Why Does My Underwire Keep Breaking?
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: "Why Does My Underwire Keep Breaking?" Length: 2:01
Though rare, underwires in bras can occasionally break. Here are the most common reasons.
1. Washing your bras in the washer without a laundry bag.
A laundry bag prevents your underwires from getting caught in the agitator, stuck in one of the holes inside the washer’s drum, or becoming twisted up in other clothing.
When any of this happens, an underwire receives stress.
It’s stretched and thus compromised and will eventually break.
2. Putting your underwire bra in a hot dryer.
The heat from a dryer can affect the chemical make-up of the metal used in your underwire and cause it to become more brittle and prone to breaking.
And, like a washing machine, a dryer too has holes in its barrel that can catch an underwire.
But, for many reasons, lingerie should never be put in a dryer.
They should only be hung to dry.
3. Your cup size is too small.
An underwire’s sweep or smile is designed for a certain breast volume.
When your breast volume is greater than the cup size of a bra, this puts added stress on the underwires to splay further than planned.
And, over time, this added stress will cause an underwire to break in the center.
4. Your band size is too small.
Underwires are designed to splay a little when a bra is worn.
However, if your bra band is too tight, this splays your underwires further apart than they were designed.
This stress eventually causes an underwire to break.
Washing your bras properly, making sure you’re wearing the correct bra size, and buying quality bras will reduce (if not eliminate) any chance of your underwire breaking again.
Why Does My Underwire Keep Breaking?
Most women have at least a couple go-to underwire bras in their lingerie wardrobes. This especially goes for plus size or full figure (DD+) women. But, women of all shapes and sizes can benefit from wearing an underwire bra because they have several benefits, including extra support and lift for a flattered silhouette.
Underwire bras do sometimes have their challenges, as well. Although it’s rare, one nuisance that some women have experienced with an underwire bra is that of a broken underwire. When an underwire breaks, you lose all the support of that underwire and your cup will no longer fit like it used to. Not to mention, it’s uncomfortable — and if it only happens on one cup and not the other, you’re immediately going to be lopsided. When an underwire breaks, you have to replace your bra because it’s no longer wearable.
At HerRoom, we know this can cause understandable frustration. Breaking underwires is a problem that may even make you rethink whether you want to bother with underwire bras at all. Why not just give them up and go for a soft cup style you know won’t break?
Not so fast! We’re here to help. The truth is, you don’t have to give up on underwire bras altogether just because you’re having issues with your underwires breaking. What you really need is to understand why underwire breakage typically happens in the first place and what methods you can use to prevent it from happening to your bras in the future.
In this video, Tomima explains the common causes of broken underwires and how to prevent them. By avoiding certain stressors when washing and drying your bras and making sure you’re choosing the right band and cup size for your body, you can easily stop broken underwires from happening and lengthen your bra’s lifespan.