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Lularoe leggings are highly likely to stretch and become buggy if you lose weight or fail to follow the instructions on the tag when washing them. Knowing how to shrink Lularoe leggings can help you reduce the overall fabric size and make them fit again.
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How to Shrink Lularoe Leggings
Lularoe leggings are versatile and durable, and a pair can serve you for several years. However, the leggings might be buggy due to failure to follow the washing instructions, receiving slightly oversized leggings as a gift, weight loss, or making sizing mistakes when ordering online.
Regardless of the cause, you might not look flattering with loose leggings. Instead of unpicking the seams, cutting the fabrics, and manually tailoring the leggings to make them fit, you can use the following tips to shrink them.
Wash at Higher Temperatures
Generally, most fabrics shrink when subjected to high temperatures, with polyester and spandex not being an exception. Keeping in mind that Lularoe leggings are made of around 8% spandex and 92% polyester, they tend to shrink when you wash them at higher temperatures.
The best way to do this is to use the washing machine with the hottest heat setting. However, since polyester is heat-intolerant and even the leggings come with an instructional label advising you to wash them using delicate settings, you should only subject them to this rigorous wash for around 10 minutes.
Simply turn the leggings inside out, put them into the washing machine and choose the hottest setting. It is advisable to do this when the leggings are already clean, so you won’t need to add a detergent that might affect the fabric under high temperatures.
Soak in Hot Water
If you don’t have a washing machine, you can still shrink the leggings by submerging them in boiling water. Simply hand-wash your leggings using the instructions on the label. With the leggings still wet, submerge them into a bucket full of boiling water.
Remove them from the water when the water turns lukewarm or cold, and repeat the process around three to four times, depending on the amount of shrinkage you want. You can also check the size of the leggings after every cycle to see whether the shrinkage is enough.
Alternatively, you can boil a large pot of water on your stove, hand-wash the leggings and then soak them in the boiling water while wet. Continue boiling the leggings for around 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the amount of shrinkage you want.
Dry at Higher Temperatures
A clothes dryer or a tumble dryer removes moisture by heating the air drawn through the leggings as they tumble, heating the leggings and the moisture in them. Like the washing machine, the dryer also comes with varying heat settings.
Keeping in mind that the instructions on the labels recommend air-drying to avoid shrinkage or stretching, drying them using a dryer leads to the shrinkage you’re looking for. Simply take the leggings out of the washing machine and put them in the dryer if it doesn’t have a built-in dryer.
Again, go for the hottest dryer setting if you want significant shrinkage. Note that you can still use the dryer even if you hand-washed the leggings and soaked them in boiling water.
Iron While Wet
Ironing the leggings while still wet is the best alternative if you don’t have a dryer. Unlike normal ironing, where you press on the leggings to make them wrinkle-free, ironing the leggings while still wet helps heat the moisture in the fabric, making the iron box work as a dryer.
Simply lay the leggings on an ironing board and iron them using the highest heat setting until they are dry. However, since polyester is delicate and can melt when using the highest heat setting, it is advisable to place protective clothing on top when the moisture level in the leggings seems to reduce.
If you are afraid of breaking the recommended instructions and want to air-dry the leggings, you can consider hanging them on a clothesline on a hot sunny day as the heat from the sun can still lead to shrinkage.
Blow Hot Air With a Hair Dryer
It is common for the leggings waistband to become loose over time, even if the other parts are still fitting. That means you might want to shrink the waistband without shrinking the rest of the leggings.
Whether your leggings are high-waisted or low-waisted, the best way to do this is to hang the leggings on a hanger and then use the hair dryer to blow hot air on the waistband area.
Usually, the hot air will make the fibers of the waistband tighten up, and you might even notice the waistband holding tighter on the hanger as you blow.
Tips on How to Shrink Lularoe Leggings
| Tips | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tip 1 | Wash at higher temperatures |
| Tip 2 | Soak in hot water |
| Tip 3 | Dry at higher temperatures |
| Tip 4 | Iron while wet |
| Tip 5 | Blow hot air using a hair dryer |
How to Prevent Lularoe Leggings From Stretching When Washing
Unless you have lost weight and the leggings have become buggy, in most cases, leggings become loose and need shrinking due to fabric issues. Fortunately, you can use the following washing tips to care for and maintain the size and stretchability of your leggings fabric.
- Use the delicate cycle settings of your washing machine
- Wash the leggings separately from other laundry and fabrics
- Flip the fabric inside out when washing
- Use the cold water detergent that is designed for sports attires
- Wash the leggings in cold water and then air-dry them
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does It Take Leggings to Lose Their Elasticity?
Normally, leggings’ elasticity may last for 1 to 2 years, which is the average lifespan of leggings, depending on how you use them. If you wear the same leggings often, the elasticity might wear out earlier.
Additionally, if you significantly lose weight, the leggings might not be able to offer compression, and you should consider getting smaller-sized leggings that fit your current size.
Do Lularoe Leggings Increase Stretchability Overtime?
Although these leggings are stretchy due to the polyester-spandex blend, they are synthetic and don’t increase their stretchability over time unless there are issues with the fabric. That means these leggings can retain their dimensions over time.
How Much Can Lularoe Leggings Shrink?
Usually, these leggings can shrink from around 5% to 25% depending on how hot the shrinking water is, how long you keep them in hot water and how hot the drier is. The shrinkage rate also varies with the blend’s proportions of spandex and polyester.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to shrink Lularoe leggings helps keep the leggings fitting even when you lose weight. Since these leggings are made of a polyester-spandex blend, you can shrink them by washing or soaking them in hot water, using a dryer to dry them, or ironing them after washing.