Latex Care

How do I care for latex?

Latex is a natural substance and can degrade over time if not properly cared for. However, with a little loving care, your latex garment should give you years of wear.  
First, never allow your latex garment to come into contact with an oil-based substance. That means no baby oil, no mineral oil, no oil-based lube and no body oil or hair oil. This will ruin your latex garment. Water-based and silicone lubes are ok.

Make sure to store your garment out of direct sunlight, for example in a closet and/or garment bag.   Always hang your garment up between wearings. If you forget to do this and leave it crumpled in a ball after a wild night (we’ve all done it), don’t panic! All you have to do is hang it up for a day or two and it will be crease-free again.  

Always wash your latex garment after each wearing. Our skin produces oils and these oils can damage latex over time. Latex can absorb body odours and washing the garment after wearing will help keep it fresh!

If you wish to maintain the shiny appearance of your latex, you can purchase a variety of specially-made polishes. Apply polish as needed and using a soft, lint-free cloth, polish in a circular motion all over your garment. You may need to apply several times to achieve your desired level of “shininess.”   

Certain metals can discolour latex. Be careful of jewellry, bra clasps, etc.

Latex is meant to fit like a second skin. To get it on your body without damaging the item, you must coat the inside of the garment with something . We at Pippa Latex prefer a powder such as baby powder or corn starch, but you can also use  water-based or silicone-based lube.  

Never put your latex in the washing machine and never dry-clean it. Avoid bleach. Latex is porous, so every so often you may want to wash it. Use gentle soap and water.  After washing, the garment may stick to itself.  To fix this, apply silicone-based lube or specialty latex polish.

How do I put on/take off a latex garments?

Some care is required getting into a latex outfit to ensure it doesn’t rip.  First, remove all metal or sharp jewellry. You can always out it back on afterwards! Be careful of any body piercings.

Next, make sure the inside of your garment is coated with EITHER lube OR powder (see above).  You might want to put some on your skin too, which should be clean , dry, and free of oil.
  

Use the flat of your palms to ease the garment onto your body. Do  not use the tips of your fingers or your nails because this could rip your garment.  A latex garment should be “slid” onto your body, not pulled on like regular clothing. Sometimes a small area of your garment may become suctioned to your skin and refuse to move. If this happens, don’t try to force it. Lift up the nearest hem (sleeve, neckline,  etc) and allow some air to reach the area. This will eliminate the vacuum effect.  
  

Giving the outfit one last polish after it’s on your body will remove any residual powder or smudges.  
  

To remove your latex garment, make sure to “roll” it off your body carefully, again using the flats of your hands. Be gentle removing hands and feet from the garment.

Always wash and polish your latex garments after each wear. This will keep them clean, conditioned and ready to wear next time!