Today, I’ve rounded up a list of 9 of the most useful bra accessories out there, including the clever but simple Strap Saver. This collection of accessories will in some cases extend the life of your bra, and make them more versatile.
Some bras are absolutely perfect from the minute that you put them on. The cups fit, there’s no gapping, the strap sits at a comfortable length, and the underwire feels virtually imperceptible against your chest.
But sometimes a bra just has one niggly thing wrong with it. Sometimes almost everything fits perfectly, except you wish you had an extra half-inch in the band. Or sometimes you find the best looking bra ever, but the fabric in the cups is a little too sheer.
Other times, a bra that fit perfectly when you first got it starts to show the inevitable signs of aging. Not quite ready to throw it out, you of course look for a solution that’s going to allow you to breathe a little more life back into your prized undergarment. Here are 9 bra accessories every woman should know about.
1. Strap Saver
The awesome team over at Strap Saver were kind enough to send me a sample to review. This little piece of metal is worth its weight in gold (and then some). An American invention, the Strap Saver saves old bras from an untimely death. The vast majority of bra straps are made with synthetic, sometimes stretchy material. When the straps get old, the fabric is no longer as taut as when you first bought it.
If you’re lucky, and you weren’t wearing the strap at its tightest point, you can just tighten it a little bit more. But if you were already wearing a bra with the straps adjusted to the tightest level in order to fit you properly, there used to be nothing else you could do. The strap saver is a nice piece of S-shaped metal hardware that hooks on to the strap of your bra and allows you to shorten it to your desired length.
The Strap Saver can also work its magic on new bras. If you’re a petite woman, you’ve probably experienced times when at the shortest level, you still weren’t able to adjust the strap short enough to suit your needs.
The Strap Saver is also great for use on new bras that don’t have straps that are adjustable across the whole length. Sometimes bras with comfort or padded straps have a fixed length on the front of the bra, and are only adjustable at the back, giving you a shorter range in length.
Another great occasion to use the Strap Saver is when you’ve got a bra whose adjusters are faulty (they slip down through the day), or don’t have any way to adjust the strap at all.
Strap Savers currently come in standard colors—black, white and tan, and are available in 4 different sizes to suit the width of your bra straps. The Strap Savers also come at varying thicknesses—regular and extra strength, depending on the size of your cup and the type of garment you’re going to wear it with.
I forgot to mention: the miracles worked by Strap Savers aren’t confined to bras. They can be great on all sorts of other strappy clothes, from tank tops, to dresses, and even swimsuits.
2. Nipple Covers
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Nipple covers or nipple pasties are handy for situations where you’ve opted for a bra that uses thin or sheer material in the cups. They do a great job of keeping you modest and shielding your headlights from view when needed.
Nippies Hypoallergenic Nipple Covers Pasties
3. Bra Liners
I first talked about these in my article about underboob rash. These liners help to solve two problems we’ve probably all encountered. They can absorb and help wick away the sweat that forms under your breasts. Doing so helps prevent skin irritations that can affect your underbust, and helps reduce the chance of bacteria forming.
Bra liners can also be great if you’ve absolutely fallen in love with an underwire bra, but are not head over heels for the underwire. I would never suggest that you settle for a bra where the underwire was digging into your breast or armpit. But sometimes you might just want a little extra cushioning between the underwire and your skin, and a good bra liner can provide that.
They are made with all sorts of different materials, and can be found in washable and disposable formats, though I’d recommend to go for the washable ones as they are more absorbent.
Wick’em Sensitive Skin Bra Liner
4. Bra racerback clip
This piece of hardware does exactly what the name suggests. It can attach to your bra to convert the straps to racerback.
Racerback straps can be great when you want to conceal your bra under tank tops or other items of clothing that leave your shoulders bare. They’re also a great way to lift the breasts a little more and create more support in some instances. Depending on the style of bra you’re adding a racerback clip to, you can also enhance your cleavage.
They come in all sorts of shapes and formats.
Razor Clip’s 3 Piece Bra Strap Clips Conceal Straps Cleavage Control
5. Bra strap cushions
Sometimes after you’ve tried a bra on in the store for 5 minutes and you take it home, you realize all is not how it seems. Sometimes, it’s not until after you’ve worn a bra for a full day that you realize that the straps are not comfortable. By this point, you feel torn between having the telltale indents in your shoulders at the end of the day, or just taking your new bra out of rotation.
Silicone strap cushions can be a great help in this situation. They attach to your straps and are usually worn on the shoulder to create a soft buffer between the strap and your shoulder. They are sold in various widths to accommodate different sizes of straps, and can be used interchangeably between different bras.
They’re also great for keeping your bra straps in place, making it a handy option for bras with straps that are set wide.
Soft Silicone Bra Strap Cushions, by Green Olive
6. Low back bra converter
Another one with a self-explanatory name. I first talked about these in my article about backless dress solutions. These straps allow you to convert your standard back-opening bra so that you can wear it under a low-backed dress or shirt.
You basically attached the two ends of the extender the hooks and eyes of your bra, and then wrap them around your torso and fasten them in the front.
Lady Up women’s Low Back Bra Converter
7. Bra extenders
This is another one that can help you get a little more mileage out a bra. Sometimes you end up with a bra that fits perfectly in the cup, but is a little snug in the band. At times, sizing up or finding a sister size isn’t an option. That’s where the bra extender comes in. These little helpers allow you to expand your bra’s band size for a more accurate fit.
8. Silicone push up pads
I know, I know, this is a website for women with arguably big busts, so why bother including push up pads here? They can serve a variety of uses even an already busty gal can take advantage of.
For those of us who might be full on top and don’t quite fill out the bottom of a projected cup, a push-up pad can give your breasts a little boost from below, giving your breasts a more desirable shape.
Silicon push up pads can also be useful when trying to even out the appearance of your breast in the case where they are two different sizes.
These pads can also be great if you’re looking to enhance your cleavage. I talk in more detail about this in my article about push-up bras.
Divine Push up Bra by Double Scoop
9. Travel Bra Organizer
Last, but not least, is the travel bra organizer. These hard-shelled cases made of semi-rigid foam help protect your moulded bras when you’re traveling by preserving their shape, and preventing them from crumpling.
Bra Lingerie Travel Bag – Bra Organizer Storage Case
