Bleaching denim - advice please

[Denimdenimdenim]

I had ordered a jacket which arrived a very different colour from what I thought it would be. I'm unable to return it so was going to try and bleach it or try any other ways to lighten it.

I've watched some videos online but was wondering if anyone actually thinks I'll be able to get the desired colour I want. Or whether I should just leave it and donate the jacket instead of potentially ruining it. I didn't even clock the picture wasn't taken in natural light, lesson learnt.

The top photo is the colour I wanted, the bottom is the actual colour in natural lighting.

Thankyou 😁

Don’t do it. You will just trash a very usable jacket!

I would definitely bleach it. Put it on its own on a half wash so not too much water. Add a cup bleach instead of washing liquid.

Repeat until you get the colour you want

Don't bleach it. You'll ruin a very nice Levi jacket. I'm not honestly seeing what the problem is with the colour. It will fade naturally anyway with wear and washing.

But if you must

AHH thankyou so much! So I have a wardrobe that matches the jacket shade I was originally after. I really don't want to ruin it but it genuinely won't go with my other clothes.

I did read about checking every 5 mins to get the shade you want.

There are loads of similar videos. If I were you I'd check a few more to make sure you get consistent advice.

I remember bleaching jeans in the 80s, really weakened the fabric

Thankyou for your advice. I'll watch loads of videos. I might look in my wardrobe for an old pair of jeans in the same colour (there must be something in the house somewhere) and try a test piece first.

I'm usually pretty crafty/creative but this is new territory for me 😆

I remember back in the 80s, we used to scrunch up our jeans in a bucket of bleach overnight. They looked great and the smell went after a few washes

I bleached a pair of jeans recently. I just put them in the bath with a mix of bleach and water. They soaked in there for a few hrs, as I was trying to lighten them a lot.

I'd say you've got nothing to lose by soaking it for a while. You won't be able to see whether it's having an effect or not until it's dry, as you're not changing it by many shades, and when it's wet you won't see the subtle difference.

One thing to note, if there are any areas where it's worn thin, the fabric will weaken. On my jeans, they had worn v thin at the top of the thighs and after soaking them there was a hole! Much less likely to be an issue on a jacket, but check the elbows maybe.