Are you naughty or nice nurse?

Vintage Nurse

Medical costumes are popular every year. Dressing up as a doctor or nurse comes in a variety of creative ideas. Assembling the outfit is half the fun! Find a lab coat to be a vintage nurse (pictured above). Traditional white stockings and comfortable shoes make wearing a nurse costume warm and comfortable. Finish off the look by adding a disposable (cheap) stethoscope, clipboard, and red lipstick. 

Add some real character with a cute name tag like "Imma, R.N."

Bringing a date? Have him throw on a button up shirt & tie, wear a labcoat over and you've got a couples costume. 

If you want to wear a more risqué costume, send a sexy message by wearing a cute dress under your jacket. 

Sexy Nurse

Although the sexy version is the most common choice, they aren't very appropriate for work. You can always wear a traditional nurse at work and a sexy nurse costume out at night. Wigs and other accessories are fun to wear with any costume. 

Other DIY cheap costume ideas:

Authentic Halloween Costumes

Costume Countdown to Halloween

DressCode has authentic costumes using the REAL thing. Costume stores use cheap cheap cheap materials to assemble their costumes. We order all our costume ideas from real medical manufacturers. What you would spend $50+ at the costume stores, we have for under $40 using actual scrubs and medical accessories.

Land's End scrub set only $25.99

Accessorize to complete your scrub look

Stethoscope $3.99

                         

Psych out your friends with this pen that looks like a Syringe - $3.99

You'll need a funny name for the party - think of something creative like Seymour Butts :) 

Stay Tuned for more costume ideas!

3 Ways to Rock Pregnancy at Work

Everyone knows, if you work in a medical office or any office really, getting pregnant [or married] is said to be contagious. A close friend of mine, newlywed, & ER nurse tells me all the time the headcount of pregnant ladies in her department. The other day she called me to tell me she, too, is expecting. My response was 'congratulations, now your time can go from poop, farts, and taking temperatures to...wait for it....mini poop, farts, and temperatures. WooHoo! -the glamorous life of motherhood. Honestly, I am loving being a new mom even though my life as of 5 weeks ago has been all poop, farts, and boobs. While I was pregnant, and even now,  wear a lot of leggings and flowing  tops to work. But my customers who wear scrubs to work cant get away with that. Quality uniforms aren't cheap, especially flattering ones for pregnancy.

Ill let you in on a little secret. Maternity scrubs are often less flattering than just going up a size in your regular scrubs. Dont get me wrong, they have their place. Get a pair of the full coverage maternity pants, you'll appreciate it, especially those of you who plan to work up to your due date like me. None of the uniforms below are maternity. This picture was 1 week before I delivered [5 days past my due date] wearing the most flexible fabric we carry (Koi's Sapphire top with Jockey flex bottoms).

Cutting edge uniform brands like Koi, Jockey, Dickies, & Bio are making scrubs with innovative fabrics that stretch and move with the contour of your body. Baby belly is no exception. I love the new Jockey pants were my favorite because of the soft cotton waist band, wrinkle-free fabric, & multi-direction stretch. Seriously, it had me at wrinkle-free, aint nobody got time to iron! Buy some pieces that stretch.

You don't have to go out & buy a whole maternity wardrobe for pregnancy. How can you look fab on a budget? The pic above shows Melinda & I comparing a non stretch top (Barco Summer - Deja) something I could wear after pregnancy, money saved! Just go up a size. Which means you can still shop clearance. Also, I hung 100% cotton tops to dry. Now, since they are a bit baggy, I dry them, they shrink some & fit pretty good. Worried about them fading? Use a bit of vinegar in your wash to keep the colors from fading.

You don't have to go out & buy a whole maternity wardrobe for pregnancy.

As you can see, being prego doesn't mean you have to wear scrubs to work that make you look like MC Hammer either

Don't forget to take care of yourself too. Start practicing it now, once that baby is here, you'll forget all about your own needs. Remember looking fab helps you to feel fab. -And it doesnt have to cost an arm & a leg.

6 Ways to be Wrinkle Free

Is this you? 

Scrubs have come a long way. Avoid iron demanding fabrics like cotton. Cotton wrinkles, shrinks, & eventually can fade. Most scrubs these days do not need an iron to be wrinkle free. Get the scrubs that are made from a cotton and polyester blend. 

Take the proactive approach (6 ways to de-wrinkle scrubs)
1) Try out the latest wrinkle free fabrics from brands like Jockey, Grey's Anatomy, and Koi Sapphire. No cotton!

2) Any fabric can stay wrinkle free if hung right out of the dryer
3) Every heard of Hillbilly Ironing? Not sure how it got its name but we've heard from many customers from all walks of life saying this is all they do: Hang them from the shower rod (farthest from the faucet) when you shower. The steam relaxes the fabric. Try it & let us know if it worked for you!
4) A unique and also test worthy option hits 2 birds with 1 stone: After you finish flat ironing your hair, flat-iron wrinkles, collars and edges of your scrubs. With as hot as my CHI gets, it works for a quick touch-up. 

