The Beauty Product That Will Save Clothes You Shrank In The Wash

Have you ever taken your favorite wool sweater out of the wash to see that it shrank down to fit a doll? Clothing made from cotton, linen, and wool are at a high risk of shrinking because they're natural fibers. Whirlpool explains that when you use hot water and lots of agitation in the washer and dryer, the fibers tighten, making your clothes smaller.

The best way to prevent this is to check the care tags on your pieces before putting them into a washing machine. Sometimes a manufacturer will pre-shrink their clothing, so you don't have to worry about it. Otherwise, the tag may say "dry clean only," and you shouldn't put them in a washing machine at all. Looking at a care tag will give you all the information you need to clean clothing made from natural fibers safely. If you can put it in the wash, the tag will tell you what water temperature and cycle you should set your machine to. And luckily, if you accidentally shrink your clothes, there's still a way to stretch them back to their original size.

The beauty product that will save your shrunken clothes is hair conditioner. This is typically used after shampooing because it adds moisture back to hair and keeps your strands hydrated. Conditioner is filled with oils and humectants, according to Healthline. Those ingredients, along with fatty alcohols, coat the hair shaft, making it soft, flexible, shiny, and frizz-free. However, it can also affect the natural fibers of your clothing in the same way.

Using conditioner on your shrunken clothes will relax the fibers, just like it does to your hair, explains CNET. This will allow the garment to stretch back to its previous size. A possible side effect of this hack is that your itchy wool sweaters may feel softer, which is really an added benefit. The type of conditioner you use doesn't matter, so use whatever you have available or purchase a cheap brand so you don't have to waste any expensive products.

The first step to returning your clothes back to their original size is filling a container with lukewarm water. Then add a capful of any hair conditioner to the water. Leave your shrunken clothes to soak for about half an hour. This step is crucial because it's when the conditioner starts working on relaxing the fibers.

The next step is to carefully squeeze the water out of the garment. Put a towel on a flat surface like a table or the floor and place the clothing on it. If you have multiple items that have shrunk, you'll want to work with each one separately, but you can soak them simultaneously. To remove any excess water, roll the towel with the garment inside. Then unroll it and position the clothes in the middle of the towel (you can use another towel if this one is too damp). Using both your hands, stretch your garment back to its original size. When it looks good, leave it to air dry. Your shrunken garments will be as good as new!