Here's how to vintage wash or distress a T-shirt

Give your new t-shirt a vintage wash like this one.
Below are instructions on how to vintage wash a t-shirt

Thick modern tees are okay for some people, sometimes, but I prefer thin, vintage tees. This process is also called distressing. The problem is that authentic vintage or distressed tees are hard to find. And finding a vintage tee for a band you actually like is nearly impossible. So I like to buy brand new tees and vintage wash them myself. This way I know no one else has worn them and there's no armpit funk. Making your thick, new tees look vintage and distressed is pretty easy to do. Just follow the steps below.

Here's what you'll need to vintage wash a t-shirt: bleach, salt, detergent booster, measuring cup, and of course a washer and dryer.

Before you start!! This is meant to be done for fun on your personal shirts. Also, results may vary so you should experiment on a piece of scrap fabric before trying it on any of your favorite shirts. If you plan on reconstructing the tee do it BEFORE you wash it because it will shrink.

STEP 1: Set your washer to the hottest setting and turn it on. While it's filling drop in a little bit of bleach. There's no science to it, I use about a shot glass worth. Once the washer is full of hot water drop the tee in along with two cups of salt and one cup of laundry booster.

ALTERNATE TO STEP ONE: My boyfriend is a mechanic so we have an extra washing machine for rags and work clothes. If you really want the tee to be hacked you can use sand instead of salt. But I don't recommend this because it could ruin your washer. I do it because I have a back-up machine.

STEP 2: Once the washer stops stick the tee in the dryer on the hottest, heavy duty cycle it has and let it rip.

STEP 3: Repeat steps one and two until your tee looks like it's an abused leftover from 1982.

STEP 4 OPTIONAL: Lightly rub the image with some 0000 steel wool to make the ink fade and peel. Be careful here because too much rubbing could make a hole.