Back to School Basics: How to Choose the Right Underwear for Teens and Girls

We all remember what it was like to hit puberty and start feeling your body change. Your teenage years can be a difficult and confusing time as you start to navigate these changes and what they mean. At this time, clothes will start to fit differently and so will underwear! 

As a parent, helping your children to shop for underwear can therefore be a challenge - choosing which styles are going to be comfortable, age appropriate, and easy to wear and look after isn't easy. Underwear shopping for girls and teens might make your daughters feel embarrassed as well, so it’s important to help guide them through this process and help them feel confident in their new undies. 

Luckily, we’ve put together a guide to underwear shopping for girls and teens and a breakdown of the sizing and fit of our Girls' Organic Cotton Underwear. So if you’re shopping for a first bra, or looking to restock with back to school essentials, we’re here to help!

How to choose the right underwear style?

Choosing the right style of underwear for girls and teenagers can be tricky. The underwear needs to be comfortable and non-irritating for all day wear, as well as being a style they’ll actually like and want to put on. When it comes to bras especially, this can be difficult as girls may be starting to need light support and coverage but padding or underwiring is probably too much and might be uncomfortable. 

To develop our Girls’ Organic Cotton Bralettes, we worked with two girls, who were the daughters of a friend of mine, to come up with a cute and comfy style that would work for their active lives. The final style we decided on is fairly similar to our women’s bralette and features a soft chest band; seamless soft cups without wiring; slim, adjustable straps; and a clasp-free design which pulls on over the head. This allows girls and teens to feel comfortable and lightly covered without interrupting any of their school activities by sitting smoothly under clothes. As with the rest of our range, we also used heat pressed labelling on the inside of the underwear to eliminate itchy tags.

Our range of classic style Organic Cotton Girls’ Knickers is available in the same colours and prints as the bralettes. Again, these are similar to our women’s bikini style, sitting low on the hips and covering the bum for an easy style which is great for running around all day!

Which Colours and Prints are Best?

We have a range of colours and prints available in our girls' underwear range. Our core colours are pretty and practical and offer different options for wearing under different colours. Some skin tones may find that almond or light pink are better options than white under white school shirts. We also have a range of fun and pretty prints which many girls love, as well as enjoying having the independence to pick out a pattern of their choice!

Is Organic Cotton the Right Material?

As with the rest of our underwear, all of our girls’ and teenagers’ underwear range is made from sustainably sourced organic cotton, providing kind-to-skin comfort. As organic cotton is grown without the use of chemical pesticides and is treated and dyed without harsh bleaches and heavy metals, it is safe and comfy for even the most irritable skin. This eco-friendly material is great for a soft and breathable option that will help to keep skin cool during hot days and exercising. 

How to Find the Correct Size for Girls and Teens?

We know that this can be a very confusing time for young girls and teens who are finding that their bodies are changing and may feel self conscious about fluctuating sizes and shapes. Since everybody develops and changes at their own pace, sizing can differ wildly between age groups which is why we chose not to align our underwear sizes to an age. Instead, we have four different sizes named after different towns in Uganda. With our bralettes, these all correlate to a different band size, so the best place to start for sizing is to measure around the chest, just under the bust, or the widest point of the ribcage. Similarly, our girls’ knicker sizes correlate to a waistband measurement so measure just above the widest point of the hips. 

Size Guide:

All of this may sound confusing, so please don’t hesitate to Get in Touch and we would be very happy to offer some guidance on sizing. Alternatively, if you are local to Oxford or visiting, pop into Our Shop in The Covered Market where our friendly and professional team would be happy to help out and offer styles to try on. 

How to Buy Girls’ Underwear Sets

We offer a 10% discount across our entire girls and teens underwear range when you purchase more than one item. This makes it easy to buy sets or do an underwear drawer refresh - just in time for the new school year! Simply add your items to your basket and the discount will apply automatically at checkout.  

As with all of our organic cotton underwear and loungewear range, we have a buy-one give-one system. This means that for every item purchased, we will donate an item of underwear through our charity partner Smalls for All. Operating across the UK and Africa, Smalls for All distribute underwear among disadvantaged communities, particularly women and girls. This means that when your younger one gets her first bra, she can directly impact the life of someone just like her!

Happy shopping and we hope you find the right undies for your family!

You can shop our Full Girls Range Here

Or shop Girls Sample Sale Bralettes

For further reading:

Take a look at our Sustainable Back to School Guide

Find out how we're Tackling Period Poverty in Uganda

Learn about Organic Cotton and Y.O.U Underwear Sustainability

Images courtesy of Y.O.U Underwear and Smalls for All