  Need 100% wrinkle free In-a-Hurry?
5) De-wrinkle before you leave for work with a wet washcloth in the dryer for 15 minutes or 
6) Use Downy Wrinkle Release (or go with a home made version) spray and tug wrinkles out

Post your ideas on how you keep your uniforms wrinkle free. Do you prevent it with the scrubs you buy, or take special care with the ones you've got? We love hearing your response

Donating Your Old & Used Scrubs

Photo: www.pollutionissues.com

Do you have a closet full of old scrubs you don't wear any more and have no idea what to do with them? We all run into that issue. Do I just throw them away? Can I donate them for a good cause? What should I do? Well, why not donate them... Here are 3 great ways to donate your old unwanted scrubs, both usable and non-usable.

1. Salvation Army... A great place to donate wearable used scrubs is the salvation army. When you donate your unwanted scrubs to this organization you are doing more than helping the next person that receives your scrubs. The salvation army holds a huge part in helping the greater good of Americans in need. They offer services such as support for adults, support for children and families, international support, and emergency services support. All of this is funded through their charity and donations. Find your local Salvation Army Here!


2. Goodwill... Good will takes any types of clothing, so you can donate your scrubs here even if they are unusable for the next person to wear. Goodwill plays a large roll in helping with community services as well as job support for adults. When scrubs are unusable Goodwill sells it to textile recyclers so that the cloth can be recycled and reused. Find your local goodwill here!


3. Animal Shelters... For unusable scrubs that have rips or holes in them, you can donate to your local animal shelter. Many animal shelters are happy to take these old scrubs to use as bedding for the animals. Just make sure that they are washed and clean before donating. Use Google to search for your local animal shelter to donate now!

These are easy ways to help and be charitable, but there are many other uses for old scrubs as well. If you aren't interested in donating them, you can use them for cleaning and other projects around the house too. 

5 Tips to Properly Washing Your Scrubs

Are you properly washing your scrubs?
We all know that working as a nurse in a hospital or doctors office makes you susceptible to all types of bacteria and germs that you wouldn’t want to take home and expose your family to. Yet many hospitals don’t have you wash your uniforms at work, so how can you make doing your laundry as sanitary as possible? Here are 5 tips to properly wash your scrubs, and keep those nasty little microbials from getting into your house.

1. After you purchase your scrubs, before you wear them for the first time wash them on cold with half a cup of vinegar. This will help preserve the color and prevent fading. Only wash the new pair of scrubs in this laundry load. This also helps the life of your scrubs and will make them last longer.
2. When you start your work laundry, soak your scrubs in color safe bleach for 5 minutes. This will help kill the bacteria, while not affecting the color of your scrubs. Be sure to set a timer though, soaking your scrubs in bleach too long could damage the fabric.
3. Wash only your scrubs together, don’t mix with your family laundry. This will ensure that bacteria and microbials are not passed to the other clothing in the wash. Wash your scrubs at a high temperature as close to 160F as possible to help kill any live bacteria that may be on your scrubs, use an allergen free laundry detergent.
4. Make sure to remove your clothes from the washer right away. When you leave clothes in the washer in that damp state it promotes the growth of germs and bacteria.
5. Lastly make sure that you dry your clothes in the dryer, if you are worried they will shrink then it is best to get them dry cleaned. The heat of the dryer will help kill off any other mircrobials that are on your clothing.

These steps will help to make sure that you are not bringing all of those germs from work into your home, and germs from home to your work.

How do you wash your scrubs? Do you take any special measures?

Keep Your Scrubs From Fading

Picture from: www.greenideareviews.com

When we buy a new pair of scrubs we love the color, and how new and great they look. We wish they could look that way forever, then we come to the slow realization that they are new, and that is why they look so awsome... So how can you keep that color from fading out of your scrubs and have them look great for the long haul? Here are 5 tips on keeping the color from fading out of your scrubs, or for any clothes really.

1. After you purchase your scrubs, before you wear them for the first time wash them on cold with half a cup of vinegar for a small load, and a whole cup for a large load. This will help preserve the color and prevent fading. Only wash the new pair of scrubs in this laundry load. This helps the life of your scrubs, will make them last longer, and sets the color into your scrubs for minimal fading.


2.  Turn your scrubs inside out when you wash them. This will help preserve their color and wont let the washing machine be so rough on the outside of your scrubs. They will still get washed just as good, but will preserve color in the process. 


3. Check the tag for washing instructions. Surprisingly most of us don't do that, but those instructions will help you wash your scrubs properly, and preserve their life. Make sure to only wash your scrubs with your other scrubs, and try to keep whites with whites and color with color.


4. Wash with small loads. This will help with keeping the color and the consistency of your fabric. When you wash very large loads the washing machine is a lot rougher on your clothing, so when you make the it a small or medium load the machine will be much gentler on them.


5. Take your clothes out of the dreyer early. Drying your scrubs is a good way to make the color fade especially on high heat, so only dry them for about half the time, then take them out and hang them. This will especially help preserve the color.

Using all of these handy tips will ensure a good life span for the color and fabric of your scrubs. Keeping the color shouldnt be the stressor of your day. So keep this handy the next time you go for the washing machine.

What do you do to keep the colors from fading from your scrubs? Comment below!

