11 bra hacks every woman should know
Bras are never an easy thing to deal with. Even just finding the right bra that fits well and sits right is a struggle in itself. And some problems only become apparent after wearing them a while, like underwires poking into our skin or straps hurting our shoulders. Then there's the whole issue of finding the right bra to match our outfits. So really, any kind of trick or tip is welcome when it comes to bras.
Here are 11 brilliant ideas every bra-wearer should know — No. 11 is so simple but so effective!
1. Size
Do you know how to test the fit of your bra by using your hand? See if your whole fist fits inside the strap at the back where it does up. If it does, then it's too big. Two fingers is just right.
2. Shoulder pain caused by bra straps
Every woman has experienced pain in her shoulders caused by bra straps at one point or another, but there's a very simple solution to this problem — silicone shoulder bra pads. Just slide the pad onto your bra strap and you'll have instant pain relief.
3. Underwires digging in or sticking out
Bra underwires can often irritate if they are digging in or sticking out. Just grab a panty liner and a pair of scissors and cut out a small piece that you can wrap around the protruding wire and presto, problem solved!
4. Racerback bra
Surely you've been faced with the problem of wanting to wear a racerback top but not having the right bra to wear beneath it? Well, you can just use a paperclip! Simply use it to connect the two straps at the back between the shoulder blades and voilà — your very own homemade racerback bra!
5. Too much cleavage showing
If your choice of dress or top has a low neckline and you feel uncomfortable about showing that much skin, there are a couple of quick fixes. You can either sew a fashionable snap button into your item of clothing or use a camisole insert to cover up. Easy!
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6. Slipping straps
Another thing that can drive women nuts is bra straps that keep slipping down. No matter how often you push them back up or try tightening them, sure enough a few minutes later, they're slipping back down again! Well, luckily they've invented something to help with this small but annoying issue — shoulder strap retainers. You just wrap the retainer around the bra strap, snap it together with the popper, and attach it with the safety pin to the seam allowance of your top or dress. Now your bra strap will be held in place all day long if you want it to be!
7. Strapless bra that holds well
There is nothing worse than having to constantly push up a strapless bra that keeps slipping down especially if you are at the perfect occasion where no one should witness you discreetly trying to nudge it back up! All it takes is a convertible strap to hold up a strapless bra nice and firmly. Just keep one strap hooked in, wrap it around the front and hook the strap into the other side. Done!
8. Backless dress with no sight of straps
When the item of clothing you want to wear has a low back line, you're left with a few options. These include either going braless, using a stick-on bra or, if you feel confident enough and don't really feel like spending a fortune on a new bra, making your on built-in bra.
Take an old bra (preferably one you don't care about so much), cut off the straps and all the back part. Mark out where you want to position the cups on your item of clothing, then using textile glue, press it on firmly until the fabric pieces are smoothly stuck to one another.
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9. Washing your sports bras
After finishing a tough workout, take your sports bra into the shower with you and hand wash it. It will prevent it from losing its elasticity, which is something that commonly happens when bras are machine-washed.
10. Drying bras
Use a salad spinner to dry your bras. It's much quicker than letting them air dry and helps preserve your delicates.
11. Saving space
Bras can take up a lot of room in your dresser drawer and more often than not, squashing them into a small space can bend them out of shape. So why not hang up your bras instead? Just loop a whole bunch over the bar of a clothes hanger...
... or add two-inch hooks to several wooden shirt hangers to create a space-saving bra display.
You can watch a recap of all these helpful tips in this video...
So why not give some of these tricks a whirl? I know I will!