Reusable..Washable..Comfortable..Durable….Sustainable..Lovable..These are some of the adjectives that we use to describe Menstrual Cloth Pads
For someone in the medical field who wears mostly white, i think this is a bold move.Honestly, I was hesitant at first. I saw this 3 years ago in the internet but I had a lot of concerns,like convenience and hygiene. This year I was able to read some regarding this product. Had I known the perks of it, I would have started using it earlier.So yeah, I bought. Oh and by the way, It took me 2 months since buying these to make this review.
Usually, people will raise their eyebrows when they see someone talking about “menstruation”, and at times these people are the ladies themselves. But since a lot is asking when I posted it on my IG @ambagsakalikasan, I began to collect my thoughts. AND HEYYYYY, what is so bad about being more open with our Womanhood, especially if the idea is something that is sustainable? C’mon,Let’s talk about it.
(PS.Please Do take note that I will be as honest as possible. I am not really trying to endorse any single brand, but I am reviewing the “use of menstrual pads” in general.I cannot generalize the quality of the others though because they may differ. But yes,FYI, I bought mine from JC shoppe. And I can say I am still a happy user 🙂 ) ————–
Let me introduce you to the cloth pads I am using.
The 3 TYPES:
To achieve “NO LEAKAGE” effect, it is important that you know your menstrual cycle well.(Well, that’s just the same as the commercial pad right?Women with heavy period uses overnight pads or heavy pads)
1.Liner Pads – for daily use or during the lightest days of your period.So you may use it during your 1st and last day. For the extra days, that you still have discharges.
2.Regular Flow Pads – for regular flow
3.Overnight Pads – for heavy days and overnight use.
Why I liked CLOTH PADS?and Why I think You should too…
Based on my readings, I found out that napkins contents include a lot of harmful chemicals. Disposables are made of plastics, cotton, synthetic fibers and wood pulp. Frequent exposure from those may probably cause the allergy, irritations and inflammatory reaction on the genital area. So using thse lessen your exposure from those .
-Its advantages include less synthetic fiber that attracts bacteria and promotes bad odor.The reason why others “smell”.
-Can you imagine pads without the itchy icky annoying feeling from the adhesives, plastics and chemical that these give?Oh, feels so free!!
– ‎Because the material is made of cloth, it will just be like your underwear. Skin irritations and sweaty down there will most likely be prevented. bad odor is likewise reduced.
– Minimize leaks and stain because the underside is leak-proof and waterproof provided that you use the appropriate pad.
-I am not closing my doors to “menstrual pads” because people say it has its own benefits. However, IMHO, as someone who knows that discharges are supposed to be discharged( that’s why it is called “Discharges”), the menstrual blood discharge must go out of the body so it won’t be a nidus of infection. Basically, the reason why I am not so pro of having the stasis of girl’s mens inside.
– ‎It is sustainable. They said if you properly care these pads, these can be used up to 3 to 5 years. You reduce waste. Mother Earth will be less burdened. Since this is Reusable, aside from lessening your waste and impact to the environment, you also save money.
The CONCERNS
HOW TO USE:
Like the regular sanitary napkin, you may use it everyday or during your period. Snap it at the external side of the undies to hold the pads in place. Just be careful with snapping and unsnapping, i think this may get loose from wear and tear overtime. This is also how you tuck them in while you are not using it or if you are bringing it outside.
Hygiene
Honestly, when i saw a post about this in Facebook two years ago, I thought it was “unhygienic”. But since then, my “Environmental Conscience ” got awakened again, and I now have means to pursue #Zerowaste, or at least be committed to go for #LessWaste or #LessImpact, making me switch to reusables instead of disposables. I have found usual ways to make these reusable pads hygienic to use. Thanks to my sissies in buhay zero waste fb group for the tips. Thanks also to Ms.Rowie who is very accommodating of my questions and concerns.
Washing
I find this part very crucial, since we all value cleanliness and hygiene. JC shoppe sent me this infographic to help me clean the cloth pads. As a person, I consider myself lazy, and I find that I’m always be on the go. But ever since I started going for zerowaste/lesswaste, I have been sparing time for things like this.
