Rixie Clip and Nickel Allergies.

Note: This blog contains pictures of my back (no personal bits exposed), but they might set off some filters at work, so it's mildly NSFW.

I've had no reason to mention this before, but I have a nickel allergy. I might be genetically more prone to this allergy, as my mother also has a nickel allergy (though she always called it a "metal allergy." I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 24 because she was unable to wear metal earrings and told me the same-- but I can, they just need to be titanium or other high quality, nickel-free metal).

It's hard to tell the exact number of people who develop nickel allergies, but it's somewhere around 10% of people, and the incidence appears to be higher in females compared to males.

It's an issue because nickel is an inexpensive metal that is tough and doesn't rust, and therefore it is used very frequently in a lot of different products. I can't wear most cheap jewelry anymore (excluding sterling silver), stainless steel, all clasps and watch casings I've ever tried have caused a reaction, belt buckles that are in direct contact with my skin, very rarely the inside of the button on jeans (only once or twice has been a problem). Most white gold contains nickel (if it doesn't, it's mentioned as a selling point) so we chose palladium for my engagement ring and wedding band.

If I wear an item that does contain nickel, it will cause a red, bumpy rash to form where the nickel is in contact with my skin, that will get worse and worse the longer the nickel-containing alloy remains in contact. The one time I mistakenly wore a pair of earrings containing nickel, there was a lot of swelling and it became painful very quickly-- much faster than it normally takes for a rash to develop elsewhere (it's normally somewhere around 8-12 hours of direct skin contact).

As you can see above, it's an inconvenience, but once I adapted to the realities of the situation (I don't look at most costume jewelry anymore since I can't wear it, and I never really liked wearing watches anyway), it really doesn't interfere with my life in any sort of daily capacity.

Topic change!

Rixie Clip recently had a sale for Black Friday, buy one get one free. I was interested in trying them out (I have several bras with two  hooks that are a band size too big in the band), so I placed an order and received it very quickly. Of course, I've been waiting for a 3 hook and a 4 hook edition to come out (they are working on developing these styles), but I decided that I would get enough use out of two hooks that I couldn't resist any longer.

If you haven't heard of Rixie Clips before, the idea is that it is a bra band TIGHTENER. Bra band extenders have been around for decades, but really, I think what most women would need more is a band tightener-- it's a lot easier to find a bra that fits in the cup but has a too large band, than the opposite, in my experience. It's a great idea, and I was excited to try  it out!

I found the Rixie Clip easy to put on, and to fasten to the bra. Once it's snapped in place, it won't move. It's also pretty easy to remove. Practically speaking, it's a pretty ingenious design, and one that actually works (unlike so many products with great concepts that aren't well executed). It's not a perfect product (realistically, you can only tighten up one band size-- there's just not enough room for more in the strap, most of the time, and the band tends to get wider near the straps, which can make it bunch up oddly), and it makes my bra band ride a little different in the middle, generally a bit higher, but it is definitely a well designed and very functional product. (It doesn't fit perfectly on all 2 hook bands, either-- my Deco bands are a bit too wide, but I can still get it on, it just causes some bunching).

It was well designed enough that I used to wear a bra that I had bought with a too-big band. I got a great deal on a Fantasie Florence on ebay (the cups fit well, and it has a fabulous rounded shape for an unpadded balconette style, but the band was definitely a size too large at least). I wore it all day yesterday, and when I took it off to change into one of my house tops (I'm planning on writing a post about "around the house/ sleep clothes" soon), I noticed I had a warm, red, slightly tender area where the Rixie Clip had been. I didn't give it much thought, figured that there must have been a bit more pressure on that area which might mean there may be room to suggest improvements in the design. I had intended to post a brief review (I guess this is it!) so I took a quick picture of my back and finished getting changed.

Right after I removed the Rixie-clipped bra.

However, I discovered today that the red spot was not due to pressure or poor weight distribution. I'm sure you can guess what caused it, based on the information in the first part of this post.

The next day (sorry for poor lighting).

My nickel allergy strikes again! I didn't want to post a rash picture directly, but you can click to see a closer image here (it's really not that gross, just looks like a rash). Now that I've got the rash, I think, "Of course it contains nickel! I knew it wasn't made of sterling silver, and most inexpensive metal used in manufacturing contains nickel!" I feel silly for not realizing before I wore it all day that it would probably cause a reaction-- there was clearly no protective coating on the metal. Oh, and don't worry about the rash-- it'll exist for a few days and be a little itchy and sore, but it'll be gone soon with no lasting damage, and it's not causing unbearable discomfort while wearing a bra.

I've got a few ideas for how to fix this issue so I can still use the Rixie Clip, though. I can paint the metal that touches my skin with nail polish (this is an old fall-back fix for those of us with nickel allergies). However, this is really a temporary solution as the nail polish will eventually degrade and chip off, leading to development of more rashes if I'm not vigilant. I might try using some sort of spray paint to coat the side that touches my skin (if I can figure out one that doesn't contain ingredients that my skin might develop a different allergy to in the future).

But I thought I'd be good to share this information with other woman interested in Rixie Clip that also have a nickel allergy, and also to provide feedback for Rixie Clip-- maybe they could put some sort of coating on the metal, in future designs, to prevent this sort of reaction-- especially since nickel allergies are so prevalent in the female population.

A few other bloggers (who don't have nickel allergies-- otherwise we have pretty similar experiences) have also reviewed the Rixie Clip! See Curvy Wordy's review here, Thin and Curvy's review here, and BRAvolution's review here.