Any tips on how to bind a chest without an actual binder?

[Creatorsarch]

I would like to bind my chest, it has always made me uncomfortable due to my size ( D ) but I can't afford a binder. Any ideas?

 

[MoraDollie]

I'm a DD/DDD (depending on brand) and I've managed to bind. Yes, it's true that it's much tougher for us with our bigger lady parts, but it is doable! 

 

Ok, this is probably an unpopular opinion, but having done this method myself MANY times over the many years I've played as a drag king, it can work. You can bind with ace bandages, but you need to be very careful. Make sure you can fit two fingers comfortably under the bandages. If there's marks on your skin after you take them off, you bound too tight. Also, DO NOT do heavy activities while bound in them (heavy exercise, anything that'll cause your heart rate and lungs to increase in their speed). Also,DO NOT sleep with them on. You need to give your ribs 'breathing room'.

 

Other methods I've seen done:

1. Put small pieces of napkins on your chest and use tape to literally "tape your boobs down". This works more with smaller busted people, it just looks super awkward when I've done it (but you might have more luck!). 

2. Put on 2-3 sports bras. The first bra is one cup too small (so if you're a C cup normally, you'd wear a B cup) and then the next 1-2 are your regular size cup. This gives it a more 'flat' appearance. 

[Cimmerian]

Not sure how well this would work, but you might also look into ace-bandage type things like you would for a wrist or ankle injury. (Probably to be used in concert with a sports bra or some other secondary method too.

[AVEN #1 fan]

Well that's what you can do without hurting yourself very bad (almost every binding method that includes compressing your chest have a few cons):

• Sports/cupless/strapless bras some sizes smaller or x2
• Compression/gynecomastia vests
• KT/sports tape under the arm pits
• Tight Swimsuits
• Baggy clothing some sizes bigger
• Clothing layering
• Vests
• Camisoles
• Button-up shirts
• Pattern or dark shirts
• Belly sweatbands
• Jackets

 

DO NOT try the methods below, they have the worst cons:

• DIY binders
• Ace , medical or other bandages
• Medical, duct or any other tape
• Saran/plastic wrap
• Corsets
• Belts

 

Other untested options but presumably safer too:

• Chest Harness
• Postural bands

 

 

I hope this helps. I really recommend you to research carefully each method before trying anything. You can ask me for more info on methods though.

[Badgerclaws]

I'm also a D, and for day-to-day wear, sports bras can do wonders. Easily the most comfortable (and probably safest) option of the bunch, and depending on your body type, it can make it look like your chest is "flat" (if you're thin, there'll still be a noticeable bump, but as chubbier person on me it just looks like my chest has the "normal" amount of fatty tissue). I've also hear that layering them helps: haven't tried it myself, but it might be worth a  shot.

 

(and for reference, I get super cheap sports bras from Walmart, it's like 16$ for a pack of 3, and they've always worked fine)

[AVEN #1 fan]

Just forgot to point out to never sleep with stuff compressing your chest and to never stay with stuff on more than the recommend hours for what method you decided.

 

Also compressing your chest can make your boobs sagg and make comes tic procedures there harder.

[The Dryad]

I'm not sure, but could boxing glove wraps, or leg injury wraps work?

[AVEN #1 fan]

Just now, The Dryad said:

I'm not sure, but could boxing glove wraps, or leg injury wraps work?

Things that block movment are very bad.

 

[The Dryad]

Just now, AVEN #1 fan said:

Things that block movment are very bad.

 

Ah, okay, sorry

[AVEN #1 fan]

Just now, The Dryad said:

Ah, okay, sorry

It's alright.

[warrigan]

i own a binder, but find it too uncomfortable to wear and 95% of the time, i just wear a sports bra.  That works pretty well, but i have found that after ~8 months of wearing the same two sports bras, they've started to stretch out a bit.   i think wearing a sports bra is an easy solution for me, though i will say that while i did feel when i originally got both my sports bras that they bound well, i think they do only an adequate (not good) job of binding nowadays.  i use them nowadays simply for lack of a better option and because i doubt i'll find a more comfortable alternative.

