A Beginners Guide: Soaking Raw Denim (2024)

FAQs

A Beginners Guide: Soaking Raw Denim? ›

Let your denim soak for one to two hours. The water might look kind of murky afterward but don't worry, your denim is fine. Take your denim out of the tub and squeeze the excess water out. Air-dry your denim.

Let your denim soak for one to two hours. The water might look kind of murky afterward but don't worry, your denim is fine. Take your denim out of the tub and squeeze the excess water out. Air-dry your denim.

The initial rigid drape of raw denim is what leads to the exceptional fade marks over time. The best thing you can do to break in your jeans is to simply move. The more movement you do while wearing the jeans, the faster they'll break in. And remember to enjoy the journey!

But, if it's your first pair of raw denim jeans, keep it simple and midweight. That's anything around 13 to 15 ounces. At this weight, Pecarich says it "will still feel substantial, have longevity and give you that stiff raw denim feel and can help prevent overstretching. "

Over the past couple of months we've been asked by our followers, “how should my first pair of raw denim fit?” In the simplest answer possible, they should feel comfortably snug when you're trying them on for the first time.

Repeat Washing

To avoid your jeans getting stiff after drying, try soaking them in a mixture of water and fabric softener overnight, then rinse the following day.

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 general rule of thumb is to wear your jeans for as long as you can stand before washing them, since the fades will be more pronounced and personalized the longer you go without bleeding the dye in the wash. That means that a go-to pair could ideally go six months, a year, or even longer without a deep clean.

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.

What happens if you wash raw denim right away? ›

Each time you wash your raw denim, you'll be losing some of the indigo. So yes, each wash will fade your denim. However, the indigo loss will be uniform. Think of each wash as an all-over fade.

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.

It doesn't matter whether you're picking up your first pair of raws or are a seasoned fader, the hem on your denim needs to be spot on. Some folks like to cuff their denim, some like the stack, and some like to let their ankles have all the breathing room they desire.

Using mild detergents, hand-washing in cold water, and air-drying your denim can keep it looking "raw" for quite some time. If you must wash in a machine, use the gentle cycle and cold water—and never send your jeans through a tumble dryer.

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.

Air drying jeans can take anywhere from a couple of hours outdoors in the sun to a full day or more indoors during cold or humid weather. If you're in a pinch and need to speed the process along, run your jeans through the dryer on low heat until they're nearly dry, but not overheated.

As a rule of thumb, if you're opting for unsanforized then go up one size to accommodate shrinkage. For sanforized, the opposite is true. This type of denim will stretch a fair bit over the first few weeks of wear, mainly in the seat, waist and thighs, so if you like a snug fit you'll want to take that into account.

Remember the denim will stretch about 3-5% or an inch to an inch and a half (if you haven't chosen a pre-shrunk version). You should be able to get into the jeans without too much of a fight and they should feel tighter on your waist than you're comfortable with (beauty is pain, my man).

Put your jeans in the bathtub in lukewarm water for around 30 minutes. Agitate the jeans so the cotton fibres absorb the water whilst the shrinkage takes place. Alternatively, put your jeans in the washing machine.

Let your jeans soak for 30 to 45 minutes, then drain the water, refill it and let your jeans sit for 10 minutes to rinse. 4. Repeat the rinsing steps until the water is clear.

How do you get wrinkles out of raw denim? ›

Always iron damp jeans inside out.

To protect your jeans use a tea towel cloth between the iron and the jeans. A good rule of thumb is to iron the pocket bags first. Then lay one leg at a time flat on the ironing board matching your seams (side to side). Iron the selvedge seams flat and then iron the inside of the leg.

The key to buying a well-fitting jean is allowing room for them to stretch. If they fit “perfectly” in the fitting room, after a week they will be too loose. When you try them on at the store they should be very tight in the waist, seat, and thighs.

Mix white vinegar with cold water and soak your jeans for 30-60 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cold water. Once the jeans are fully dry, the chemical and vinegar odor will evaporate.

Raw denim is classic and will outlast current trends. If you wear light wash denim, browse through the photo gallery for some ideas on how to wear.

Let your jeans soak for about 45 – 60 minutes. The amount of time you let your pair of jeans soak in the hot water affects the percentage of shrinkage you'll get. So, if the jeans is already tight, you should decrease the soaking time. Also, do not forget to have your jeans fully submerged.

If you experience that your jeans have shrunk too much you can give them a quick rinse in lukewarm water with a little softener and stretch them thoroughly in every direction several times whilst they dry, this will restore some width and length.

Known for fading differently from traditional indigo jeans due to the difference in dye, there's been increased interest in black jeans lately. In no particular order, we present 5 awesome pairs of black raw jeans.

Soak in water and white vinegar

Besides being used to get the funk out of clothing, white vinegar can also be used to “set” the indigo dye in a pair of jeans. By mixing it with water (about a half cup for a tub full) and soaking the pair of jeans, the wearer can limit further rub-off and fades.

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.

Does raw denim shrink first wash? ›

Raw denim will shrink after the first wash due to the reaction of the yarns contacting water for the first time after dying. For the same reason, they also stretch more easily than yarns that have incurred shrinkage from contact with water.

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.

Before you start wearing the jeans, give them a soak (a hand-wash without detergent). The warmer the water the higher the shrinkage. After the first soak, wash the jeans whenever needed with either hand-washing or machine-washing.

Turn your jeans inside out and lay them in the water—you can fold them to fit if need be, but don't bunch them up. 3. Let your jeans soak for 30 to 45 minutes, then drain the water, refill it and let your jeans sit for 10 minutes to rinse.

If you want your jeans to shrink, wash them in hot water. If you want them to stay the same size, use cold water.

Turn jeans inside out.

This will help to prevent bleeding. And give a more even fade. It will also allow more exposure to water and detergent to the dirtiest part of the jeans, which are, counter-intuitively, the inside as they are closest to the skin.

Washing jeans in hot water

Washing jeans in hot water can also cause shrinkage. Help keep jeans in their original state by washing them inside out with a delicate cycle using cold water.

Wear Them In The Tub

Yes, dunk your whole body into a bathtub or similar. Wearing wet denim will be uncomfortable but the results will be worth it. When you wear your denim in warm water, the heat will shrink the denim and make your jeans more closely conform to your body.

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.

Wash jeans in warm water: Most of the time when you have something that you want to wash gently you wash it in cold water. But that's not the case when you are washing denim jeans. Warm water will help the color stay in the jeans and help keep the jeans from shrinking. Hot water is too hot and can destroy the fabric.

How long to soak jeans in vinegar to soften? ›

Add one cup of white vinegar to the water and mix well. Place your jeans in the water and let them soak for at least an hour or overnight for the best results. After soaking, wash your jeans in the washing machine on a regular cycle with a mild detergent.