It’s impossible to see a dancer without a closet full of tights. However, this versatile piece of clothing can be fragile. With that, proper care and maintenance are essential to keep those tights looking good for a long time—and just as useful! Here are some tips to keep them beautiful, usable, and longer-lasting:
1. Wash Them after Classes
When you practice dancing, you sweat. The sweat can build up in the fabric, which can then cause bacteria and odour. Sometimes, it can even cause an infection! That’s why you should always come to dance class in clean and dry clothes.
After your class, don’t skip out on washing your tights. It’s one of the few things you should throw in the washing machine immediately. However, make sure you only use cold water and delicate detergent for them.
Make sure to also separate light-coloured ones from the dark pieces of tights; otherwise, the dark-coloured tights can dull the hue of the lighter-coloured ones and vice versa. It’s also important to separate any zippered clothing from your tights—they could snag at your tights’ fabric.
2. Prevent a Snag from Happening
Yes, you can prevent a snag, even with something as delicate as your dance tights. That tiny hole won’t be able to grow bigger, all thanks to clear nail polish. Dab a bit of clear nail polish along the frayed seam and let it do its magic. When you do this, the nail polish will act as glue to hold the fabric together.
3. Remove Sweaty Tights Right Away
You don’t want to get stuck in sweaty tights for a long time. Doing so can cause skin irritation, sometimes leading to an infection. For this reason, it’s important to have an extra pair of tights with you if you need to spend the entire day in class.
4. Explore Your Options
There are various kinds of tights to choose from—a piece of good news for all dancers. You can now get tights with an elastic hole in the sole, which allows you to cover your feet from your tights.
There are also stirrup tights that leave your heel and forefoot open, which is perfect for contemporary or lyrical dances. You can also go barefoot with footless tights on. Fishnet tights are also available, which is very popular in jazz dance.
5. Find Your Shade
Thanks to progress, you can now find a pair of tights in the same shade as you. If you want to create a particular skin colour, however, you can easily dye nylon or spandex fabric. If you do this, make sure to put them in vinegar multiple times before you throw them in the washing machine with other pieces of clothing.
6. Recycle Old Tights
Do you have old tights with holes? Instead of throwing them away, turn them into a pair of shorts you can wear over your leotard in classes. There are many things you can do with old tights to make them even more useful—creativity is key!
Take Proper Care of Your Tights
Your tights are a critical aspect of your dance art, which is why it’s important that you know how to take care of them properly. By doing so, your tights will look beautiful for longer and stay useful!
Pink Lemon Dancewear is one of the most reputable dancewear stores in Australia. We offer a wide range of high-quality tights to choose from. Shop now.
