I’m coming at you with a little bit of something different today.
First off, the obligatory ‘this is not a sponsored post’ warning. Second off… this is a very womxn-centric post.
Today I wanted to talk about reusable period pads! Huzzah, I know! It’s a ‘taboo’ topic for many, which just goes to show what kind of sexist world we live in (why, oh why, do UK supermarkets place period products in a section they call ‘female hygiene’??), but I’m hoping that this post is helpful to anyone looking to make their monthly period more sustainable and, hey, even more comfortable!!
It wouldn’t be a blog post without a personal story so let me tell you about MY period, so that you have a heads up before I get into the actual thang.
When it comes to looking into new period products it’s obvious you have to take into consideration your own monthly cycle – how heavy is it? How long does it last? How do you feel?!
That last one, for me, is the most important. I don’t know if it’s getting older or just being more aware of myself, but over the last few years my emotions have been more trackable than ever. And with emotions comes feelings about my body and also comfort levels of what is on my body.
I generally have very varying cycle. I can have totally light months and months where it’s like a horror movie down there… tmi? Whatever! And I tend to be ‘on’ my period for 5-7 days (with my heavy day being day 2 and 3).
My usual go-to for period products is pads, because tampons make my body literally convulse. I can’t even think about it… *shudder* and despite my desire to reduce waste and try to be more sustainable it was only recently that I really thought about how awful regular period products are for the environment. I have seen diva/moon cups on the market for a while and I’ve mulled it over and realised if I can’t even think about tampons putting anything else up there is probably not a good idea!
I have also seen period pants like Thinx on the market but they’re expensive. Very expensive, if you ask me.
There’s the argument that, after a while, the cost would even out but I would need to spend hundreds on pants to cover my 7 day cycle… which is crazy.
So the magic that is social media must have known I was in the market for a change and served me some ads for reusable period pads.
A lot of the ones I saw were based in other countries, which I tend to avoid unless I am supporting friends businesses because of shipping costs and carbon footprint issues, but knowing that pads were an option gave me a good base for some Googling and I found a UK brand called Floating Lotus and they sell the pads (see the pics) that you just snap into your pants.
Now, I’ve only had to use them once since I bought them but I can honestly say they are amazing!
The first point is: comfort
I was a little bit worried that I would feel like I was wearing something very visible and very uncomfortable at a time when that’s the last thing I want but it wasn’t the case. Feeling a different type of material down there was strange for about 2 minutes and then I totally forgot.
Depending on the underwear I’m wearing the pads can move a bit so maybe twice I had to slid the pad one way or the other ever so slightly but it was no big deal.
In short; SO. MUCH.
I used to have to switch out a sanitary pad at least 4-5 times a day on a heavy day and on a regular to light flow day around 3 times. I used to think that my heavy days were really bad and let’s not even talk about the night on the 2nd day.
They’re the most absorbent thing in the world and there’s nothing messy about them. I don’t know about you but with regular pads and I’m sure tampons, the switch over can be messy and unsightly but the material of these pads means you never really see the blood? It’s like magic and I’m 99% sure that disposable products are actually designed to not hold a lot so you have to use more of them!
I would never go back.
Lastly, how easy they are to clean.
If you’ve been grossed out at any point of this post you’re not going to enjoy the next part! They’re easy to clean but you have to get ‘involved’. Because I’m gross I actually found this part pretty satisfying to be honest – before popping them into the wash (which is just a normal wash at about 40 degrees with similar colours (or if you’re like me, when you wash everything you own in one batch)), you have to give them a rinse under the tap with cold water. This is where you’ll see how much liquid they hold because you can hold these bad boys under the water and watch how it disappeared into the pad like it’s no big deal… like I said before, it’s like magic. You then get to give them a good squeeze and… well you can imagine the next part. Even better, once washed they dry incredibly quickly so you don’t have to wait long to reuse them if needed.
To cap it all off, they fold up nicely in a little water proof wash bag that comes with them, which is handy. All in all I am so impressed and so annoyed it took me this long to make the switch. Using disposable pads seems so awful and wasteful and gross compared to these so if you’re on the fence about it I’d suggest just going for it. These cost me £25 – as I went for the 6 pack with medium and large option – and so it will only take me about 3 months to break even based on how much I spent each month previously.
Let me know your thoughts and if you’ve made the switch over to sustainable period products.
Until next time!
– Sam
Pretty Thoughtful Blog 