It feels like one of the worst things that can happen. You grab your favorite pair of jeans, wiggle in and then notice they don’t exactly fit like they used to. You immediately attribute the change in fit to the jeans stretching out even though you carefully washed them according to their instructions. Unfortunately, this is something that happens to all of us. But why does it happen? Let’s take a deeper look at different types of denim and some of their specific qualities.
Comfortable and easy to find? Yes. But, after a long day of wearing jeans made of 100 percent cotton you will see some stretch. This is because cotton threads can expand and once this happens they will never completely go back to their previous size. You can wash and dry them in hot and they will temporarily shrink but eventually the fibers will stretch back out again. However, this is not the type of stretch seen in jegging jeans. That type of stretch will give, but when the tension is released it will go back to its original size. Our advice for jeans made of 100 percent cotton is to try not to wear them for long periods of time and wash after every wear. This will minimize the expansion of the cotton fibers, keeping your jeans feeling just like the felt when you bought them.
This combination may still stretch out, but in a different way than 100 percent cotton jeans. Because this type has the elastane/lyrca, the stretch in these jeans will tend to feel a little bit like more of jegging stretch that expands with tension and contracts when the tension is released. They will be slightly less “stiff” than 100 percent cotton jeans. However, overall this stretch isn’t really noticeable. If you wear your denim just throughout the day you won’t really notice the stretch, but if you wear the jeans a few times in a row without washing them, you might notice a stretch. However, with this blend, you do not want to wash and dry them on hot because it will damage the elastic.
These jeans are stiffer and tend not to be the comfiest denim out there but they tend to not stretch. They also tend to not wrinkle and are usually quite durable. However, most jeans are not made of this blend and they tend to be harder to find.
Jeggings have stretch but can also return to their original shape. They are definitely comfortable but tend to be thinner and most people can notice the difference between jeggings and jeans by looking at them. When buying jeggings, watch out for sagging. This is definitely a downfall of jeggings if they do not fit just right. Jeggings are great but usually can’t just be substituted in place of traditional jeans.
Overall, if you want a thicker and stiff denim you should buy your jeans tighter and let them stretch a little with wear. As you buy certain brands you will learn how much they will give and that will help you for future purchases and how many times you can wear them before they need to be washed.