How to Break In Your Denim According to Three Experts (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to break in jeans? ›

Lunges are a quick and easy way to break in raw denim. The stretching motion gently opens up the seat and legs of the denim. Do three to five deep lunges to give the denim a nice stretch. Doing lunges periodically throughout the day will help the denim soften up and mold the body.

As a general rule of thumb, 30 to 60 wears (that's one to two months with everyday use) will set the kind of creases prized by denimheads. But fastidiously marking a calendar might be overboard. “Being overly precious about denim ruins the experience a bit,” says Jeremy Smith.

Make a softening solution for your jeans by combining eight cups of hot tap water with one cup of standard white household vinegar (like this one from Heinz, $9) in a clean bucket or plastic tub. Place jeans into the solution, making sure to fully immerse the fabric, and soak for several hours or overnight.

Any activities that force the denim to flex and stretch will help you get up and over The Hurdle inside of this first month. Hop on the bike and take your jeans for a long ride, take the stairs whenever possible, or simply do squats and deep knee bends to help you clear The Hurdle in a hurry.

Step 2: Soak

Too hot, and your denim will shrink more than intended. Too cold, and achieve minimal shrinkage. This is why lukewarm water is the temperature of choice. Not to mention, this temperature also limits the amount of indigo dye lost in the process.

You can get past the major bleeding stage faster by washing and drying the denim 3-4 times before wearing. The hotter the water, the more the dye will come off—using a little detergent will also help.

If you have bought unsanforized (non-pre-shrunk) denim jeans or jacket with a non-wash finish, you need to soak the garment in warm water to remove all of its shrinkage before you start wearing it.

How much will jeans shrink? In general, expect up to 3–4% shrinkage, which on a pair of jeans with a 32″ inseam would mean shrinking about 1″–1¼” in the length. The width is much less prone to shrinkage because there is less applied tension in that direction during fabric construction.

Does raw denim ever get soft? ›

What to Expect from Breaking In Raw Denim. The first days and weeks in your new jeans might be a little uncomfortable. Especially if you've chosen a tight fit or a heavier denim. But just hang in there, even the stiffest raw denim will eventually get soft as you break it in.

The stiffness will wash out and the denim will soften. People who choose raw jeans over washed jeans do so because they want to break-in the jeans themselves.

Japanese denim has a reputation among denim enthusiasts as being the best in the world, and for a good reason. While it doesn't have as long of a history as American jeans like the Levi's 501, Japanese selvedge denim is known for its premium construction and the skilled, artisanal craft required in the making process.

Instead of tossing out a pair of snug jeans, give them a nice soak in water—then wear them. Yes, putting on a wet pair of jeans sounds like a form of torture, but it's one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your denim hug every curve.

If your jeans are especially stiff, soften them by washing them with fabric softener and drying them with dryer balls. To break jeans in quickly without washing them, wear them as much as you can, ride a bike while you wear them, or do some deep lunges.

Jeans should be comfortably tight at first. If the jeans your trying on are really uncomfortably tight then they will probably only stretch a few inches. The best way to see if the jeans are going to be good for you is to do the sitting test. Sit down as you would in a car, and see how it feels.

A good rule of thumb is to wash your jeans after every 3-10 wears, or when they start to smell. If you're regularly active in your jeans (think: manual work, anything where you work up a sweat), wash them every 3 wears, but if you're working at a desk, you can probably go through multiple wears without washing.

Over time, it's normal for the cotton fibers in denim fabric to lose their structure. Frequent washing and constant wear can cause the material to loosen, but the good news is that the baggy shape doesn't have to be permanent.

Jeans only shrink if they are tumble dried on high heat. Use the tumble dry low setting or air dry your jeans on an indoor drying rack to avoid shrinkage. How do you keep jeans from shrinking in the dryer? Use the air dry or tumble dry low setting to dry jeans in the dryer in order to avoid shrinking them.

The ideal pair of jeans should not need a belt. It should fit snugly around the waistline, whether you choose low- or high-rise jeans. The waist should not “bubble” or gap at the top, nor should it be so tight that it pinches your skin or makes you feel uncomfortable.

What does boiling denim do? ›

"Boiling your jeans for 20 to 30 minutes and then drying them in a hot dryer will usually shrink them more quickly than the washer method—and shrink them slightly more effectively," says Abrams.

Water, both warm and hot, not only fades your denim—it causes shrinkage. If you're barely able to squirm into your skinny jeans, a hot bath is the last thing they need. Even if you don't use a dryer, hot water will cause fabric to expand and then shrink.

To achieve the best fit possible, we highly recommend you wear your jeans for at least 3 to 6 months before washing them. However, if you feel compelled to wash them earlier then we recommend at a minimum a full week of consistent wear.

