Honeycomb Help
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Another well known ‘comb creator is cycling. Personally, my best combs come when I use jeans for physical work.
I’ve been so paranoid about washing them, or not washing them rather, that I don’t always wear my jeans when I’m doing physical labor. Afraid I’ll have to wash them too much. I need to get over that I suppose.
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I was just being dicky @mclaincausey We we’re typing the same thing at the same time and you got in first.
I think the XHS is really starchy out of the bag so if you’re going to spot treat with starch I’d make sure they’re properly washed first. The heavy fabric makes for more intense abrasion from friction. The creases on these can become holes before you know it. Most of these that are older (mine included) have holes forming in the creases where they are cuffed. My crotch creases (ew) get them too with this denim. I’d just wait them out if I were you.
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@SKT:
Another well known ‘comb creator is cycling. Personally, my best combs come when I use jeans for physical work.
I’ve been so paranoid about washing them, or not washing them rather, that I don’t always wear my jeans when I’m doing physical labor. Afraid I’ll have to wash them too much. I need to get over that I suppose.
I share @mclaincausey attitude. K.I.S.S: give them a soak if necessary (when the denim is partially or fully unsanforised, wear hard, wash when dirty, repeat. Whatever the result of that is will be good. It might not be what you saw on IG, but it will be good.
As for babying denim to avoid washes to create fades vs. wearing hard to create fades, Occam’s razor suggests the road to fades is the solution with the fewest entities. «Hard wear = fades» wins over «careful wear + limited washing = fades.
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I’m a fan of simplicity, so my denim regimen so far follows all your advice. Wear daily when new for at least a couple months, cold gentle wash, hang dry, repeat when dirty. I have 4 types of IH denim but no XHS (yet). 142, 18, 21L and 21. My oldest are the 21L but I “outgrew” them for a bit during the pandemic and they’ve never been washed (ew again).
I am definitely going to quit shying away from wearing my jeans when doing yard work, etc.
Thanks to everyone for the help!
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Sorry @Matt I am slow
@neph93 nailed it. I think a combination of hard wear (the most important factor) and some of those babying practices together would maximize fading (hard wear) and contrast (babying the denim) because any time you soak or wash I would think there's a uniform removal, however slight, of indigo, where abrasion from hard wear will remove indigo less uniformly, and more in folds, creases, and any other areas of high wear. But I don't think impractical measures to eke a little more contrast out are worth it for me personally.
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@SKT:
you can tell my knees take a beating with the dog and kids.
Oh dude! Those look like they're well on their way!
The 18oz is my favorite denim that IH makes because of the fading capabilities (exl. the XHS, and the others coming down the pipeline) and "slubbyness," compared to the other IH jeans.
Honeycombs fades should start being more obvious after a few more weeks of regular wear. You can see them peaking through around your inseam already
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An M-65 does sound like a good idea @SKT , your honeycombs look to be setting in great. My XHS hasn't gotten the love it should so far with a mostly super humid 90+ degree summer. Strangely I find rocking my 21oz double knees more doable in the heat, the density of the XHS can be sweltering. Soon though, very soon, the fall of the XHSib, gonna enjoy them like a PSL haha
