Healthy Choice Bra
- Carmen Fourie
- Jan 13
- 4 min read
I have searched high and low for a healthy comfortable bra; finally gave up and made it - wow - I am so happy I did! This blog is about what makes a healthy bra (and making your own if you wish).
What is a healthy bra?
Ideally, I would wear no bra - that would be the healthiest option. But practically with DDs I like wearing some kind of bra to keep things from moving around too much.
Breasts have so much going on - just consider how they change across your cycle to witness how they respond to changes in your body. P.S. If you want to be more aware of the changes you experience across your cycle I recommend making use of my fertility awareness paper chart & journal.
In my opinion it is best to allow breasts space to function without much restriction - allow for circulation and don't squash the breast tissue - hence why I seek out LOW support bras for everyday use. Bras that fit, but don't squash. So much more natural and comfortable.
How I made the lounge bra low support?
Generally, lounge bras are low support. They are also referred to as bralettes - basically like a shirt but just for the breasts. I've been wearing this style of bra for years now and I love it (through 2 pregnancies and nearly 3 years of breastfeeding). To make them comfortable but fit the material needs to be stretchy - or the important parts of it need to be stretchy (band, arm holes, neck and back line).
I used ribbed stretchy cotton material with elastic in the arm holes, neck and back line to ensure that the bras I made are stretchy and comfortable.
But when considering stretch with a bra - what usually happens is that the bra is made from polyester (or some other plastic elastic material). This is the main reason why I ended up making my own bra. I could not find a stretchy natural fiber bra.
What is a healthy bra made of?
I made all mine out of organic ribbed cotton. Where I could find it, I went with 100% organic cotton, but I also settled for 97% organic cotton. The dark blue on is a 2-way stretch, and I also made a grey one with a 4-way stretch.
Breasts are so absorbable - which means any product we use (personal care or clothing) impacts on our breast health. It is important to me to reduce my general plastic exposure, but some areas are more important to me - like my breasts.
P.s. I also use completely natural deodorant without any fragrance in for breast health.
Other bras I have bought in the past:
My love of lounge bras started with BOODY - an organic bamboo clothing company. I used to be obsessed with most things they made (and still have many of the items). BUT I stopped buying Boody things. Actually, more accurately I stopped buying bamboo clothing. I fell hard for the bamboo greenwashing a few years ago, but have since learnt that the process to turn bamboo into the soft material we wear is not healthy for us. That, plus the high % of polyester added to the Boody items led me to seek alternatives.
An option that is decent (and I do own) is from GAP (yes, I do have hesitations buying from a company like GAP because of fast fashion, but I also acknowledge that they have affordable organic cotton items for my whole family). I have several of the 92% organic cotton bralettes from GAP. I generally like them, but I do find they run a bit small and therefore don't work for me in pregnancy or post-partum (even when I size up, because the band gets bigger but the material covering the boob area doesn't get much bigger).
I continue to keep my eyes open for organic cotton, linen, or wool bras that are affordable and comfortable, but so far, the options do seem incredibly limited. Thus, making my own bra.
Making your own bra
I know it may seem like a daunting task, but if you have basic sewing skills and a sewing machine it is super easy to do.
I am in the process of making a cross over (in front) bra for even easier breastfeeding. I typically don't mind just pulling up a lounge bra but given how easy and nice it was to make the lounge bra - I figured let me attempt to make a nursing one as well.
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If you do end up making your own bra - please share how it went!
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