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I Tried Period Underwear

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SHOP PRINTS

This is a post about period underwear, so first of all, if periods gross you out, you’re gonna need to get over that. The majority of uterus-owners that you know have experienced menstruation for much of their lifetime, so I encourage you to read this review even if you don’t think it applies to you. | Photos by Ali V.

So, let’s talk.

Over the past few months, I’ve been seeing ads on my Facebook about period underwear called Thinx (read: very effective target marketing). Period underwear is exactly what it sounds like– it’s underwear you wear on your period. It’s designed so that you don’t have to wear a pad, tampon or cup, though you can absolutely just wear them as backup.

I’d seen a couple of reviews on Buzzfeed and another website that starts with B. I wanted to review Thinx to see if they’d hold up to my adventurous lifestyle (and yours). I wanted to know if they felt gross. I wanted to know if this would forever change my period routine. I emailed Thinx and they agreed to be best friends forever (or to send me a couple of pairs of underwear).

Two pairs of Thinx came in the mail and I was never so excited to get my period. They suggest on their packaging that maybe I have actually been more excited to get my period. And on second thought, they’re right.

Anyway, I got a hiphugger and a thong style, thinking that I’d have a pair to try on both heavier and lighter days.

Once they arrived, I obviously rushed to try them on. This underwear is soft, kinda silky, sexy and feels awesome. You can tell there’s a little something in terms of padding, but no, it doesn’t feel like a diaper.

DAY 1

The first day of my period was pretty light, and I didn’t change into Thinx until I got home. I decided to wear the hiphugger overnight.

Usually I wear my Lunette cup around the clock on my period, so it was nice to not have to worry about leaks. It seemed counter-intuitive to just…wing it… but sure enough I woke up and the Thinx did its job.

let’s pretend I look like this when I wake up.

DAY 2

The second day of my period is typically heavy, and since the hiphugger was now in the wash, I wore the thong as backup for my cup. The padding on this is so light that I forgot I was wearing it. Backup you don’t even know about is a WIN!

At this point, I think to myself that I could wear Thinx when I’m not on my period… just ‘cuz they’re comfy.

DAYS 3 & 4

Once I had the general idea of how Thinx were going to work for me, I rotated wearing the hiphugger and the thong-as-backup.

When I wore just the hiphugger, I didn’t feel like I was sitting in soggy underwear, but I didn’t feel totally dry– and this isn’t a negative thing, just something I want to mention. This should not deter you from trying these!

I wore the thong to yoga and hiking without backup. It went great. It’s a strange feeling knowing that I’m on my period and knowing that I’m not wearing a pad/tampon/cup. It reminds me of skinny dipping or wearing a maxi dress. Anyway, the thong was definitely enough coverage for a few hours of activity. This depends on your flow.

DAY 5

Typically my periods only last 5 days, so today was a lighter day. Once the thong was dry from washing it, that’s all I wore. I went to work, walked around, sat down, stood up, did things. Thinx has my trust.

BUT ARE THEY GROSS?

well played, Thinx, well played. (via shethinx.com)

 

Nope. Not gross. They explain it well.

 

 HOW DO YOU WASH THEM?

(via shethinx.com)

 

It’s pretty simple really. I will probably pick up a few more pairs so I don’t have to think about dry time, but they do dry overnight if you need ’em for the next day!


VERDICT

Believe the hype!

I will continue to use my Lunette during the day, but will switch to the Thinx hiphugger at night, plus the thong for activities like yoga and hiking on lighter days. It’s really, really nice to have a pair of underwear that does the job of a pad. It’s really nice to not have to worry about it. And it’s really nice that those underwear happen to be comfortable and beautiful looking as well.

Thank you, Thinx, not only for creating this innovative product, but for opening up a conversation about periods that needed to happen, and that needs to happen every single day. We have been taught that periods are a shameful thing, something we shouldn’t talk about. What Thinx (and the people behind it– lookin’ at you, Miki Agrawal) is doing is incredibly important. Let’s have the damn conversation already.

here I am conversing with a lamp, but would love to converse with another person about periods.


Other things I recommend for your period:

THERE ARE PERIOD APPS

Generally, if something is not in my calendar, it does not exist. This would include my periods, however my body doesn’t sync up to my Gmail, so Kindara is a great app to help me pay attention. I use Kindara to track my periods. It’ll also show you your most fertile days, plus you’ll never have to say “two weeks ago” to the gyno again. Unless your last period was actually two weeks ago.

MENSTRUAL CUP

A menstrual cup is a re-usable silicone cup to use as an alternative to tampons. I have been using a DivaCup or Lunette for five years due to rumors and eventually scary facts about tampons. Give it a couple of cycles to get used to it and be patient. This is also what I use when I’m camping– beats packing out a bunch of tampons. Plus, you save money and there is no waste. Party time! There are two sizes, so make sure you get the right one for you. Amazon has ’em at a good price here, or pick one up at REI here.

