Tutorial: DIY Mint Jeans

Like many women out there I have been on the lookout for the perfect pair of Mint Jeans.  With as popular as they have been this season you would think that they would be easier to find!  It seems like everywhere I look they are sold out or much too tight!  I like skinny jeans but I don't like them so tight that you can see the blood pumping through my veins!  Yikes!

I decided that if I couldn't find any I liked in the store that I would take matters in to my own hands and do some searching on Pinterest for some inspiration on dyeing my own pants.  I had some white pants in my closet that I bought a few years ago for a cruise but don't really wear all that often because they are so sheer so I was thinking that the dye would help with that and luckily it did!  There are so many different shades of mint you could go with but I finally decided to go with this concoction.  I loved the brightness of the way hers turned out.  I was somewhat concerned with just using a green dye so I liked that she used the aqua mixed with the green.  Perfect!

Here is what you will need:
- A pair of white pants
- Dye! (Tulip Brand: Aqua 1/2 Package, Green Vert 2 tsp.)
- A bucket, make sure it is clean before you use it
- Gloves: so you don't dye your hands
- 1 gallon of hot water

Before:

Step 1:

I cleaned my bucket with hot water and dish soap and then rinsed it out thoroughly

Step 2:

Fill your bucket with a gallon of hot water - I just used tap water

Step 3:

Pour 1/4 cup of salt in to the water as directed on the packet

Step 4:

Here is where you will put your dye in.  I did 1/2 a package of aqua as was done in this tutorial and then she said to do 1/2 - 1 tsp of the green vert.  I went with the full tsp because I wanted to make sure to get some green color in there.

Step 5:

Now you are ready to put your pants in the dye!  This was the scary part for me.  Do I want to commit?  Am I ready for this?  Yup!  Just do it!!

Step 6:

Stir your pants around constantly for a few minutes making sure that they completely submerge in the dye.  If you decide you need more aqua or more green vert now is the time to add.

Step 7:

Once you have your perfect shade of mintiness you will need to let it sit in the dye for 45 minutes stirring occasionaly as directed on the packet.

Step 8:

You can now put your pants in the washer and wash as normal.  I think it's also important to note that even after you wash them this first initial time that you will want to wash them seperate from your other clothes the first few times in case there is some excess dye. 

Step 9:

The torturous step of letting them air dry!!

And you are done!  You have a perfect pair of mint jeans!  Now stick it to the man and go make some of your own!  If the stores don't have what we want, we make it ourselves!


After:

Here is what I learned in this process that I will change for next time:

**After you have put the salt and the dye in the water - stir the mixture around a little to make sure that everything is dissolved.  I do have a small spot where it looks like the material was over exposed to some dye (just keepin' it real here) and I am guessing that some of the dye wasn't completely dissolved when I put the pants in the bucket.**

Now I think I'm ready to go find some more white pants to make more of a green than blue pair.  Maybe 1/2 package of the green vert and 1 tsp of the Aqua this time? 

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