How to Bleach and Put Holes in Jeans

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While perfectly polished jeans work well for most occasions, sometimes you want to sport a more roughed-up denim look. Instead of spending money on distressed denim, create your own bleached look with holes. Distressing your denim is a do-it-yourself project that's incredibly simple, quick and can be done in the comfort of your own home.

Bleached and Ripped

Step 1

Put on your jeans to determine where you’d like your holes and bleach detailing to go. Mark these places with chalk and take your jeans off.

Step 2

Cut a piece of cardboard so it will fit inside the leg of your jeans. Slide the cardboard in. It will protect the other side of your jeans so you don’t cut through them.

Step 3

Rub over your chalk-marked places with a cheese grater. The more you rub, the more distressed your hole will be in appearance.

Step 4

Slip on gloves to protect your hands.

Step 5

Dab a sponge into bleach. Apply your bleach around the edges of your grated holes. For a more bleached look, apply bleach on random spots of your jeans as well.

Step 6

Wash your jeans for a more authentically distressed look. The more you wash your jeans, the more the holes will soften.