Your outfit is a big part of a person’s first impression when visiting your room. The cut of your dress, the drape of your blouse and the rise of your jeans (if you’re even wearing jeans!) can say so much.
What a garment is made of can be just as significant as the apparel itself, and few materials stand out as much or are as tempting visually as latex.
Good latex isn’t cheap though — it’s an investment – and caring for latex requires a little more attention than your usual clothing. Read about the history and culture of latex here, as well as some of the diversity of clothing available today.
Here are some key tips that will help keep your latex garments in the best shape possible.
Approach with Caution!
Be careful about piercings and jewellery when wearing latex. Sharp items could split or tear your garment.
Cleaning
Hand-wash your latex. Special latex wash liquids, which are formulated to be gentle, are available. Baby shampoo works well too. Wash your latex in a large bowl or sink. Rinse your garments well, patting residual water off with a towel.
Drip dry on a plastic or wooden hanger, or lay flat. Never allow wet latex to contact metal – like a metal or wire hanger. Wet latex is weaker than dry, so be careful when handling it.
Don’t dry latex in direct sunlight. This can cause the fabric to breakdown due to the ultraviolet light and will damage the shiny finish.
Make sure to take your garment off before washing (jk!)
Storing
Once dry, sprinkle some talc or dressing aid over the surface of your garment to prevent it from sticking to itself in storage. Chlorinated latex won’t need this though as it will dry to a silky finish and won’t stick. Make sure your latex is total dry before storing it away.
Store your latex in a dress bag in a dark place. Bright light will fade your colors.
Don’t use oils on your latex. To achieve the high shine polished look, use a silicone spray or latex shine polish. beGloss is a great one to try.
Latex can be worn for short, low soiling periods without a full wash. If you’ve only had your outfit on for a show and it’s relatively clean, just sponge it down and pat it dry.
If you’ve yet to experience the thrill of performing in latex take the plunge, and see how good you feel with a second skin.
—
Katy Seymour is a super-sex-positive writer in the U.K. who believes kink is life. Email her at katy@ynotcam.com.
Image via Carlos Paes.
[…] more about caring for your latex here. There are steps you need to take to make sure your garments stay in […]