 

another thing that works even better is wearing a cami over the sports bra, especially one that's a bit on the tight side.  note that this works best if you're wearing baggier clothes on top, since while the addition of the cami will flatten the chest further than the sports bra alone can do, it will also tighten everything in, which on me means it emphasizes my "feminine" shape.  since most of my clothes are loose, this isn't a problem at all, but if you're trying this with tighter clothes, it might not give you the desired results (meaning your chest will be flatter but your curves might be more noticeable).  i don't do this all (or most of) the time since wearing a tight cami is also uncomfortable (and since it also stretches out with lots of wear) and since i find when i do, my shirts sometimes cling unflatteringly to the stomach area, something i try to avoid.   i actually mostly use this when i want to wear white shirts, since it prevents people seeing the sports bra underneath.

 

also, a couple of years ago (before i had a binder or sports bras), i tried going braless with two camis underneath my shirt.  like with the other method (and for the same reasons), the best results were with loose-fitting shirts.  this method was okay, but i found that 1) it was uncomfortable (i was wearing 3 layers on my upper body!), 2) i felt like the camis would stretch out during the day (though it could've been in my head), which, apart from meaning it's a less-effective method, would make me feel self-conscious about whether it was obvious i wasn't wearing a bra, and 3) same thing with above, i felt the top shirt caught on the camis underneath and accentuated my wide stomach/hips area (not a great feeling when you're going for a more masculine figure!).  overall, i wouldn't consider this a great method for me, but you may find it works well for you.  and it's nice because if you don't have sports bras around but want to see if binding is right for you, it's a good, easy thing to try.

 

so that's my advice for binding without a binder.  i want to stress that just because one method doesn't work well for me (or anyone else), it doesn't make it a bad method for you, and vice-versa.  everyone's different, and you should try different things before settling on a good method for you.  also, always be conscientious of your health when binding!

 

good luck!

 

[Guest]

I usually wear sports bra's and i'm an european C cup size. I stick to This type of sport's bra's  they're great for working out and stop stuff from bouncing. It's important that when you wear a binder, to keep in mind not to wear it for too long, while i can just wear a sport bra all day without a problem.

[Bokekuma]

I've been looking into this for a while and the method I would personally go with is kinesiology tape. I actually own I binder (my transgender friend gave it to me cause it didn't fit him) that I've only ever used once and I'll agree with people that yes, it is a bit awkward, so I think kinesiology tape is the way to go. I've never used it and I think it works better for people like me with smaller chests (I'm a UK B for example), but I think that if you try hard enough and tuck your breast into your armpit and/or your abdomen, you can make it work. If you're not so successful, wear a shirt that avoids attracting attention to your chest, like ones with a design on the back instead.

[Finn.]

mmh. I follow a transguy who did this and regretted it soon because of pain, especially because his nipples hurt and the skin was really irritated. the result looked amazing, but after that he couldn't do it anymore. so I'd be really careful with that.

[Guest And Peggy]

From personal experience:  DO NOT BIND WITH KT TAPE, especially if you have a larger chest. It hurts like hell and can damage your breasts.

[everywhere and nowhere]

Maybe check out Aliexpress? I'm not a rich person either and on Aliexpress it's possible to get binders in not so scary prices.

I only use them sometimes, when I feel like my T-shirt or whatever I'm wearing* is too tight - I'm not male-identified in any way, just rather androgynous and would love to have tiny breasts - unfortunately, I don't...

Earlier I used a kind of orthopedic belt meant to compress and support the chest and abdomen area - easier to get without spending any money on shipping... But it doesn't work as good. It's done up with Velcro strips and the very edge always tends to protrude slightly. Either I tried wearing it so that the Velcro would be more under my armpit and not in the middle of my chest - but it's not so easy to do, or there's a problem of this edge protruding under my T-shirt...

*I usually wear colorful, more or less hippie-styled clothes, usually rather loose, so I don't need it under most shirts, tunics, sweaters etc. But I have a few T-shirts which are kinda too small and a beautiful Ukrainian vyshyvanka, or traditional embroidered shirt - the embroidery is on the cuff, collar and in the middle or the chest and it's rather wide, so it also works in the not very nice way of making breasts more visible... It's a men's vyshyvanka, anyway, designed for flat-chested people.

[AVEN #1 fan]

I wrote an article about it:

 

[LeChat]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 11:30 PM, Creatorsarch said:

I would like to bind my chest, it has always made me uncomfortable due to my size ( D ) but I can't afford a binder. Any ideas?

 

Perhaps, your local LGBT center might have binders available for you to borrow. The one near where I live says, on their website, that they have binders for trans youth to borrow. They listed all of the different sizes that they had (small to large) and asked the public to donate smaller binders because they didn't have many in those sizes and that those were what trans teens who came to the center needed.