Ultimate Guide to buying Scrubs

Scrubs Ultimate Guide

If you are new to Scrubs, it may seem like a minefield out there. Post-Covid a lot of you in the Medical, Care and Beauty industries who didn’t wear Scrubs before are now having to wear extra PPE to keep yourselves and your clients safe.

Whether you are new to buying Scrubs or you just need a refresh on what is available for yourself and your team, you may need some guidance on what is best for you, and what is available on the market.

Here at Work in Style, we have put together this Ultimate Scrubs Buying Guide. Taking you through all of your options, be that Style, Brand or material, we are here to help you make the best and most informed decision on your new Scrubs.

The main things you may want to take in to consideration when buying your Scrubs are;

  • Fit
  • Style
  • Material
  • Practicality
  • Brand
  • Personalisation

Below we will go in to detail on each of these points, but first let’s take a look at What Scrubs are and who wears them…

What are Scrubs?

Scrubs are clothing designed to be worn in the Medical industry and more specifically by those providing patient care, they are easy to wear and easy to wash garments which are designed to create a barrier between the person wearing the Scrubs and any hazardous substances/chemicals which they may come in to contact with. This greatly reduces risk of contamination and risk of infections.

This type of clothing became known as Scrubs as they are used in a sterile (scrubbed) environment

Scrubs have been worn by Surgeons in America for many years but have only recently become popular in the UK in the past 10-20 years, replacing the classic Tunic style we may be used to seeing in hospitals and on our TV screens. Since the Covid 19 pandemic we are seeing more and more Healthcare professionals wearing Scrubs for daily use.

Scrubs are a great tool in large hospital settings to separate staff from patient or to identify team members, Scrub top and Scrub bottoms come in many brands, colours and sizes which can be mixed and match for your perfect set, or to differentiate between job roles and departments.

Who wears Scrubs?

The NHS have been using Scrubs for the longest time but are now being joined by an array of professions, Healthcare and more;

Nurses – Scrubs are great for Nurses as they provide comfort and ease of movement on their long demanding shifts

Doctors – Great for Surgeons especially as the Scrubs can be washed at high temperatures to further prevent any risk of infection or spread of contaminants

Vets – Lots of our Scrubs have fabric technologies such as soil release and anti-static which makes it super easy to wipe off hair, fluff and dust and guarantees you won’t end your day covered in animal hair (although we suspect that does kind of come with the territory)

Dentists – Dentists love our Scrubs! Especially the antimicrobial and fluid barrier properties which repel unwanted fluids which may come flying their way!

Care workers – Traditionally seen in Tunics, Care workers are now making the move to Scrubs after seeing a greater focus on infection control (Post Covid)

Midwives – I think it goes without saying that a Midwife will want some serious barrier protection between themselves and their patient and Scrubs are perfect for this

Beauticians – A new player on the block, since Covid-19 the Beauty and hair industries have begun to take extra precautions to protect themselves and their customers by investing in Scrubs for their teams

Alternative therapists – Think Sports therapists, Physios, Reiki masters and Acupuncturist, there are dozens of  alternative therapists out there who now encourage wearing Scrubs for protection and comfort

Students – We supply scrubs to Nursing students all over the country who wear their very first set of Work in style Scrubs with pride!

 

 

What to take in to consideration when buying your first or next set of Scrubs;

Fit – Scrubs are designed to be comfortable and free flowing to make your life and job easier

When choosing your Scrub set you want to look at the pictures and the product descriptions to ensure you are choosing the right fit for you, maybe you want a nice big free flowing top so you will go for a size up in a Unisex top. Want something more fitted? Then you may choose a ladies top with rib knit panels which are more fitted to the body to accentuate shape and look more fashionable and flattering

Whilst most of our Scrub trousers are straight leg, we also have jogger style trousers which are designed to be extra comfortable and wrinkle free for easy care

We have men’s, Ladies and Unisex Scrubs available. And remember that all of our Men’s styles can be used as Unisex - Make sure you use our size guides and you should get the perfect fit every time (and if you don’t we offer free returns on all UK mainland orders)

Style

Your usual Scrub set will consist of a V neck scrub top with short dolman sleeves and Straight leg scrub trousers with either an elasticated or drawstring waist, however this can vary when looking at the more premium Scrub styles. Here’s a few examples of different styles of Scrub Tops and Bottoms;

V Neck

Mock Wrap Top

Drawstring waist Trousers

Elasticated waist Trousers

Material

Materials will vary throughout brands and ranges with some of our brands now using recycled materials made from plastic bottles; Barco One and Skechers Scrubs are saving billions of bottles from landfill every year with their recycled materials. Most of our Scrubs will be made with a mixture of Polyester and Cotton with spandex added for stretch.