Photo from JC shoppe.[/caption]
You do prewashing, rinse then soak it for a few minutes then hang it.
It is emphasized though that you wash the pads with DETERGENT WITHOUT FABCON after use because it has something to do with its fibers being damaged so lessening its absorbency in the long run(something like that)..After washing, you can have it air dry or expose it under the sun.
When Going Out
These pads are actually kept like these. So whenever I go out, I bring 2-4pieces of this with me. It actually looks thicker than the usual pad. “Rinse now then wash later “if outside is what they usually say. But for busy bees like me, I don’t have much time so I snap and store it in a WETBAG first then wash it when you get home. Now, you heard wetbag. It is not really something grand that you actually need to buy. Remember to look first for something available then you may upscale or repurpose previous packaging of goods,like mine). Anything that has a plastic lining that is wet-proof and reusable is a good catch.
–
Price
Cloth pads have different prices depending on their size and material. I think I got a set of 9 pads for P1,000 (Including pantyliners, regular pads, Overnight pads).
It does sound pricey,yes? .Since I am still a student this is also something that takes away my savings,but it truly is a good investment in the long run. It depends on how you care for your pads.
Where to buy: There are now plenty of online shops selling this. I compared the lengths and the prices until I landed at JC shoppe page.That’s where I bought mine.Thanks to Ms.Rowie who answered my queries like a big sis… With regards to leakage, just like any other usual commercial pad, is still an issue depending on how heavy your menstruation is. That’s why you really have to pick and bring the right kind/thickness of pad for certain days. Change the pad as needed. If you cannot usually check, you may opt to where overnight pads. But it is still recommendable to change every 2 to 4 hours even if the pad is not saturated to prevent bacterial overgrowth.
Comfort
The pads also have snaps underneath, making their placement stable and secure. It won’t swivel around, causing leakage on the sides of the underwear. My mom told me that the snaps may be uncomfortable at the crotch area, but believe me I barely noticed it when I wore it. When i wore the cloth pads, it’s just so comfortable that I even forget that I’m wearing one. When I was still using the disposable pads, I usually got rashes at the end of my week. It feels so hot and irritating on the crotch area. It made me hate menstruation a lot more than i should. From reading several forums and articles, I found out that commercial napkins have various chemicals. so if you could imagine them having hours of contact with your skin, then probably that’s what caused the irritation in the first place.
First Try
It was during my clerkship, I was the JIOD (Junior Intern on Duty) for a 24 hour-shift duty when the Red Alert suddenly came. I am wearing white, and being the JIOD means I have a lot more “Rounds” to do than not being JIOD. It was kind of unexpected because my cycles have been irregular in the past 3 months. I have brought one cloth pad liner with me and that’s what I used first. To feel secured, I also bought 1 regular menstrual pad and an underwear. (You may opt to bring a lot for your first try). Since I was new to this, I can say that I was wrong to first use the liner, knowing that it was my 1st day. Yes I got leaks on my back. The leaks are not blotchy red but instead, appeared like i sat on a dirty wooden log with fresh varnish. After that, I still used the other regular cloth pad. And ask my friend if she had an extra.
Observations
I am not claiming anything. But I noticed my flow to be shorter and lighter for the week.(may or may not be attributable to the new use.Could be due to a lot of factors..Yes.Too early to tell.)
You really have to be aware of the heaviness of your usual flow. If you have heavy periods, then use overnight pads as an ordinary pad then change every 3-4 hours.
Change every 3-4 hours or as needed. I also do not have the time to wash outside, obviously… So what i suggest to do is to place it inside a wetbag. Then wash it later at the end of the day, or the next day, and true enough that it is not as odorous as the disposable type,even if you forget it wash it on the same day,
Thinking about washing sounds so inconvenient and adds so much hassle in our lives but if you remember all the perks or the advocacy of this simple thing, I guess the little sacrifice will be enough to make for you to make a stand. You may see through the inconvenience and take pride of using it.
That’s it for now..I hope this would help you consider Greening your Reds through Menstrual Pads:).R
BTW,Here are the other designs you can choose.(Pic from JC Shoppe,may be subject to Availability)