 


 

As always, I love to hear from you, so feel free to let me know what you think about this review!

Photos by Ali V. Find her on Instagram at @alisonvagnini.

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  1. Fatima says:

    Hi Erin 🙂 Loved your article, just the other day I have been talking with some friends about different options. I will check if they send it to Portugal. Big hug

  2. Renee says:

    Great article lovely!! I love wearing the hip huggers with my diva cup. I think I’m going to get a pair of each of their styles as I always don’t like the dry time. The cheeky ones looks like a good fit and kinda of “cute”. My only disappointment with the hip huggers is that the size small seems larger than their sizing chart indicated. Next time I will try the XS and hopefully they are more like a true “size 2-4”.

  3. When I saw you were testing these on Snapchat I was so looking forward to your review. I’m surprised they seem to be as awesome as they sound! I would definitely want enough pairs so that I wouldn’t have to worry about drying time. How long in the day do you think you could get away with wearing them? I know you mentioned you wore them for a couple of activities but let’s talk about…hm. A full day of travel? Or a bike trip?

    • Yay! I was so curious to try them, glad you are interested too. I think it depends on your flow– I wouldn’t wear them without another method on my heaviest days (probably could only get away with 3-4 hours), but I think on my lightest days I could go a whole day wearing the hiphugger. Each pair has an estimate for how much they can hold as compared to tampons which was helpful for me for reference!

  4. I’ve jumped on both the cup and the period underwear bandwagon at the same time, and although I’m still figuring out the best way to use the cup (I’m trying the Lily cup but am thinking of also trying the Diva) I’m already liking the combination of using it with a pair of THINX as backup! It beats wondering if my “ultra” tampons will make it more than 2 hours without having to dash to a bathroom. I definitely feel like both are a great investment, and will not just save me money, but help reduce my waste impact on the environment. I purchased three pairs of the THINX hiphuggers, but will definitely be trying the thongs after reading your review. I go through several “thong pantiliners” in a period so buying a few pairs of these is a no-brainer for me! Plus, you’re right that they feel great. I was initially scared by the size when I took them out of the package…”granny panties” is the first thing that came to mind, but they fit perfectly and are very comfortable! Your review that they don’t feel totally “dry” but that they also don’t feel anything like a diaper is really accurate. I’ll take it over wearing an overnight sized pad any day!

    • Right on! For me, anything that helps me avoid tampons is awesome. I have also heard the Moon Cup is great but haven’t tried it! It took me a few cycles to get used to a cup, but it’s been so worth it for all the reasons you mentioned. I think I’ll have to get a few more styles of Thinx too 🙂

  5. Indy says:

    Wow, thank you so much for this post! This may be what I needed to get off my butt and get some. I have a very short period – only a couple of days – so I think getting a few pairs of these would be perfect. Not to mention waaaaay better for Mother Nature!

    Oh, also, for Android users (Kindara is only for iOS users, unless they’ve updated it since I checked), OvuView is an amazing cycle tracking app! I’ve used it for years.

  6. Susie says:

    Thx for the review + the period talk.
    You mentioned using the diva cup when camping. Can you explain this a little more? I can only imagine myself falling into a pool of my own blood with my pants around my ankles whilst trying to one handedly open a water bottle to rinse the mess of cup in my other hand. I generally don’t want to have to explain to my camping mates that I didn’t get into a fight with a wild animal, and I prefer not to attract any either.

    Just maybe a quick rundown of protocol? How to survive the great outdoors with a vagina?

    • Hey Susie! Laughed my ass off reading your comment! So yes, the DivaCup while camping can be rather messy. I would recommend getting super comfortable using it in your non-camping life first – the backcountry is not the ideal place to learn! I usually dig a hole, dump the cup, clean it (and myself) with some toilet paper (which I then pack out), rinse the cup with water and put it back in. Then I bury the blood. It’s a more complicated process than just taking out a tampon and putting it in a bag to pack out, BUT I have come to prefer it so that I don’t have to pack out a bunch of tampons. Does that cover it? Any more questions just let me know! And “How to survive in the outdoors with a vagina” sounds like a pretty excellent blog post if you ask me 😉

  7. Iris says:

    Erin, just found you! Love it! I am definitely open to talk about periods and that kind of stuff and I already love THINX! so much for the tip!!
    Another tip for you, since you’re talking period trackers here, I can highly recommend The LadyComp to you (check: http://theseaismycupoftea.nl/natural-birth-control-the-lady-comp/) , all natural, super easy to use and you always know when you’re fertile or when you’ll have your menstruation! I think we make a good team, ha:)! Will keep following you Erin, love your writing:)

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