Add Vinegar to Your Cold Water Rinse

Vinegar will help seal the dye within the fabric of dark denim jeans, reducing the chance that your jeans will continue to bleed (and potentially stain other fabrics) when you wear or wash them in the future.

Similarly, salt allows the fibers to absorb the dye during the dying process but it does not prevent the dye from running or crocking after it has set. Although it wouldn't hurt to do these two, you would only be wasting your effort and resources as it does not really step up to the job.

"Denim is a thick fabric (unlike your average T-shirt) so you can get away with more wears between washes. We recommend washing after 10 or so wears—or whenever jeans smell stale or unpleasant.

Use a denim friendly detergent. The Laundress, Mr Black or Dr Bronner Castile soap are widely used. These detergents also help to preserves the colour, fades and quality of your precious jeans. You can also used the ratio of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt to use instead of a detergent.

Selvedge denim uses smaller and, in many cases, old looms that run slow. Non-selvedge denim uses bigger and modern looms, that run fast. It takes much longer to weave self-edge denim, making it more expensive.

But the bottom line if you're buying unsanforized raw denim is that you're going to need to size UP, as the fabric will shrink significantly after wash, and with sanforized denim you may want to size DOWN, as it will stretch quite a bit after wearing.

If you need to squat and jump up and down a few times to pull on your jeans, they're too tight. Other signs of extreme tightness: stretched-out seams, wrinkling fabric (especially in the crotch region), a folding waistband or a zipper that slips down too easily.

What is the best fabric for jeans? ›

Authentic denim is made with cotton. You need 100% cotton in your denim to provide that perfect texture: cotton denim is durable yet will mold to your body with each wear, meaning your denim jeans will be made uniquely your own every time you pull them on.

Cons. They take a while to break in. Raw selvedge denim feels extremely stiff – it's not the kind of thing you'll put on and feel cozy in. You have to wear them basically every day for at least three months to break them in.

Raw denim (sometimes called “dry denim”) jeans are simply jeans made from denim that hasn't gone through this pre-wash process. Because the fabric hasn't been pre-washed, raw denim jeans are pretty stiff when you put them on the first time. It takes a few weeks of regular wear to break-in and loosen up a pair.

“The cut really hasn't changed since the '40s,” Muzquiz points out, also noting that in today's pre-distressed and stretch-centric market, “they're one of the only affordable raw denim options out there.”

Each time you wash your raw denim, you'll be losing some of the indigo. So yes, each wash will fade your denim.

Expensive jeans are often made from cotton that is softer and more pliable or will become so after several wears after you break them in. They also tend to have a more natural, more flattering drape, and some examples can even partially mold to your body shape.

Dry, 100% cotton denim expands anywhere between one inch to 1.5 inches over a three month period of daily wear. From there I machine washing a few times before my usual first daring repair, and then continue to cold wash and hang dry throughout the denim's life.

Put on the jeans that are too snug, fill a bath with warm water, and sit in it. The warm (not hot!) water will help loosen and stretch the threading a bit. You obviously need to do this one in advance, and allow the jeans to hang dry when you're done.

When the jeans are heated, the fibres expand and move so the tension is released. Once cool, the fibres shrink to their normal size before being stretched and your jeans no longer fit.

Does vinegar soften denim? ›

Soaking in Vinegar

Thanks to its acetic acid, vinegar can soften your denim jeans as it breaks down and weaken the stiff fibers in the denim. After vinegar treatment, your denim jeans should feel softer.

Several years ago I heard a tip that you can use co*ke to soften denim. In fact, there was a discussion about this on Stitcher's Guild. The results were mixed - it seemed to work well for some lengths of denim, minimally for some, and not at all for others.

To soften your jeans, use some sandpaper to gently sand and soften the jean. To lighten the jeans for a distressed and worn look, carefully use bleach to fade the jeans from dark to light blue.

"Jeans by nature actually do stretch. The fabric is meant to morph and form to the body which is why we love them," he says. But just how much they'll loosen after purchase is harder to pin down. It depends on how much you wear and wash them, as well as the fabric they're made from.

Overall fit: Your jeans should fit your waist without needing a belt. It should fit close to your body but not be skin tight.

Your jeans should sit at your natural waistline, usually around the belly button. They'll sag if they're too low; if they're too high, they'll cut into your waist and be uncomfortable.

Any good denim expert worth their weight in gold will tell you to “always take the smaller size when you can”. The reason is that denim stretches up to half a size, even if it says otherwise on the label.

After showering, Schoknecht suggested wearing the wet jeans for 30 minutes to stretch them out. If the pair of jeans are too tight around the waist, you can wrap a towel around the waistband and tuck it into the jeans for some extra room.