two methods; the first is by exposing them to sunlight, which is natural and slow; and the second is by fading them with bleach, which is not natural, but faster.
Fading jeans with sunlight exposure
As mentioned above, this method of fading your jeans by exposure to sunlight is not as fast as the other method, but it is more natural. Follow these steps to fade your jean by sunlight exposure.
- Wash your jeans with hot water
- Allow it to dry under the sun. leave it for around two to three days. You can also choose how faded you want it to be by checking on it at intervals.
Fading jeans with bleach
This is no doubt, the fastest way to bleach jeans, and you can bleach your jean perfectly by following these steps below.
- Mix 1-part water and 1-part bleach together in a bowl.
- Dip your paintbrush into the solution.
- Use the paintbrush to brush through the knee area, the pocket area, and front of the lap area, and also other places you want to distress.
- Allow the bleach to stay there for 24 hours. Also, it is important you check your jeans at regular intervals to avoid over-bleaching them.
- Having gotten your desired result, was and dry the jeans.
You should note the following when bleaching: You should be in a well-ventilated space. Also, ensure you are wearing protective gloves and protective glasses when bleaching.
Step 2 – Draw the markings
Here, you are to draw the markings of the distress you want on your jeans. You can do this by wearing jeans, which is the most preferred way, or by placing your jean on a hard and flat surface.
If you are wearing it when drawing the markings, you should have a mirror in front of you, as this will make it easier for you to draw the markings, as well as see where is suitable for the distress.
Mark the lines using your pencil or chalk, this will highlight where you want to cut out for the jean distress.
Step 3 – Prepare your Jeans for Distress
This step is for you to prepare your jean for cutting. Here is how you go about this:
- Neatly place your jeans on an ironing board or a hard surface.
- Place the newspaper or magazine or cardboard in between the jean. This prevents the blade from cutting the other side of your jean.
- Put on your working gloves and start work.
Step 4 – Cutting your Jeans
This step shows you how to correctly cut your jeans.
- Get your scissors or cutter or blade.
- Cut or slit through the markings you drew earlier.
- Maintain a space of around half an inch between each cut.
- Also, to make your distressed jean look like factory-made ones, ensure the lengths of the cuttings are not the same all through.
Step 5 – Adding Fine Details
In this step, you have to make your distressed jeans look neat and beautiful. With your blade, scrape along the cuttings, just be careful not to cut the fabric.
Also, with the use of your tweezers, separate the fray-eyed areas to give your jeans a more distressed feel. You can as well use your scissors to trim the top seams of the pockets, hemline, and waistline.
Another fine detail is to shave a bit of material away from the waistline’s edges, as well as the pockets. This will give the jean a different color in that area.
Step 6 – Wash your Jean
The next step in distressing your jean is to give them a good look. Do this by placing it into the washing machine and dryer. Repeat this process again to get good-looking distressed jeans.
Step 7 – Wear your Distressed Jean
Having done that, you’ve completed the process of distressing your jean. Now, you can put on your “brand new” distressed jean.
Final Thoughts on How to Distress Jeans
Distressing your jeans is not as difficult as you might think. By following the steps, we have discussed above meticulously, you will definitely get well-distressed jeans.
What do you think about this guide? I would like to know in the comment section below. Also, what are your experiences with distressing a jean?
