We Tried All the Top TikTok Bra Hacks—Here’s What Worked and What Didn’t

TikTok has become our favorite place to find new hacks, genius shortcuts and smart ways to make our lives easier. True, some tips don’t really live up to the hype and some are downright dangerous, but there are definitely some super clever tricks to be learned. One category that’s rife with innovative workarounds is bra hacks, with women transforming their everyday T-shirt silhouettes into strapless styles and finding ways to hide the straps of a regular bra under open-back shirts without sacrificing support. But as with any internet trick, I was skeptical of how well they worked IRL and not just for a 15 second video. So, I decided to put them to the test. Here are five of the most popular TikTok bra hacks and my honest thoughts on whether they really live up to the hype.

How to do it: You’ll need a convertible bra in order for this to work. Unhook your bra straps at the back, then hook the two ends together in front of you. Adjust the straps so you can pull them over your head, then tighten until the halter fits snuggly around your neck.

How well it works: The video was very easy to follow, but the metal hooks on the ends of my bra straps didn’t fit together super smoothly. They held up well enough, but I am slightly nervous about them unhooking if I were jumping up and down or dancing at a concert or something. I also had to tighten my bra straps all the way in order for the halter to fit snuggly enough around my neck. All in all, however, I think this is a pretty cool way to rock a normal bra rather than a strapless one if you’re wearing a halter top, racerback or open-back style.

Score: 5/5

How to do it: You’ll need a convertible bra in order for this to work. Unhook your bra straps at the back and loosen them as much as possible. While wearing the bra, drape the two straps over each shoulder, then pull the loose ends under your armpits and hook the two ends together under your bust.

How well it works: This hack was also easy to follow, but I’d really only rock it if I had no other good option (i.e., a backless or strapless bra I liked). I had to loosen the straps all the way to get them to loop over my shoulders and around under my boobs, and even then, they dug in quite a bit. They also threatened to pull forward and slip off my shoulders as I moved around. That said, because the straps were pulled tightly up and under my bosom this hack had a natural-looking push-up effect as a pleasant bonus surprise.

Score: 3/5

How to do it: You’ll need a convertible bra in order for this to work. Remove both straps from the bra. Take one of the straps and hook it into the left-side back loop. Loosen the strap all the way, then wrap it under your bust at the front and hook the other side into the right-side back loop. Tighten so the strap fits snuggly under the cups.

How well it works: I don’t actually own a bra that works for this hack (my convertible bras only unhook in the back), so I had to outsource this test to some coworkers. Per the first tester, “This is super easy to do, but it didn’t make me feel any more secure than I did in my regular strapless bra. I felt a difference if I tightened the strap a ton, but then it started to pull down the back of my bra and looked weird and lumpy.” She also thought this wouldn’t work well for those with larger cup sizes. The second tester had a similar opinion. “There are so many really great strapless bras out there now that don’t slip or fall. Stop trying to make an ill-fitting bra work and just invest in something that actually works.”

Score: 1/5

How to do it: Loosen the straps on a regular T-shirt or other everyday bra as much as possible. Pull the left strap up and over your head and under your arm. Adjust so the strap fits snuggly around your body. Repeat with the right strap. Adjust the cups as necessary.

How well it works: My immediate thought upon watching this video was “lol, yeah OK, like I can really fit my head and arm through my bra strap.” And that’s exactly what happened with the first bra I tried. However, the second bra I tried this with did work…at least in the sense that I was able to get both straps up, over and around my body. There was a lot of adjusting required to get the cups to lay properly and as I moved, they inevitably just bunched up again. I suspect this might work best with less structured cups or maybe an unlined style, and unfortunately, I don’t think this would work at all for anyone with a C cup or larger (although it may be worth a try?). It did push my boobs inward to create some seriously impressive lift and it definitely wouldn’t slip down throughout the day the way many strapless bras do. But in the end, there’s no way I’d wear this out in real life. I’d rather just go braless.

Score: 1/5

How to do it: Loosen the strap on a regular T-shirt or other everyday bra on whichever shoulder will be exposed. Pull the strap up and over your head. Adjust the strap so it fits comfortably around your neck.

How well it works: This is definitely the easiest hack to pull off, but I don’t think it works particularly well. The strap dug into my neck quite a bit and the cup on the adjusted side didn’t lay properly. There are also only specific shirt or dress silhouettes and fabrics that this hack would work under, not including the minimalist one-shoulder tank tops that are trending right now. I tried looping both straps through a safety pin at my shoulder to help narrow the space between them to accommodate a top with a thinner strap and pull the bra strap away from my neck a bit, but that just made the one cup sit even weirder and overall, I just wasn’t comfortable.

Score: 3/5

Some of these hacks are fairly clever, but most of them are not worth repeating. I am still pretty impressed with the Now-Show Low-Back hack, but as is the case for almost all the hacks here, I don’t think it would work well for anyone with a larger bra size. The hack that worked best, the Hidden Halter, is essentially just a basic convertible bra option. In fact, many of the videos I found on TikTok were just fun tutorials on regular ways to use a convertible bra. This can definitely be helpful for anyone who is a visual learner, but they aren’t exactly novel.

My major takeaway from this experiment is that you’re better off splurging on a good strapless or backless bra, or picking up some inexpensive boob tape or pasties, rather than trying to transform your T-shirt bra into something it’s not. If you already own a convertible bra and have no budget or time to acquire a more specialized style, then these may be worth a try. But realistically, you’ll be happier with a bra that fits the way you need it to from the get go, no hacks necessary.