Nylons, Pantyhose, and Stockings – Your Buying and Care Guide
Alright so you know that you can get your fair share of nylons, pantyhose and stockings at the mall in a number of stores, but do you know what to look for as it pertains to you and how to care for what you buy? There are so many women that simply go out and buy all of the above and have no idea what they are even looking for and then to make matters worse, when they are done wearing them they simply throw them in the washing machine. Yikes.
Just as pantyhose are not socks, they are also not quite the same as nylons and stockings. Here is a breakdown of the three different types of leg coverings and the ways to care for them:
1. Nylons: Alright this is going to get a bit confusing because nylons can come in the form of tights or stockings. If they are in the form of tights they will resemble more of a pantyhose style and if they are in the form of stockings then they will obviously resemble what they are; stockings. The basic thing to remember with nylons is that it is a type of material and can therefore be found in a variety of undergarment items. Nylon tends to be cheaper than materials like silk and are also worn more frequently.
2. Pantyhose: Break up the word, ‘panty’ and ‘hose.’ As it looks and sounds, pantyhose are essentially a pair of panties with hosiery attached to them. These are great for woman that have nice legs but perhaps some blemishes on them and they can also be purchased in a control top which will help hide a bit of those thick thighs and jelly belly. The traditional color is skin tone, but these days you can find them in a wide variety of colors.
3. Stockings: Stockings resemble socks and they are not attached to anything. Depending on the stocking they will come up to your upper thigh or to just above the knee and other various places on the leg as well. Stockings can come in a variety of materials such as nylon, silk, and other types of materials such as fish net. This is where the price difference will kick in. Obviously you are going to pay a heck of a lot more for a sexy, smooth silk pair of stockings versus the kind made of a cheap material that you can buy at almost any convenience store.
Dare to care
Regardless of what type of hosiery you decide is right for you have to know how to care for them properly. The best way is to hand-wash your hosiery. This can easily be accomplished by filling your sink with luke-warm water and using gentle detergent to wash your delicates. Gently swish them around but avoid getting too rough with them and never ring them out. When they are washed, you need only place them on a dry fluffy towel and let the air take over from there. It is common for women to hang their hosiery to dry but by doing this you are letting the weight of the water stretch your hosiery and this leads to an awkward fit.
If you do insist on using your washing machine get a sock bag that is mess and zippers up. Turn the hosiery inside out and then put it all in the sock bag. These are delicates so wash them on your delicate cycle and wash them alone. Above all else, never put them in your clothes dryer.
As far as what type of hosiery is right for you, that is really a personal call, but if you care properly for what you buy it will last a whole lot longer.