Is Steel Boned the Best Corset for Waist Training?

Is Steel Boned the Best Corset for Waist Training?

When you first start your foray into the wide world of corsetry, you may be attracted by the exterior of these lacy, racy, satin, or patent leather undergarments. It’s like I always tell my husband: women are like raccoons, all you have to do is dangle something shiny and they’ll follow you anywhere! This assertion is the source of my growing jewelry collection.

However, when you’re in the market for the best corset for waist training, you have to look beneath the surface. Like any type of design, form follows function, and if you lack the proper foundations, it doesn’t matter how pretty the exterior of the garment is – you’re not going to get the waist-training benefits you seek.

What makes steel boned corsets the best for waist training? Here’s what you need to know about the portion of your corset you never see.

Types of Corset Boning

While talking about different types of “boning” is sure to elicit a chuckle in mixed company, boning in corsets is serious business for those interested in semi-permanent waist slimming. Historically, whalebone, or baleen, was used to create the stiff support structure for corsets and bodices, hence the term “boning”. Of course, baleen isn’t bone at all, but actually keratinous material.

Over time, the practice of using this substance became impractical, what with the cost and the interest in preserving whale species. Luckily, other materials moved in to replace whalebone, mainly steel and plastic options.

While plastic is often the most affordable choice, it simply isn’t as durable and rigid as steel. This is great for costume corsetry, but if your goal is to reduce your waist size by several inches and train your body to retain its slimmer shape even when you’re out of your corset, there’s really no substitute for sturdy and long-lasting steel boning. While plastic can easily break and warp, steel boning will last you for years with proper usage.

Types of Steel Boning in Corsets

There are two main types of steel boning used in waist training corsets: flat and spiral. As you might imagine, flat steel boning consists of long, flat, slender pieces of steel fitted into channels in the garment, while spiral boning is comprised of a flattened coil.

The former is extremely strong and stable, ensuring that your waistline conforms to a specific size and shape, while the latter provides durability along with a measure of flexibility. Corsets may feature one type of boning or both in a given garment, but both are going to provide greater effectiveness than plastic boning.

Proven Results

Plastic shovels are great for building sand castles at the beach, but when you’re digging up a garden or shoveling your walkway in the winter, you want rugged metal to get the job done. The same basic principle applies to waist training. Plastic boning is fine if you want a corset for purely cosmetic purposes, but if what you want is to reduce your waist size through a targeted regimen of waist training, steel boned corsets are really your only option.


Want to learn more about the best corsets for waist training? Stay up-to-date with weekly blog posts, waist training tips, and the chance to win one of our monthly corset giveaways, like us on Facebook & subscribe to our mailing list today!