10 Tips On Cleanliness and Style for Nurses

picture from: funnyloves.com

We all know that nurse's have not only hard, but demanding jobs; and don't always have the time they need to care about style. However, you don't want to show up at work looking like you just got out of bed, haven't showered, or worse. So here are 10 tips on cleanliness and style for every nurse.

1. Make Sure Your Scrubs Fit Properly... There is nothing worse than having your pants fall down during a procedure, or having your butt crack stick out while your bending over to grab something for a patient. Make sure that your scrubs are securely tied and that you have the proper size. If your scrubs are too tight then your underwear may show through especially if you are wearing white. A good way to fix this is to wear nude colored underwear under your scrub pants so that people don't see your polka dot underwear while you are walking through the ICU. Also make sure that scrub tops are not too tight, especially for women. Not every brand of scrubs works for every person, so make sure that you try on many brands to find what fits, and works best for you. 


2.  Cleanliness is Key... Make sure you are showered and ready for the day. If you aren't clean then patients aren't going to want  you to be working with them. Co-workers are going to ask questions. You don't want to show up with last nights makeup on, or messy hair. Soap and water go a very long way. Make sure that your scrubs aren't old and faded looking, and also check to make sure you don't have any rips or tears in them. If you do it's probably time to get a new pair. Always wear a clean pair of scrubs to work. Put your hair up. Brush your teeth. And check your shoes. Dirty shoes are as bad as dirty scrubs...


3. Using Perfume...or Not. You should just put it away. Use it for your date night, or on your day off. Not while you are working. This can cause all kinds of problems especially with people with a heightened sense of smell. Those that are going through chemo, or are pregnant are especially sensitive. If you just have to wear it, use only a squirt and make sure that it is not a strong scent. If someone can smell it on you from a foot away then you have worn too much. This is the same for men's cologne and after shave, save it for another day, not at work.


4. Hanging and Dangling... We're talking about jewelry. You should refrain from wearing any kind of dangling jewelry. Many hospitals even make this a policy. Try to make sure you wear single earrings, small ones that do not dangle. That is in part for YOUR safety, ever have a confused or angry patient grab at you…they can rip your ear lobe while ripping out an earring. This is the same with badges worn around the neck, they are supposed to be breakaway or attached directly to your top. Bracelets and necklaces that are long and dangling can catch a lot of bacteria, especially large bracelets. 


5. Shoes... When they’re too old, throw them out. Clogs are wonderful! They have great arch support, are comfortable, and  you can wear them all day with no foot/leg pain. Make sure they are not worn out, or are stained and look gross. Clogs usually will last you a long time, and are pretty easy to keep clean. There are many different brands to fit the foot needs of all types of people. If you aren't a clog person then get yourself some good fitting shoes, that are comfortable, and have proper support for your type of foot. Also try some compression socks to keep the blood flowing. This will help you to not have leg pain and swelling. Make sure that whatever type of shoes you wear look nice, are clean, and give you the support you need for that long shift.


6. Keeping Yourself Well Groomed Includes Your Hair... Keep your hair out of your face, and even try to give it some sort of style to make yourself look nice. Patients will feel more comfortable with you if you look nice, and you will feel better about yourself. If you have long hair make sure that you keep it pulled back, the last thing you want is your hair falling into something gross... Men keep your beards trimmed and kept nice.


7. Don't Wear Your Pants Too Long... The last thing you want is for your scrub pants to be too long and dragging all over the hospital floor to pick up germs and other nasty little microbials for you to take home to your family. This goes back to making sure that your scrubs fit properly, but we thought that dragging pants needed a whole little section of its own. Scrub pants that drag are unattractive, can make you trip, and mops up all kinds of bacteria for you. This is just not a good idea all around. If your are one of those people that are in-between a regular and tall, or a petite and regular, hemming is inexpensive. You can also be fitted at a local scrub shop to make sure that you are choosing a brand that is right for you and fits you properly.


8. Keep Your Hands Clean and Maintained... Your hands are very important, and a wonderful way to pass germs. We all know how to wash our hands, and proper measures to take especially after working on a patient, but also make sure to take care of your hands. Washing your hands many times a day takes a toll and can make them crack and split, this is a great way for you to catch all kinds of germs and viruses. Keep non scented lotion and use it throughout the day to help keep your hands healthy. You only get one set, so take care of them.


9. Deodorant is Your Friend... Bring an extra stick to work. Deodorant is a key part of keeping yourself smelling good. The last thing you want is to bend over a patient and have them gag because they can smell your sweaty armpits... Your working all day, your working hard. Make sure you smell good while you do it.


10. If You Have a Dresscode Make Sure You Follow It... People like to bend the rules, but many places have a dresscode. Don't bend the rules just because a few other nurses are doing it. Wear what you are supposed to wear and keep your job going smooth. The last thing you want is getting talked to for not following a simple rule. Besides dresscodes aren't bad if you make them look good!

Keep these 10 tips in mind for yourself and you wont steer wrong. Remember that cleanliness and style go hand in hand. Keep yourself looking and smelling great, and it will keep you and your patients happy.

Do you have any tips that you think nurses should follow? Comment below and tell us.