Transition (FtM)

Binders

Sorry it's late but someone asked about binders and I am very passionate about ranting about binders and safety so here I am.

BINDERS!
Honestly they look bland, they make you look flat, and they hurt like a bitch sometimes.

I personally have a GC2B skin tone binder, my mother dearest buys me a new one like three times a year because they stretch out. But oh my Lord are they uncomfortable sometimes.

Most of the time, I don't think about it and I don't notice it for days.
Some times i get painful skin pinching on my sides from the way the fabric is positioned or something and it leaves dark, deep red marks outlining the binder and all its nooks and crannies <3
SOMETIMES my ribs just randomly up and die for a couple of seconds from the pressure.
But sucks to suck.
You win some you loose some.
Beauty is pain or whatever.

Gc2b send a little card with binders most times.
For those who don't have one, this is what it says:

This sits on my wall with three others like a little shrine that I live and breath by.

Online, you will see a number of results when you type "chest binder time limit", this is because there isn't an exact limit.
It entirely depends on your chest size, the type of binder you are wearing and where you got it from, aswell as how long you NEED to wear it for.

For example, I think most people reading this are below the age of 20 (from what I've seen in comments), so most people here probably go to school with or without a binder, or go to work with or without a binder.
Today, we are talking about those who do wear one.
School (for me at least) is about 6 maybe 6 1/2 hours? So that's 6 hours with a binder plus the extra two when I wake up and the bus ride home.
So in total, I wear it for about 9 hours a day then take it off when I get home and wear a loose binder or a big hoodie.
But, if you perhaps have a part time job after, let's say about 4-5 hours, you would be wearing a binder perhaps about 12-13 hours.

People panic about binder limits, I've seen it in many comment sections of wattpad books.
Online, the highest limit I have seen is 12 hours, so I personally stick to that limit as my chest doesn't hurt that much most days.
It depends on the amount of pain.
"Listen to your body".

In reality, it's your choice how long you wear a binder for, and it's your responsibility to do it as healthy as possible.

The number one risk that encourages me to bind healthy:
It can damage breast tissue and give you less chance of being able to get the surgery in future.

So I'm not going to tell you "8 hours only!" Or "12 hours max! Don't wear it any longer than that or you will die!" Nono.
It's your choice, you know the risks, I can't stop you.
But 8-12 hours is the most sensible time to take it off.

So if you have a busy schedule, just be careful, and listen to your body. If it's in pain, perhaps take a break when/if you can.

NEXT IS BINDER PRICES!
WHY TF THEY SO EXPENSIVE???
Well my friend, that's because people love money, the world runs on money, and money is good.
They need to make profit, and every place I've seen that sells binders sell them for a high price because they cost quite a bit to make them, and there is no profit from selling them cheap.
That's just how it do be.

I've personally tried these binders and these are my experiences:

-GC2B: best thing I've ever invested in. Honestly, worth the money and the wait. I recommend to everyone.

-underworks: eh, not as good tbh. Not a fan of their designs either, not the most comfortable, not as flat.

-Amazon my beloved: I got a front clip and a side clip from here, both were too big and did nothing. I wear them for sport since you shouldn't wear one for sport, though many websites have recommended binders a size or two up for sport so these are good as they literally do nothing.
So I recommend for exercise.

WASHING A BINDER IF UR CLOSETED!
If you managed to get your hands on a binder without your transphobic or oblivious parents finding out, congrats, your binder is going to smell!
So you gotta wash it, this is how I did it:
-fill up ur sink with warm water and mix in soap (I couldn't get my hands on actual clothes washing products so I legit used squirty hand soap)
-submerge your binder in the water and make sure to squeeze the bubbles and n stuff out.
-leave in sink whilst you have a shower, that way, nobody will come in and see it as you are clearly busy commuting clean body.
-after shower, empty sink and ring out binder. Get as dry as possible before taking back to your room.
-leave on/ in towel (preferably on a hot radiator) over night, dry with hair dryer if can. It will take about 20+ hours depending on thickness and temperature in my experience to dry without hair dryer.

THIS IS WHY YOU DONT WASH IN WASHING MACHINE!!!!!
-because washing it in a washing machine destroys the elasticity and sometimes shrinks it. Don't do this.
Please don't purposefully shrink it and risk loosing elasticity, the very thing that actually compresses your chest.

Another reason you shouldn't unhealthily bind:
-a doctor can tell you to stop if it gets bad.

Apart from all those negatives, binders rule. Saved my life fr. Don't know what id do without them tbh.

Any questions?

Ask here ———>>>