How to use boob tape: apply, lift and remove without hurting your skin

Cover your nipples first, cut the tape to length, anchor the bottom edge under the breast, lift with one hand and smooth the tape upward toward your shoulder or collarbone with the other, and repeat until you have the shape you want. To take it off, soak the tape in oil, wait a couple of minutes, and peel slowly. Boob tape is the only Bare Babe product that actually lifts and supports, and it's the one where technique makes all the difference.

By Stephanie, founder of Bare Babe · Updated

The four rules

  1. Cover your nipples first. Never tape directly over them. Every kit ships with five pairs of satin pasties for exactly this.
  2. Remove with oil. Soap and water won't break down the adhesive. Our Remover Oil, or any body oil you have.
  3. Never rip it off dry. Saturate, wait, peel slowly, add more oil as you go.
  4. Patch test, and only on healthy skin. A small strip somewhere near where you'll tape, left for a few hours. Never on broken, irritated, sunburned or freshly shaved skin. Don't sleep in it.

What's in the kit

One roll of tape, 2 in (5 cm) wide and 15 ft (4.6 m) long, in your choice of five shades (Creme, Honey, Caramel, Cocoa, Mocha), plus five pairs of round satin pasties. It's single use: once a strip comes off, it doesn't go back on.

Before you start

Skin must be clean and completely dry, with no lotion, oil, deodorant or sunscreen anywhere the tape will touch. Do your hair and makeup first so nothing drips on the tape later. Have scissors, the pasties, a mirror and your outfit within reach. Then apply the pasties.

The classic lift, step by step

  1. Apply a satin pasty over each nipple. Press the edges down. Never tape directly over the nipple.
  2. Cut your first strip. Hold the roll against yourself and measure from the crease under the breast up to the collarbone, plus a little spare, then cut. Round the corners with the scissors so they don't catch on fabric.
  3. Peel back the first few inches of backing and stick that end under the breast, at the crease, slightly to the outside.
  4. Lift. Cup the breast with your free hand and lift it to where you want it to sit. Hold it there.
  5. Smooth the tape upward with the other hand, peeling the backing as you go, pressing the tape flat against the skin all the way to the collarbone or shoulder. No wrinkles.
  6. Repeat with a second strip slightly overlapping the first, and again if you need more hold. Larger or heavier breasts usually take two or three strips per side; smaller ones one or two. Do the other side to match.

Two more patterns

Strapless or deep-V plunge. Anchor each strip low at the side of the breast and run it diagonally up toward the center of the chest, so the tape pulls in as well as up and the center stays clear of the neckline.

Open sides or a cut-out. Anchor under the breast and run the tape straight up over the top of the breast toward the shoulder, keeping it inside the line of the outfit. Check in a mirror from the side before you dress.

How to remove boob tape

  1. Soak it. Spray or pour oil over the whole strip until it darkens. Our Remover Oil is made with coconut, sweet almond and jojoba oils for this; coconut or olive oil from the kitchen also works.
  2. Wait one to two minutes. The oil has to get under the adhesive. If a strip won't budge, give it longer and add more oil.
  3. Peel slowly from the top down, keeping the tape folded back close to the skin rather than pulling it straight up, and adding more oil under the edge as it lifts. Never pull fast. Wipe off any residue with more oil, then wash with soap and water.

If a strip won't budge, you need more oil and more time, not more force.

How much tape will I use?

It depends on your bust and the look. A larger bust with a three-strip lift uses the most per wear; a smaller bust with one strip per side uses the least. Either way a 15 ft roll covers many evenings, and it's the only Bare Babe product you'll buy again on a schedule.

Who boob tape isn't for

It's the wrong product if all you need is nipple coverage under a regular top; a cover does that with far less effort. It's also not for very sensitive skin that reacts to adhesive, and not for anyone who isn't willing to use oil to take it off. If either of those is you, look at our Sensitive (Nip-Safe) covers or the Silicone Sticky Bra instead.

What we'd pick

FAQ

Can I sweat or swim in it?

Once it has set, most women wear it through a sweaty night out or a swim. Apply it to cool, dry skin and give it a few minutes before you're active or in the water.

Can I reuse a strip?

No. The adhesive is single use.

Does it work for large breasts?

Yes, and it's the product we recommend for lift from a D up. Use more strips, anchor lower, and don't expect a bra-level hold from one strip. Our large bust guide has the technique.

Can I wear tape and nipple covers together?

Yes. Silicone covers or satin pasties under the tape are how you protect the nipple.

How long can I keep it on?

The length of an event or a day out. Take it off before bed.

It hurt to remove last time. What did I do wrong?

Not enough oil, or not enough waiting. Saturate it, give it a couple of minutes, then peel slowly with the tape folded back on itself.