How To Shrink Hollister Jeans In 5 Steps

When buying Hollister jeans, it can be difficult to know your fit, and it’s always possible you’ll buy the wrong size – especially if you’re shopping online. So, can you shrink Hollister jeans?

Hollister jeans are typically made of a cotton-polyester blend, meaning they are shrinkable. You should wash and dry them on a high heat and short cycle – checking them regularly throughout the dryer cycle. Steam-ironing your Hollister jeans can also contribute toward the shrinking.

While that’s the gist, there’s much more to it.

In this post, you’ll learn the ins and outs of shrinking your Hollister jeans. There’ll also be the answers to some frequently asked questions at the end.

So, let’s get to it.

How To Shrink Hollister Jeans In 5 Steps

Knowing how to shrink Hollister jeans can be tough; however, there are some steps that will enable you to successfully shrink them every time.

Be aware that there’s the ever-present possibility of damaging your jeans or shrinking them too much when attempting to home-shrink them.

1. Find Out About Your Jeans

Finding out as much information as possible about your Hollister jeans is the first step to shrinking them.

While Hollister’s parent organization is Abercrombie and Fitch, the makeup of their jeans is quite different.

Hollister jeans range from around 60% to 99% cotton content.

Checking the label of your Hollister jeans is the best way to find out their materials.

The label will also likely have your jeans’ washing requirements, size, drying conditions, and other useful information.

This isn’t essential information for shrinking, but it’s still helpful.

If you can’t find the details on the label or your label is missing, consider going to Hollister’s website.

They have the details of their products listed under “Product Information” or “Product Details.”

Alternatively, you can go to the website of the shop you purchased your Hollister jeans and find the details there – as long as they still have the jeans listed.

It can also be useful to find out the size to which you wish to shrink your Hollister jeans.

This will give you a better idea of how many times to go through the shrinking steps.

2. Put Your Hollister Jeans In The Washing Machine

The second step to shrinking your Hollister jeans is putting them in the washing machine. This is where the actual shrinking process will begin.

While there are many different washing machine settings, the best one to use when shrinking Hollister jeans is the highest heat.

Because pretty much all Hollister jeans are a cotton-polyester blend, using a high heat setting is important to weaken the fibers.

You should leave them in the washing machine for the duration of a short cycle.

On top of this, some washing machines have an “agitation” setting. If this is the case for yours, you should use it.

Contrary to popular belief, agitation can have more of an impact on the shrinkage of garments with a high cotton content than extreme heat.

Once you have done this, you can go straight into step 3.

3. Use The Dryer

As mentioned, agitation can affect high cotton content garments (such as Hollister jeans) more than heat.

Therefore, the next stage in shrinking your Hollister jeans is putting them in the dryer.

This is where the majority of the shrinking will occur but also where the highest risk of damage is.

Because of this, checking your jeans regularly throughout the cycle is essential.

You should put your jeans into the dryer immediately after taking them out of the washing machine.

Use the maximum heat setting as the extreme heat alongside the moisture (from the wash) will create the perfect environment for a cotton-polyester blend, like that found in Hollister jeans, to shrink.

Additionally, a short cycle of around 10 minutes is optimum. You should check on your Hollister jeans regularly – every 2-3 minutes will do.

This will ensure they aren’t shrinking too much or getting damaged; damage is always a possibility when exposing your jeans to extreme heat.

If your jeans haven’t shrunk to the desired size after the first cycle, put them into the dryer again using the same settings.

4. Consider Ironing Your Jeans

Ironing your Hollister jeans isn’t an essential part of shrinking them, but it can certainly help the process.

When ironing Hollister jeans with the intent of shrinking them using a regular iron isn’t recommended. Instead, a steam iron is the best option.

Using a steam iron to shrink your jeans is really straightforward and can allow shrinkage of specific areas of the garment, unlike washing and drying them.

Place your Hollister jeans flat onto an ironing board and release steam onto them, keeping the steam iron approximately half an inch away from the fabric.

Continue releasing steam onto your jeans until you’ve steamed them from top to bottom once or twice.

To shrink specific areas, go over the area that needs shrinking a considerable number of times until you’ve achieved the desired shrinkage.

5. Try Them On

Now that the shrinking has taken place, you can try on your Hollister jeans to assess the extent to which they have shrunk.

Additionally, you should check for any damage on the jeans that may have occurred during the shrinking process.

If your jeans have shrunk too much throughout the shrinking procedure, there isn’t much you can do.

But, by ensuring you checked on your jeans regularly in step 3, the chances of this happening are slim.

On the other hand, if your jeans are still too large, you can repeat the shrinking process, starting with step 2.

There are a few ways you can determine whether your jeans are too big or too small.

For example, if they are slipping down your waist, they are definitely too large.

To fix this, you can either run them through the shrinking steps again or simply wear a belt. Just ensure your belt goes with your outfit.

A good rule of thumb is that your jeans’ crotch and waistline should be snug but not uncomfortable or restrictive.

As for the legs of your jeans, if there is bunching at the bottom, they are too large. 

Conversely, if they expose a lot of ankle, they are likely too small.

However, the best, most effective way of getting clothes that fit is by taking them to a tailor. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Finally, to sum things up, here are some frequently asked questions on shrinking Hollister jeans.

Do Hollister Jeans Shrink In The Wash?

Hollister jeans will shrink in the wash, but only a little. The primary shrinking process happens in the dryer – the washing machine is simply preparation. Wash on a short cycle at high heat for the best results.

Hollister jeans will shrink a little bit in the wash, but – as mentioned – the majority of the shrinking happens in the dryer.

Be wary that there’s always the possibility of damaging your jeans in the wash due to the high heat and agitation.

Will Hollister Jeans Stretch Or Shrink?

Hollister jeans can shrink but getting them to stretch is much more difficult so avoid attempting to stretch them. Shrinking Hollister jeans involves exposure to high heat, so be wary of damage.

You shouldn’t try to stretch your Hollister jeans as you’re much more likely to damage them than succeed in stretching them.

However, shrinking your Hollister jeans can be done by following the 5 steps in this post.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to shrink your Hollister jeans, you’ll never have to worry about accidentally purchasing a size that’s too large for you.

Thanks for reading.