How to Style Scrubs: Ideas & Tips

We’ve heard it time and time again from our customers: you’re looking for scrubs that not only reflect your personal style, but that also give off that all-important professionalism. What’s more, we know only too well that comfort is a must – especially when you’re working long shifts!

We understand that wearing the same old style in scrubs day in, day out can get pretty tiresome. You’re looking for something comfy, appropriate, but still unique to you.

In this guide to accessorizing scrubs, we take a look at layering techniques, personalizing scrubs, playing with colours, quality and fabric selection, and more.

Choosing the Right Fit and Fabric for Your Scrubs

Our customers always tell us that the biggest pain they’ve experienced when looking for scrubs elsewhere is buying cheap clothing that just doesn’t fit properly. Unfortunately, if you lean into cheaply-made scrubs, you’re going to get a cheap fit.

Fit matters – particularly when it comes to comfort. We always advise customers to think of scrubs as much like loungewear – don’t go for a tight or figure-hugging fit when it comes to the base clothes. For example, choose a scrub pants size with a little bit of give, or even better, opt for elastic waistbands and drawstrings so it’s easy for you to move around.

Venting and wide fits are also priority points to consider when looking at fit. Many times, people choose scrubs that fit them far too snugly – don’t feel bad about choosing a slightly bigger size!

When it comes to fabrics, focus again on comfort, and where possible, material that wicks moisture easily. Think about how long you’re going to be in uniform for on an average shift. Your safest bet is to opt for softer fabrics with a high cotton percentage. 

As a textile manufacturing engineer on Reddit advises:

“Just use regular cotton woven. You can buy it with spandex so that it has some stretch if you want. True medical-quality scrubs have to be a high cotton percentage with a tight weave to prevent as much viral/bacterial contamination as possible. Stretchy knit fabrics are not recommended for scrubs, per most medical professional licensing boards.”

Reddit

We happen to agree! Our most popular scrub tops and bottoms are cotton-based, largely thanks to how comfortable and easy to clean they are.

And, don’t ever overlook comfort just to look good. Studies show that many nurses feel happier at work with a high perception of comfort:

“The findings showed that nurses’ perceptions of their comfort might predict their happiness and accounted for 34% of the difference in nurses’ happiness.”

Mohamed Farghaly Abdelaliem, S., and Salem Saed Boswihi, H.

<H2> Balancing Colors and Dress Codes

Now, let’s think about adding a splash of colour. We’ve surprised lots of medical professionals over the years with our full palette of scrub choices – you’re not just restricted to the same old greens and blues!

First and foremost you should pay attention to your workplace’s dress code. For example, in certain departments, you might need to wear burgundy scrubs, while wearing black in others. So, it’s worth following the rules, but choosing shades and tones that still mix things up a little.

For example, you could add a little colour to your work outfit with a wristband or a jazzy lanyard, while still wearing scrubs within your workplace’s dress code.

Or, if your department requires you to wear darker colours only, that means you have the flexibility to choose navy, black, or dark grey scrubs (check out our nursing scrubs for some inspiration!).

Personalizing Scrubs

We’ve heard lots of people over the years say that they feel their scrub uniforms are too restrictive, or too safe. There’s often a reason for that! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t mix things up a little.

When it comes to personalising scrubs, you could add accessories such as colourful headbands, badges, patches, or even do your own custom embroidery. Provided you fall within the dress code expected of you, you’re free to customise and jazz up your scrubs however you wish!

After all, we all want to emphasise our own individual style – and that’s partly why we bring together so many different types and styles of scrub tops and pants in our online collections!

Layering Scrubs

Layering is a clever way to add extra depth and warmth to your scrubs, meaning you don’t just look good, but can also protect yourself on colder days.

For example, if your workplace permits it, you could add a complementary undershirt or scarf underneath scrubs, or, you could add a jacket or cardigan for extra depth and style.

Again, while it’s always good to think about aesthetics, you should also focus on functionality and comfort. So, anything too heavy or thick simply won’t be practical. It’s worth experimenting – some of our customers have talked about matching our scrub colours with outdoor jackets, for example.

Choosing the Right Footwear for Comfort and Style

Lastly, as a healthcare worker, you’re going to be on your feet for hours at a time – so it’s important to find footwear that’s hard-wearing and supportive. That said, there’s nothing stopping you from finding shoes that complement your choice of scrubs and give you all-day comfort.

Always choose gentle, simple colours wherever possible, but if there is flexibility within your dress code, consider wearing shoes with striking patterns or motifs.

Many nurses choose clogs or running shoes – mainly because they arrive in a range of different styles, and are designed to support you when moving briskly from one place to the next. The last thing you’ll want on a long shift is rubbing and blisters – so, avoid choosing anything too ‘fashion over form’ for the sake of it.

Essential Tips for Caring Your Scrubs

Finally, once you’ve settled on a look that really works for you, you should always take time to care for your scrubs properly.

Here are a few quick tips:

• Always wash your scrubs after each use, ideally nightly.

• Try to avoid using fabric softeners (unless the label on your scrubs advise you otherwise).

• A great way to preserve your fabrics and their colours is to turn your scrubs inside out before you wash them.

• Try to avoid bleaching your scrubs – this will just weaken your fabric over time.

• Above all, when drying your scrubs, make sure you keep things on a low heat to avoid damaging them.

Conclusion

Ultimately, what you wear to work is always going to be a choice you make – and, while there will always be dress codes to obey, you can still work around these guidelines with a few personal touches and twists. After all, uniforms can certainly get a bit samey after a while!

Take our advice and follow the lead of our customers – shop our complete collection of fashionable, flexible scrub tops and bottoms, and match them up and accessorise them. 

Sources

Abdelaliem, S. M. F., & Boswihi, H. S. S. (2024). Nurses’ comfort and well-being: A descriptive study to find out the relationship between nurses’ awareness of self-comfort and well-being at long-term care settings in the state of Kuwait. Medicine, 103(12), e37479–e37479. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000037479

TheSecularBuddhist. (2021). Please suggest me a good fabric for medical scrubs? Reddit. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.reddit.com/r/Fabrics/comments/q3mifk/please_suggest_me_a_good_fabric_for_medical_scrubs

Medshop. (n.d.). Nursing scrubs and uniforms. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/collections/nursing-scrubs-uniforms

Medshop. (n.d.). Scrub tops. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/collections/nursing-scrub-tops

Medshop. (n.d.). Scrub pants. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/collections/nursing-scrub-pants

Medshop. (n.d.). What to wear underneath your scrubs. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/blogs/news/what-to-wear-underneath-your-scrubs