If your jeans are intentionally faded, fabulous! But most of the time, we buy a great pair of jeans and it's not long until our lovely denim duds have faded so much that we feel a little ripped off.

Today's article will teach you all the ways you can stop your jeans from fading before their use-by date so you can spend your hard earned money on your next great investment piece!

Since denim companies have started to change the colour of the classic denim jean as well as put a higher amount of elastane in them, you may have noticed they don't last through the wear and tear they used to! They're not like a classic, tough Levi 511 from the gold mining days, or like Nudie's amazing 100% organic cotton jeans -  they've now got a shorter lifespan so we buy more of them season after season.

As per usual, I know you aren't fooled! We know the colour of our jeans should last more than a year or two, even with washing. We're not buying another pair of jeans until the ones we've got are truly dead! And to stop that from happening sooner rather than later, I've been making lists again!

Below you'll see the tips that I use to keep my colours intact when washing my jeans (you should definitely read that post, go on, I'll be here!) along with anything black or navy. Following these steps helps to prevent colour run off onto skin, in case there's any of you who's ever taken off your jeans to discover they've morphed into smurf legs! Not chic.

Firstly, I do want to debunk a myth about black jeans as there's not one pair of jeans on the planet guaranteed not to fade at all. While it's true there are some brands that offer jeans that don't fade for x amount of washes (like my friends over at Nudie Jeans who sell the Ever Black jeans which are amazing), you still won't get a pair that won't fade at all.

The tips I've got for you will help to slow down the fading process and if anything, are tips you should use regularly when caring for your darker wash denim jeans.

How To Stop Your Jeans From Fading

• Turn them inside out and put them in the machine by themselves.

• Use a dark fabric detergent that doesn't have bleach in it.

• Only use cold water, this is a must!

• Add a teaspoon of salt and a cup on vinegar (this locks the dye in on their first wash)

• Put your jeans on a soft cycle wash. Rough treatment around machine will contribute to fibres releasing the dye and can give you more fade marks.

• Dry your jeans in the shade.

If you get into the habit of not washing your jeans as often and being careful about how you wash your jeans. You'll have less fades happening over time.

If, on the other hand, you would like to fade your jeans without stretching them. You can read this post here about how to lighten your jeans.