How Often Should You Buy New Bras?

Replacing your bra regularly is one way to avoid the dangers of an ill-fitting bra, which can include anything from headaches to back pain from poor posture. But according to a survey carried out by Harper Wilde, 70% of women said that their oldest bra is between 2-5 years old. This blog shares why, how and when to replace your old faithful bras! 

Why can’t you keep a bra forever?  

Bras are made out of stretchy material, and in many ways, it’s this factor that is integral to the support they provide. A bra needs to be able to move and flex with the body, and – crucially - to cushion breasts rather than hold them in one position. Elastic allows this to happen, but it loses its shape with extended use and stops being effective. Over time, the energy applied to elastic (through wear and exposure to water and heat) causes each separate polymer chain in the fibre to break down. This means it will no longer go back to its starting point once it has been stretched.

Our organic cotton bralettes are a light and stretchy pull-on style designed for ultimate comfort with no digging in or itchy internal labels.

If you're looking for something with a bit more support, our non-wired bras offer more coverage with shaped cups, wide straps, and a supportive band, without the discomfort of underwiring. 

How often should you replace your bra?

This is a simple question, but the answer can get pretty complicated – depending on how much you use and wash your bras, and how much your body shape fluctuates. Even with gentle usage and care, all bras will lose their shape over time as the elastic fibres in the band and straps begins to deteriorate. It’s generally recommended that a bra should last anywhere between 6-9 months, although we think that with good care your bras should last a lot longer. We encourage you to look after them as much as they look after you - extending the life of your clothes by even a small amount has a significant environmental benefit. 

Check out our garment care guide for tips on how to look after your undies.

Plus browse our full organic cotton underwear range here

The way you take care of your bra can have a massive impact on how long it lasts. There are some simple changes you can make that will have a big difference, such as;

• Using a gentle soap

• Reducing the frequency of washing (once every three wears is more than enough!)

• Avoiding using a dryer – the heat will speed up the wear and tear process.

Read our guide for more top tips on how to increase the lifespan of your underwear.

Changes to body – and breast – size can also affect how often we might need to replace our bras. Breasts naturally change shape over time due to general weight and hormonal fluctuations, so make sure you get fittings regularly!

How to tell when a bra is worn out

Other than its age, there are a few other things to look out for if you think your bra might have passed its use-by date:

• The band will be stretched out. The band is responsible for around 90% of a bra’s support. If it’s stretched, it will ride up, causing straps to slip and fall, cups to fall forward, and underwires to dig.

• You will have to pull the band beyond the hook closures for it to be tight.

• The straps will be falling off your shoulders, even when tightened. Straps can be tightened all the way by pulling the buckles all the way down to the strap, but this isn’t the correct way of wearing a bra and it’s one sign that you might need a replacement!

• You can see the outline of a bra cup through a tee-shirt. This is a sure sign that the bra is stretched or too big.

• You can see permanent crinkles or creases in the padding.

What about Y.O.U bralettes and non-wired bras?

Our organic cotton bralettes contain 5% elastane which is crucial for stretch, comfort and quality. While they don't have any padding or wiring, they still need to cared for to optimise their longevity. Keep an eye on the fabric – it’s colour and feel will tell you a lot about how much life it has left in it, as will the tightness of the straps and band. 

And don't forget our organic cotton non-wired bra which offers more support and coverage but still with our signature super-soft organic cotton - all without wires! Again, with care and gentle washing, this bra can become your new best friend for a confident and supported feeling without rushing to take it off at the end of the day.

What can you do with your old underwear? 

Our buy-one give-one model means that every time you buy a pair of Y.O.U underwear from our core women's, men's and girls' collections, we donate two pairs of underwear to the charity Smalls for All. We donate 3 pairs as a bundle - one to wear, one to wash and one to dry, so over 7,600 women and girls have received clean underwear. So far, we've donated over 60,560 pairs!

We also collect gently worn bras to send directly to Smalls for All each month. If you're doing a clear out of the bras you no longer wear, then you can send any clean, unwanted ones to us. Drop them off at our Oxford shop or post them to us. Find out more about how to donate your unwanted bras here.

For any underwear that is at the end of its life, last year we launched a circular fashion scheme in partnership with TerraCycle, which allows customers to drop off their underwear, socks and tights for recycling. Once again just send those to us or drop them into our shop. We accept any brands, not just our own, so that's lots more undies saved from going to landfill! 

So there you have it, lots of great reasons to replace that old bra today and all whilst you look good, feel good and do good!

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