Period Panties 101: Do Period Panties Work?
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What Exactly Is Period Underwear?
Quite like your traditional sanitary pads or tampons, period underwear's are undergarments that soak up your menstrual blood during your periods. Designed to look like regular panties, these absorbent underpants have layers of protection via microfiber polyester that comfortably protect your vagina and absorb your menstrual blood. The idea behind using them is to eliminate plastic waste often created due to disposable tampons and sanitary napkins. Therefore, one can wash and re-wear them as much as they want to, making it a wonderful reusable option for menstrual products.
How Do Period Panties Work?
Period panties are made of an absorbent material that contains a moisture-wicking fabric made up of thousands of small filaments. These fibers trap the menstrual blood and prevent it from leaking onto our clothes. The outer layer usually includes nylon or lycra and is then coated with a liquid-repellent film to ensure your protection. Essentially, it works to absorb one to two tampons worth of flow, keeps the moisture away from our skin, and intercepts leaks.
Why Make The Switch To Period Underwear?
Period panties work great in absorbing the moisture from your crotch area which means that you are free from infections that occur due to bacteria accumulation. Furthermore, they are a great hassle-free leak and stain-proof option. Therefore, if you are looking for a trouble-free period product option that won’t be as inconvenient as a tampon or as stifling as a sanitary napkin, we suggest that you try a period panty. What 100% works in their favor is that they are both ecologically sustainable and economically smart choices due to their minimal waste generation.
Based on that, here are some of the top reasons to switch to period underwear:
- On average, every woman uses more than 15,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime that end up in landfills or our oceans, which amounts to around 113,000 tonnes of sanitary waste per year.
- The amount that a woman spends on her period products in her life goes well over lakhs of rupees considering she spends at least ₹300 per month.
- Lastly, without the mess of a menstrual cup and the risk of stains via a pad or a tampon, a period panty can be used for 2-5 years simply by washing them thoroughly under cold water.
Does Period Underwear Actually Work?
Totally! Your period panties are designed to replace tampons and pads and make periods easy for you. Not only can they be replaced by your standard menstrual products but you can use them alongside your period panties. This will ensure maximum protection against leakage and stains. It’s easy to use as well, just put them on like regular underwear when your period starts and make sure to change them every 12 hours or so. The best part about these panties is that because of how comfortable and easy to use they are, they can be worn by anyone.
Can You Wear Period Underwear All Day?
Period underwear's are safe for at least 12 hours of usage and many also come with an antimicrobial layer to get rid of any odor. However, depending upon your comfort and your bleeding pattern, you can choose when and how to wear period underwear. Some of them come in different absorbency levels like heavy, medium and low and you can choose to wear whichever suits you on a particular day. Additionally, you can also wear it alongside your tampons or menstrual cup on heavier days.
Points To Remember
Finding the right fit: You generally need to think about what level of protection you want, in light of the amount you bleed. Lower absorbency period underwear may just soak up menstrual blood closest to the gusset. Based on this, you will find two kinds of sizes to meet your lighter and heavier flow needs.
Period underwear that absorbs more liquid, potentially has significantly more coverage, as far as possible from the front to the back waistline. Assuming you are a "front", or "back" bleeder, you might require high absorbency period undies to ensure a stainless period. You can also find different kinds of fits like thongs or boy shorts which are available in a variety of different colors and patterns.
How many pairs of period underwear do I need? It is generally considered that around 5-7 pairs of period panties are enough to last for an entire cycle. 2 night time pairs and 3-5 day time pairs, depending on your flow should be sufficient. Also, for sleeping purposes look for a cut that fits more snuggly so that you don’t have to worry about spillage or restricting your movements while sleeping. Furthermore, you can also wash and reuse your panties every other day.
How To Care For Period Underwear?
- Soak: Drop your period panties in cold water after you remove them to naturally remove all the blood.
- Wash: to make your underwear last, consider hand washing with a mild detergent. However, if you are machine washing them, place them in a machine-friendly mesh bag to not ruin their material and wash it on a gentle or delicate cycle.
- Dry: Lay your underwear flat on a surface or hand them up to naturally dry them out. Do not put them in a dryer to maintain the material’s integrity.
- Treat: Although period panties are designed to not retain a scent or leak, if you are worried about the odour or the stains, try soaking them up in vinegar and water mixture (1:1) before your wash.
Disposable Period Underwear
For those menstrual days when the going gets tough, you might want to get familiar with the concept of disposable period panties.
- You can use these at night when your flow is too high and you don't want to get into an even bigger hassle of cleaning washable period panties post these nights.
- They can also be used for traveling overnight because they can be easily disposed off.
- If you are still new to the concept of period panties and want to familiarize yourself with them, disposable period panties are a great solution.
Taking into consideration this comfort quotient, Carmesi devised their new Disposable Overnight Period Panties to make you sleep worriless on your heaviest period days. It gives you 360° protection so that you can move around in your sleep, absorbs flow super quickly and hugs your body comfortably.
Periods don’t have to be uncomfortable or itchy. In fact, they can be quite relaxing if you know the right menstrual products to use. Period panties are one such accessory that ensure your ease and security while menstruating.
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