After using period panties for two years, this mama can't go back to pads or tampons
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.
Hi friends! Let’s face it. Half the world menstruates. So we have to have frank conversations about our periods and the products we use every month. Few people may be aware that most disposable menstrual products contain plastics, and these single-use items almost always end up as garbage, never to be recycled. I mean, how can you recycle a used pad or tampon? While some women may flush away used menstrual products (please don’t do that), “close to 20 billion sanitary napkins, tampons and applicators are dumped into North American landfills every year.” [1]
We’re polluting our world with used menstrual products that can take hundreds and hundreds of years to biodegrade! On top of all this, women are spending a lot of money on these disposable products (pink tax, anyone?).
image from https://www.shethinx.com/collections/period-panties/products/hi-waist-panties
The truth is, disposable menstrual products are not sustainable, not environmental-friendly, and I question how they impact our health. We’re shoving plastic inside of us every month, or slapping plastic-filled pads over our most sensitive parts. And how many nights have we’ve awoken to blood-stained bedsheets? We need need solutions to tackle our menstruations. It’s a monthly battle.
Ever since I made the switch to reusable period panties, I have never gone back to using disposable menstrual products. (To be honest, I’ve never used a tampon!) Making the switch was hard, because now I can’t just toss out a single-use product. I have to wash the period panties and make sure I don’t accidentally toss them into the dryer. The initial cost of period panties is also high. You can get a set of three Thinx panties for $89, but I’ve found you’ll need more than three panties for each period. You’ll have to first soak each one in water, then machine-wash it, and finally leave to air-dry. I wash my period panties with my regular loads of laundry. (Read my full Thinx period panties review here.)
We can’t continue to use disposable menstrual products. Producing the plastic applicators of tampons and the plastic back-strip of sanitary napkins requires incredible amounts of fossil-fuel generated energy, and contributes to global warming. [1]
It’s up to us to make the switch from disposable menstrual products to sustainable and practical alternatives such as period panties and menstrual cups. It’s tough to make the change, I know, because it’s a change of lifestyle. The next time you go to the supermarket or local pharmacy, or order disposable menstrual products, why not give sustainable and reusable menstrual products a try? After a few periods, you’ll get used to reusable menstrual products, and probably never go back to disposable ones. I know I’ll be a lifelong user of reusable period products now! I have a few pairs in hi-waist because they tuck in my tummy! I’m super excited that Thinx has launched Thinx air, period panties made with cooling micro mesh fabric. They also have period panties for teens and tweens called Thinx BTWN. Check out the great colors!
Let me know your thoughts, friends!
References:
[1] https://rctom.hbs.org/submission/the-ecological-impact-of-feminine-hygiene-products/
[2] https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/2/473/htm