That new sweater looked AMAZING in the store. But now you’re rockin’ it at work, it’s itchy AF and you are scratching your skin off. Every corner becomes a back-scratching post, you are in the bathroom feverishly applying lotion to try to stop the madness and even downing Apple Cider Vinegar shots because you read somewhere it relieves itching.
STOP. Just STOP.
We have all been there; fallen in love with a beautiful knit expecting it to be a warm cloud-like bundle of winter joy only to wear it and find out it’s actually and evil itchy scratchy cactus of a frock that you can’t stand to wear but luckily, there is a stylist fix for your annoying scratchy knits. And it’s pretty easy.
What You Need:
- White Vinegar
- High Quality Hair Conditioner (aka not the cheap stuff)
How to Do It:
- Fill a sink or container with COLD water and 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar.
- Turn the sweater inside out and soak it in the bath for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure it gets completely submerged and that ALL the fibers have been soaked.
- Drain.
- While the sweater is still wet, massage a generous amount of hair conditioner into the fibers. Be sure to use a high quality hair conditioner- the cheap stuff can cause a waxy buildup. Massage the conditioner in gently and take care to avoid stretching the fibers.
- Let the conditioner sit on the sweater fibers for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- Gently, and I mean GENTLY, press the excess water out of the knit, you don’t want to stretch the garment out of shape.
- Dry it flat on a towel. Once it’s fully dry, fold it and place it in a large ziplock bag.
- Place the ziplock (with the sweater in it) into the freezer and let it sit overnight.
The reason this magical process works so well is that the vinegar and the conditioner work together to soften the fibers, while the freezing step keeps the shorter fibers from sticking out.
Keep in mind though that if your sweater keeps on itching and it’s made of NATURAL fibers, you might be allergic. Wool, alpaca, cashmere, and angora are common irritants for some people. And if you’re allergic, no amount of soaking and freezing will help. At that point you may need to opt for knits made from acrylic instead.
