The Best Rhinestone Glue For Elastic Fabrics

Are you looking for the best rhinestone glue—the one that could potentially stick forever onto elastic fabrics or clothes? Well, same! 😅

I’ve spent over a decade mastering the art of bedazzling fabric, and now I’m putting Hotfix, E6000, and Gem-Tac to the ultimate test! yep, washer included.

By the end of this post, you’ll know which glue can survive the spin cycle 🫣 and everything you need to get the most professional blinging results! 😍

Option #1 – The Hotfix Method

So, first up: the Hotfix method, my OG go-to when I started bedazzling bikinis back in 2014. It’s all about special rhinestones with glue already on the back that you heat up and stick on. 🪄

Super clean, professional results, and honestly, it feels like magic when you get it right.

So let’s break down what you’ll need to make it work:

Hotfix Rhinestones

Hotfix rhinestones are a bit pricier than regular flatback rhinestones (the ones without glue), but nothing too dramatic. You can get 144 pieces (1 gross) to try them out or go for the whole 10-gross package to get a lil’ discount.

There’s a bunch of different brands, and I believe the quality of the glue depends a lot on that.

Swarovski was my go-to brand until they stopped making them, and then I switched to Preciosa (top-tier stuff! 🤌🏼✨)

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly alternative, Amazon has several other options, but here are two of their best sellers. One gives you the same rhinestone color in multiple sizes (amazing 😍), and the other includes 24 different colors and you simply pick the size you want for all of them.

Hotfix Applicator

To use those hotfix rhinestones, you need a lil’ wand like these to heat them up, activating the glue so it’s ready to stick to your elastic fabrics.

If you want quick delivery and the whole shebang (inexpensive rhinestones included), you can grab a kit like this on Amazon.

And, if you’ve got a bit more time (and patience 😅) to wait for the package, AliExpress has a pretty similar setup for a fraction of the price.

Rhinestone Trays

You’ll also need somewhere to place the crystals while working with them. Some sets already come with trays, but you can also buy them separately.

Other Ways to Heat the Rhinestones.

The hotfix wand applicator isn’t the only way you can activate the glue on those lil’ rhinestones.

may be a bit of a control freak 🤣 and like to make sure each rhinestone sticks exactly where I want it, one by one 😅(basically doing it the hard way). But these mini heat presses (which are also used for sublimating T-shirts) definitely offer a much faster way to tackle the hotfix method on plain surfaces, and I actually have this exact model in my cart right now.

Option #2 Glue E6000

Next up is E6000—the one I turned to when I needed to speed things up after years of hotfix tinkering (and not knowing heat presses existed 😬). It did help a lot to finish full bling suits faster, and back then, I didn’t worry much about chemical fumes or warning labels 🫣 (more on that later).

So if you prefer a heatless alternative that won’t require an electric outlet, here’s what you’ll need:

The Glue

Syringe and Tips

These are my go-to for extra precision. Although some glues already include precision tips, I prefer slightly narrower ones like these (16 Ga x 1/2″) , and a syringe is easier to handle than the whole tube of glue.

Rhinestone Picking Tool

To pick up those rhinestones with ease, a lil’ pen with a wax tip on one side and a stainless steel one on the other is your BFF.

Option #3 Gem-Tac

For the last option, the tools are exactly the same as with the E6000 glue—the only thing that changes is the glue! 😬 Which I found when I was looking for a non-toxic alternative with good reviews.

There are a few things I like and dislike about each option, but rather than tell you, I prefer to show you…

See them in action

Alright, here’s the fun part! 🥳

I’ve put together a step-by-step video showing exactly how these 3 methods—Hotfix, E6000, and Gem Tac—work their magic on fabric.

Plus, you’ll get to see my lil’ experiment where I toss them into the washing machine (yep, I went there 😅) to find out which one holds on better.

Check it out below and let me know what you think!

Bonus: Fabri-Fuse (A Reddit Recommendation)

Someone on Reddit swore by this stuff as a non-so-toxic alternative from the same folks who make E6000, and I’m dying to see if it’s as good as they say.

Want to check it out for yourself? You can grab it here and let me know if I should test it next! 🧐

Can you use E6000 on hotfix rhinestones?

Yes! I’ve done this when I’ve run out of regular flatbacks in a specific color but still had them in hotfix. It’s also helpful when I want to work faster, since heating hotfix stones one by one takes more time.

E6000 does hold well on hotfix stones. After testing both methods in the washing machine, I noticed that stones applied with heat tend to hold better overall.

The biggest downside I see to using E6000 with hotfix rhinestones is the cost. Hotfix rhinestones are more expensive, and by using E6000, you’re not really taking advantage of the glue that’s already on the stones.

Final Thoughts

So, which one’s your winner? Because it’s not just about hold.

Time, ease of application, and even sneaky health risks matter too. (Including the danger of burns 🔥 from the hotfix wand… which I totally forgot to mention in the video! 😅)

After this experiment, I’m realizing I might need to ditch my control-freak, one-by-one rhinestone method 🫣 and try a mini iron with Hotfix next.

What do you think? Drop your take below, I’m all ears!