Today we’re going to be talking about periods. Yes, periods. For those of you already cringing at the idea of talking about a women’s menstrual cycle, well I’m sorry, but grow up. I understand publicly talking about periods is still taboo to many, but I think it’s time we end that. Women have periods. It’s how our bodies work and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It should be able to be openly discussed without judgement. Now, if you’re still not on board with talking about aunt flow, then you can go ahead and click off, but if you’re still with me, I’m going to share with you the great period solution I’ve just uncovered.
I recently read an article by one of my fitness role models, Sam Shorkey. She basically had learned that tampon’s were not vegan, and are incredibly harmful for the environment. Tampons are actually the slowest degrading paper product of all, and between 8-12 billion of them are dumped in landfills each year. And the ones that don’t make it into a landfill end up getting flushed down toilets, sending their harmful toxins into the ocean to kill our marine life.
Inspired by Sam’s week of experimenting with eco-friendly, “hippie” period products, I decided to try having a more sustainable period this month as well. In Sam’s experiment she tried out three products; a menstrual cup, reusable cloth pads, and period underwear. Now I wasn’t ready to tango with a menstrual cup and the reusable cloth pads didn’t seem like something that would work for me. However, period underwear I could get on board with.
After reading Sam’s experience with THINX period underwear I was incredibly interested in the product. I had heard of the THINX brand before, but never really looked too much into it, but I’m so glad I finally did! Not to spoil the end of this review, but the THINX period underwear completely changed the way I deal with my period.
THINX was started in 2014 by Miki Agrawal and her friends in order to provide women with better period solutions and help women in the developing word. With each purchase of THINX undies you are directly helping young women in Uganda stay in school and get an education. Each purchase funds AFRIpads which helps to send reusable, cloth pads to these women so they don’t need to miss school every month and avoid falling behind.
THINX undies are made of four different layers that absorb blood and fight bacteria, which means women don’t need to use tampons or pads when they wear THINX. Ranging from $24-$38 a pair, these undies protect women from leaks, wetness, and anxiety, for as long as two years. That’s a remarkable amount of savings when you consider the price of tampons and pads. The average women will spend approximately $150 a year on tampons!
After I orderded my undies I actually couldn’t wait to get my period! I decided to try a pair of the sport undies in black. The sport undies are recommended for medium days and can hold up to 1 and a half tampons worth. I typically have a fairly light period, so I knew I definitely didn’t need something like the boy short or hip huggers, but was nervous to go for just the thong right away.
When I measured myself in order to determine my size I fell between a small and a medium, which is usually the case for my weird body shape. I decided to size up, just in case, but after actually wearing the THINX undies I wish I had sized down. The medium’s did fit, but I just would have been more comfortable in a small. If you fall between sizes as well, I recommend sizing down.
One of the most appealing thing about the underwear is that they don’t look any different than normal undies! They are just as sleek and sexy as any pair you can find in Victoria Secret, except these ones are also anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, absorbent, and leak-resistant! They’re incredibly comfortable and you can’t even tell you’re wearing period undies; they feel just like normal underwear!
My biggest concern with these was whether or not they were going to leak. I decided to wear them on a day I was just lounging around my house for the official test. I first had them on with sweatpants and as comfy as I was, I wanted to put them to the test and see how they’d hold up with jeans. Not only are they super comfortable in jeans as well, there was absolutely no problems with leaks! THINX is also odour resistant, so you won’t have to worry about that either.
I think the best part about THINX, especially for someone like me who is always travelling or out and about, is that you can wear them all day long. And no, it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting in blood. This is super convenient because you won’t have to worry about finding a bathroom every few hours to change your tampon (which, isn’t cheap in Europe!) and you don’t have to worry about packing tampons or pads with you when you’re out.
Cleaning the undies were also really easy. I just rinsed them in cold water at the end of the day and hung them up overnight. The next day I threw them in the wash on a delicate cycle and they were as good as new! I also did wash them with my other clothes and everything was perfectly fine. It’s also fine to wait until laundry day to wash your THINX, as long as you make sure to rinse them immediately after you use them.
After tying these bad boys out I am confident I will be purchasing more. I’m curious to try out the cheeky and thong styles and see how the different undies hold up in the gym. I think THINX truly is a perfect, eco-friendly period solution for every women. I just wish I’d heard about them sooner!
THINX also sells cycle sets, so you can buy a number of different pairs at once to go along with how heavy each day of your cycle is.
To purchase, or find out more information check out THINX HERE.
This article was originally published on Airplanes & Avocados.