You've been wearing your bra wrong… this is how to wear it right

We were taught by our mothers or aunties but now bra-fitting experts are retraining women on how to figure out the perfect size.

Faith Kemunto, a bra expert at Titi Kenya in Nairobi is one of the professionals who have realised that many Kenyan women are buying and wearing the wrong bra.

According to Kemunto, there are two ways to wear a bra.

"First, you can clip it from an outermost hook behind then wear the straps or wear the straps first then tie them to the back. You can use your fingers to block the other hooks so that it can clasp," Kemunto says.

This way, she says, band of the bra supports 80 per cent of the breast while the straps only do 20 per cent.

"To arrange the breasts nicely inside the bra, you can gently move the boob from the armpit to the middle part of the bra. If the breast is forming a bubble boob effect (breast mass is overflowing outside the cup), you can hold the strap and band – at your armpits and shake the boob to fully settle it in the bra," she says as she demonstrates, noting, "Don't scoop the breast."

One thing that women do not do is arrange their breasts well in the bra.

Cups should hold the breasts evenly, without them spilling out or cutting into your sides or the top part of your chest. Baggy or wrinkled cups are a sign that a bra is too big. Breast spilling over the top of the bra means a cup is too small.

Women have also been buying bras at the wrong time of the month.

The right time to shop for a bra, Faith says, is before or after ovulation or your monthly periods. At this time, your body is at its optimum, meaning your breasts are at their right size and shape.

To ensure that you are wearing the right fit throughout, replace the bras often.

"You should replace your bras every three months or use them for a maximum of six months," she says.

However, if after two months you start to feel that your bra is not giving you the hold and support it had before, Faith advises clasping to the second hook. You can move to the third and fourth hooks when it becomes loose.

The lifeline of a bra is when you are tying it to the very last hook.

Read: How breast size affects how women exercise

"The time you will need a bra extender is when you feel the band is too tight and the next bra size is bigger for you. Bra straps though can be adjusted at any time but if it is close to the band, the cup size is too loose. If you want a perfect lift, not too high or low you can adjust the straps at the middle. If you want high on the chest lift, you can adjust the straps next to the cup," she says.

Nonetheless, Faith opines that they do not recommend the latter because when the bra becomes loose, it will not offer your breasts any lift.

Frasia Kamau, the founder of Intimates Kenya, shares that knowing your cup size can be as easy as ABC and done in the comfort of your home. You just need one tool: a tape measure. Also, you can choose to be naked or wear a loose t-shirt when measuring yourself.

"To get your cup size take the difference between your band and the measurement across your bust (the fullest part of your boobs). If you have sagging boobs, you can bend a little to let them free then measure," Kamau says.

The band size, she expounds, is the measurement around your ribcage, where the bra under-band sits. However, it is important to note that band sizes come in even numbers from 28 to 50.

Read: The delicate art of undressing

So, if your band size is an odd number, your size is the next even number.

"For instance, if you measure your band size and find it is 33, your band size is 34. However, to know your cup size, say the measurement across your bust was 39, you subtract 33 from 39," she adds.

Cup sizes come in letters A to M. If you are a cup size A, then the difference between your band and bust is 1. However, the letters vary depending on the country of origin of your bra. If your size is a triple or double D for instance, your bra is from the US or UK.

If your cup size difference is less than 1, Frasia shares that you are a size AA. While different breast shapes—from asymmetric (where one breast differs in size, shape, volume, or position from the other) to teardrop (round with a slightly fuller bottom than top)—do not affect the choice of bra, Frasia argues that the fit of it can be affected.

"You can find, what we have noticed mostly, one breast is smaller than the other so the smaller cup size will be a little bit loose. You correct this by adjusting the strap for the smaller boob. They will be uneven but as long as the feel is comfortable, then you are good to go," she says.

Like families, bras have sister sizes (pun intended) with Frasia explaining that a sister-size bra is of different size but has the same fitting.

Read: Big bust? No problem

"To get your exact sister size bra, you either go up your normal band size and down your cup size or vice versa (up a cup size and down a band size). For instance, if your bra size is a 28E, then your bra's sister size is a 30D."

Women also do not know how the straps are supposed to rest, or where it should hit on their back.

The rule of thumb is the boobs are not spilling, the straps are not digging, the band is not too tight or loose and the bra is seated parallel on your back.

To properly remove a bra, Millicent Kaimuri, a bra expert at Titi Kenya, shares that one should reverse the steps used to put it on.

"First, unclasp the hooks before taking your hands out of the straps," she says.

When washing, hand wash in cold water and don't use force while laundering. Also, do not machine wash.

"As you air, hang it by the gore (the centre section of the bra that sits between your breast and bridges the gap between the bra cups). Do not leave it in the sun for long periods. Avoid hanging with the straps as they may end up becoming loose over time," she says.

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