HOW TO DISTRESS JEANS

Guys, beware. Distressing denim is a dangerous addiction… once you start, you will not be able to stop. The worst part is the numerous amount of techniques there are for distressing denim. From beauty tools to kitchen utensils, each method will give you a different level of distress, so I decided to try out a couple of techniques and post a DIY!

Read on to see the verdict on my favorite distressing techniques!

Cheese Grater

Method: Cute a few parallel lines where ever you want to distress and use the cheese grater to rub the surface of the cuts until achieving the desired amount of texture.

Opinion: This one was the more complicated method out of all of them merely because it took me FOREVER to achieve my desired texture, and my hands kept getting tired. I am pleased with the final result though!

Scissors

Method: Simply cut holes wherever you desire, or cut off the hems

Opinion: This is my favorite method to change the hem on a pair of jeans, it is so simple and easy to do. Aside from cropped jeans, I love adding an edge to the hems. My favorite at the moment is cutting the front hem but leaving the back end untouched so they are uneven. However, using the scissors to distress any other part of the jeans is not my favorite method to use. The scissors create a straight cut rather than a worn in natural look.

Tweezers

Method: Start by cutting the hem off. If you look close, you’ll realize that the jeans are made up of intertwining blue and white threads. Begin by removing the white threads and leave the blue threads.

Opinion: I have never tried the tweezer method on the hem but let me tell you, these are now my favorite pair of jeans! I love the super distressed method look on the hems, however, this took a while to finish.

Scissor/Tweezers Combination

Method: Cut parallel holes where ever you want to distress and remove the blue threads to just leave the white.

Opinion: This is hands down my favorite method because it produces the best “store bought” distressed denim look. However, the white threads usually begin to wear down and could potentially end up with a large hole depending on how strong the jeans are.

OVERALL VERDICT!

I honestly wasn’t that crazy about the cheese grater method because my hand got sooo tired and it took me a very long time to achieve my desired texture. My favorite look for the hem was the tweezer method and for the actual jeans the combo of scissors and tweezers! Also, one of the most important steps is to wash your jeans after distressing them to make the rips look more natural.

If you guys have any other methods or opinions, I would love to hear them! Happy distressing :)