DIY Colored Skinny Jeans:)

Make your own colored skinny jeans!

Materials needed:

- Bleach (optional)

- Jeans (or other pants)

- Dye (I used Rit, powder dye)

- A five gallon bucket (or a washing machine)

- Three gallons of water

Let's get started!

I bought a pair of jeans that fit me well at our local Salvation Army. They were on sale for $1.50!! :D Then I went to Joann's and used a gift card I had and bought a box of Rit powder dye for $2.29! Then I went to the dollar store and purchased a gallon of 'Awesome' bleach. It was one dollar. (I also bought two other colors of dye, but I am just focusing on this one right now.) These one's are going to be teal(:

 

 So, this whole thing will cost me less than $5!!! These jeans are usually no less than $20 so this is quite the deal. And if I screw them up or they don't turn out right, I won't freak out too much. Alright, read further on to find the instructions and more pictures! (:

NOTE: Let me tell you that yes, this is cheap, but it's time consuming and takes some experimentation. It's worth it though.

I took a five gallon bucket, since my mom wouldn't let me use her washing machine, and filled the thing up with 3 gallons of luke warm water. Then I added three cups of bleach. Then I soaked my jeans with warm water in the sink, and then put them in the bucket. DO THIS! (It may be important!) I stirred them around for a bit and waited. 

WARNING: Don't do this with jeans that have holes in the knees or any other part - the bleach will eat at the holes and ruin the pants further. Don't do this on an expensive pair of jeans - as it may not turn out how you want or they could get ruined.

I went in every half hour or so and stirred them around so the bleach hit every spot. After the first hour or so the part of the jeans that was on the bottom seemed lighter in color than the part that was facing up, so I flipped it over...and splashed myself with bleach water in the process -.-

Anyways, you're in for a long wait, so sit back and check out my other stuff!

They're getting there. A few more hours should do it. I'll have to wait to dye them until tomorrow. I was looking forward to finishing these today...but as long as they're done in time for school, less than two weeks away, I'll be alright!

Mhmm, as I predicted the pants weren't turning lighter as equally as I want them to. Sigh. So I pulled them out and ran them under warm/hot water in the sink for a minute. Then I plopped them back in the bucket - careful not to spill any on myself.

NOTE: I recommend wearing gloves...or just thoroughly washing your hands if you touch the bleach. My hands are all dry and nasty feeling. I will put on Vaseline.

They were looking a little yellow so I pulled them out and rinsed them again. Then I added another cup of bleach. Yeah, I was getting impatient.

Yeah, I warned you. It takes a while. They are definitely lighter...but they looked yellow and inconsistent. So I threw them in the sink...again and rinsed them out (see picture below).

See, not too pretty. So I through them in the washing machine on just the rinse cycle too see what that would do. I added one cup of bleach to the wash instead of laundry soap.
Results:

Not sure if it did much of anything...I don't think it was worth it. But, my bleach water was looking super yellow. So I dumped it and refilled it with roughly 3 gallons of water and 3 cups of bleach. Now we wait even more.

The picture above was taken after 24 hours of bleaching (total) accounting for the time they were in the washing machine. I added some warm water here.

29 hours total was still not enough :/ What!? I dumped out some of the water that was in the bucket and added half a cup of bleach. Yep. They're looking pretty yellow still and I'm wondering if it's because of my dollar store bleach. So, I sat back and watch Grey's Anatomy.

After 31 hours, I was done. They weren't white white, but they were pretty light (yellowish). I was okay with that. So, I went to bed and woke up the following morning read to dye them.

I followed the directions on the box and plopped them in a bucket. I stirred them for 15 - 20 minutes and they were dark and teal and perfect. I rinsed them like the directions said to and tossed them in the washing machine - gently of course. After the wash if yours aren't dark enough, throw them back in the dye for a while longer. I did. It darkened them a bit.

When they were done I put them in the drying machine. Easy stuff.

Here's my end result:

Aren't they adorable!?!? (The color isn't showing up too well in the picture, but I love them.)

Buying these jeans from Pacsun costs: $49.50
Total saved: $44.00 (more or less)

(Do you like all the pictures and details....or should I just get through the directions faster next time?)

~ Danielle