A very important factor in Scrub materials are the fabric technologies used, all aimed at keeping your scrubs clean, stain resistant and extra comfortable, for instance;

2 or 4 way stretch fabric – Stretch fabric achieved with small amounts of spandex in the fabric, the slight stretch gives your Scrubs the perfect amount of stretch for the perfect fit and added comfort

Anti-microbial – Providing long lasting freshness and protection against bacteria. Antimicrobial fabric technologies inhibit the growth of bacteria, algae and yeast, minimize odours and stains and therefore prolong the useful life of your Scrub set

Fluid barrier – The fluid barrier technologies are designed to resists spills for long lasting protection and make your clothing more breathable and durable, this feature is especially fantastic for Dentists and Vets due to the nature of their work

Anti-static – The anti-static technologies in our Scrubs is particularly useful for Vets as it allows fluff, dust and hair to release quickly from the surface of the fabric

Soil release – Soil release is achieved with a chemical finish that helps to easily remove dirt from the garment, while soil release will not prevent dirt from touching your scrubs, it will make it super easy to wipe and wash away with no special laundering needed.

 

 

Practicality (pockets, panels, technologies)

Whilst looking and feeling good in your Scrubs is great, the practicality of them is the most important factor, and Scrubs sure are practical!

You’ve already read about their many uses throughout an array of professions, Medical and not, you’ve read about their unique materials and fabric technologies which will keep you clean and safe at work, and you’ve read about the great range of fits, styles and sizes for all body types, but let’s delve a little deeper here in to the small details which make Scrubs the perfect choice for Healthcare professionals and more.

All of our Scrubs come with pockets, I doubt you have ever done a shift where you haven’t been over encumbered with utensils, don’t worry, Work in Style have your back, with chest pockets, pen slots and Patch pockets and media loops on our Scrub tops. Our Scrub trousers are bursting at the seams with pockets and storage options – Back pockets, front pockets, Cargo pockets, hidden zipper pockets, media loops and more. Check out the descriptions on our product pages to see exactly what pocket and storage options each Scrub Top and Bottoms have.

Many of our Scrubs have side vents and panels which create extra space and movement in your Scrub sets, this extra ease of movement is so valuable on long hectic shifts, the comfortableness of our Scrubs is one of their most important features!

 

 

Brands

We sell a range of Scrub brands here at Work in Style, maybe you already have a favourite Scrub brand or maybe you’ll see a trusted brand name here which you recognise.

Skechers – Famous for footwear, but they do plenty more! Skechers Scrubs have already taken the US by storm and are now coming for the UK with sportswear inspired fabrics and fashionable yet comfortable designs.

Barco One – Premium Scrubs for the modern healthcare professional, using the latest technologies and ultra-soft and comfortable fabrics

Cherokee – The number one player in the Scrubs industry, we have been stocking Cherokee for many years and have hundreds of customers who are converted for life

Dickies – A trusted workwear brand, you may think of workwear trousers when you think of Dickies, but we can assure you their Scrubs brand are just as robust and durable as the workwear they are known for

Work in style – Our very own Scrubs and where it all started, we pride ourselves on classic and affordable Scrub sets, worn by hundreds of thousands of Healthcare professionals across the UK!

 

Personalisation

Want to take your Scrubs to the next level? Get them personalised with your name, job title and/or company logo. We can offer embroidery on almost all of our Scrub tops and we like to think we have made the process as easy as possible.

You can add embroidery to your basket when placing your order, and then a simple email over to us to get your embroidery design set up before we add the embroidery in house.

We have received fantastic feedback from our existing customers on our embroideries, it really adds a unique flare to your uniforms and is also great for big teams with different job roles, take a look at some examples of what we have already done below;

     

@clareogradyholistictherapies                                                                                     @marginsonmedical

  

 

Conclusion

Scrubs are the best choice for comfortable and practical healthcare, with their fabric technologies to keep you and your patients safe, plenty of colours and sizes to kit out your whole team, and a whole array of options to personalise your Scrubs. Order from our Scrubs range today, and don’t forget we offer free UK delivery on orders over £75 and free returns for our UK mainland customers

ORDER YOUR NEW FAVOURITE SCRUBS NOW