How to put on pantyhose without tearing

One of the reasons why pantyhose are hated by women is that they can be easily torn during pulling them on. You bought a pair of expensive nylons, and before you show them up they are gone! No wonder this is a huge frustration moment. Let’s have a look how you can avoid such a disaster.

Rule #1 – Use plastic gloves

If you check the Internet, magazines, manuals, how-to’s you will see various recommendations on how to “prepare your hands”. For example, check you nails, check your skin, use cotton gloves, use latex gloves, etc. While proper skin/nail care is indeed important, using gloves solves all these nasty accidents like broken nails or cut fingers.

But what kind of gloves to use?

Cotton?

  1. Thick material through which you can’t feel the delicate fabric of pantyhose.
  2. Cotton does not slide against nylon, it takes a lot of time to insert your hand into the “leg”. You have to pull nylon against cotton, what dramatically increases risk of tearing pantyhose even before they touch your legs.

No to cotton.

Latex?

  1. You are not allergic to latex, are you?
  2. Non-chlorinated latex (99% of all latex gloves) does not slide against nylon. See Cotton item 2
  3. Talcum powder (that is used to prevent sticking non-chlorinated latex surfaces together) will stain your clothes

No to latex, unless you are lucky enough to find chlorinated latex gloves and not to have latex allergy.

Plastic!

Plastic glove to put pantyhose onThis is the solution! Cheap plastic gloves (see the photo) you can find in any hardware store or for free on benzine stations. Plastic is very slippery against nylon, you can shove you hand all the way down a pantyhose leg in a split second. When you pull pantyhose up, the gathered in your hands fabric will smoothly flow out of you fingers, even if you tightly grab it.

Personally I have never seen that, but should you notice rough plastic edges – just turn the gloves inside out.

OK, the first step is successfully completed. Now to the next one…

Rule #2 Pull up with wet palms

Now when you have your pantyhose on your legs and higher, you need to pull the fabric up your legs a bit to achieve a snug fit. (Or during the day when you feel that pantyhose or stockings have slid down).

Never grab the fabric with your fingers (like most women do)!

  1. Put the gloves off (if you still have them on)
  2. Wash your hands to get rid of the “greasy” feeling (if you haven’t already)
  3. Moisten your hands with water
  4. Press palms to both sides of one ankle and pull the fabric gradually up. Nylon does not easily slide against wet skin. Also wet skin is not as “scratchy” as dry one.

Rule #3 Leave some space in the toe area

At least do not pull tightly, do not overstretch the yarn.

  1. Think of nails or rough skin
  2. When you walk your feet will slide further down the sock part. High heels make it much worse.

Basically this area works almost like the tip of a condom. Especially if you are wearing lubricated latex stockings.

Rule #4 Do not pull “across” your heels

Some tutorials recommend using oil or lotion to tame the rough skin. Good advice, but sometimes you do not have it close at hand, sometimes it does not help. My advice is to avoid pulling the gentle fabric over your heels. Just stretch the fabric (make the gathered hose “ring” wider) and place your heel in the hose. The sliding should be avoided.

In the case of latex stockings or pantyhose the advice will be exactly the opposite: apply lubricant and slide you foot inside, while avoiding overstretching the latex.

These four simple rules will save your time, money and efforts. And hopefully you will wear pantyhose more often 😉

6 thoughts on “How to put on pantyhose without tearing”

  1. Culmor wrote:

    Here’s more or less the same method

    Yes, “more or less”, but you haven’t read what I wrote, have you? 😉 Generally their description is correct, but if you go into the details…
    Check what gloves they recommend.
    They explain obvious things you do instinctively without thinking and completely miss more important points.

    OK, will update this page later. It’s still a draft.

  2. I read it, but whenever I’ve used plastic gloves they’ve had rough edges around the fingers where they’re cut/stamped out, not the sort of thing I’d recommend for handling hosiery at all. Maybe I’ve just not used the same ones you have.

  3. Culmor wrote:

    they’ve had rough edges around the fingers

    Aha, that’s a point. I tried various plastic gloves (fuel stations in NL, DE, AT, FR and ES) and none of them had rough hedges. They were very smooth and soft.

    OTOH, such “rough” gloves can be turned inside out, so the edges will be inside, right?

  4. That’s true. I use nylon gloves to put my hose on though and then rubber ones to adjust them.

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