Reusable Pads
I know what you’re thinking. Reusable pads, gross. But is it really? I think that we need to expand our options with our period products. There are new products that have been coming out lately like this reusable pads and period cups. Since I’m more of a pad person I’m going to focusing on the reusable pad. First, let me start off with my period journey. I started my period a couple of days before my 12th birthday. I remember not feeling good because I had cramps(I didn’t know what it was at the time) I remember trying to use the bathroom because when you don’t feel good that’s what you do to see if you had to go number two. So I went to the bathroom and realized that I just got my period. I was thankful that in elementary and middle school they would separate the boys and girls and talk about our bodies so I knew what was going on. So, I found a pad and figured it out. For years I’ve only have used pads. I haven’t tried a tampon and I don’t think that I want to use one. Before, it was because I was a afraid of inserting it and the possibility of toxic shock syndrome. But now it’s because I eventually want to try a period cup instead of a tampon. As the years has past by I have formed some habits when it comes to my period. I track it to see when it’s coming so I can prepare. I make sure I have pills ready, room temperature fluids to drink, snacks so I can eat with the pills, pads stocked up and that I wear a pad or a panty liner so I don’t stain my underwear. I think that people with periods would agree that we hate when our period stains our underwear. I have underwear specifically for my period and I hate getting stains on underwear that is nice. So I wear a pad when I know my period is about to come. As I was doing that I started to notice that I would have a period smell even though I wasn’t on my period. It was weird to me because I didn’t have the smell when I just wore my underwear but I couldn’t figure out why. Until one day my friend was telling me how she was using a reusable pad and that it didn’t have a bad smell. Then it clicked. I realized that a lot of companies use chemicals in their pads and tampons. I knew at that moment I wanted to make that switch so I did. Let me tell you about it.
My Review of Reusable Pads
I want to start by saying that at the time of writing this I have used the reusable pads three times now. I got two different sizes; regular and large. They both came in a pack of six pads with a wet bag to hold the pad if you are on the go. When testing the pads out I wanted to see if it can do what a regular pad does or better. When I’m on my period I lay on my stomach while I’m sleeping so that nothing will leak. So while I was testing this out I would lie on my side or back. I tested if the regular size pad would be okay for me. In both of those situations I did end up leaking but I expected for that to happen because I usually avoid that. So I do have to say that it works like a regular pad. At first I was upset at myself for getting the regular size pad because I like longer pads. However, I decided to use it for wearing when I’m about to start my period or on lighter days. The thing that I didn’t think about when going through this process was the fact that because I’m not throwing the pads away I don’t have to use toilet paper to wrap up the pads. My cramps have lessened since using the reusable pads. I don’t know if that is because of the pad or something else. The other thing is that when getting into the shower I don’t have to worry about staining the floor or the carpet because I can hold the pad in place while I step into the shower to wash up. Speaking of washing, I think that this is what people want to know about. Yes, since the pads are reusable you do have to wash it by hand in the shower. I think at first I was shocked about how much blood I saw then I was impressed to see how much the pad can hold. I rinse the pad out first to try to see how much blood I could get out by using water, then add soap and scrub, finally rinse it out some more and let it air dry. If I need to, I would use the air dried pad again and when I’m done with my period I would put all of the air dried pads in the washing machine. Below I have a list of Pros and Cons of the pads, I had to call my friend to ask her for cons because I didn’t have much and I didn’t want to be too biased.
| Pros | Cons |
| Environmentally friendly | Have to hand wash it |
| Comes in different sizes | Does not stick to underwear so it can move |
| Saves money | Fabric will stain if you purchase lighter color pads |
| Comes in different patterns and colors | Smaller size are not good for heavier days |
| Non-toxic | |
| Holds a lot of blood | |
| Some comes with double-sided tape | |
Overall I think that reusable pads are the way to go. It is really convenient for me and saves me money. I don’t have to worry about buying any more pads. I do eventually want to try period cups and see if I like it. I’m just not ready to give up pads at this moment. If you decide to try a reusable pad let me know your experience in the comments. I will also link where to finds some below. Thank you for reading.
Regular size
Large size( I couldn’t find the exact one I bought)