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Product Review Preview: What are leak-proof panties?

2/28/2016

11 Comments

 
This is my first attempt at a product review, and wow, is it going to be a personal one!

I’m not overly interested in doing bra reviews (at this time) because to be honest, I have a fairly large stash of bras that it’s not all that often that I’m buying new ones. There’s also another issue of putting my body out there on the internet, that I’m not totally thrilled about, and I don’t often have anyone available to photograph me.

With that said - I’ve been wanting to get myself a pair of leak-proof panties for nearly five years now, and I finally decided to order a pair on the internet and I just had to tell you all about it. 

I did a little research project in university that looked at some of the leak-proof panty products on the market, because I do feel that the current sanitary protection items available to women are seriously lacking and need a revamp. I looked at some of the alternatives on the market, and attempted my own design. It didn’t go anywhere, but one day, I’m sure I’ll resurrect it. Meanwhile, there are a number of brands that offer leak-proof panties, that provide a solution to a variety of issues like bladder leakage, or sanitary protection back up. 

The first brand I had ever heard of was Dear Kate - back when it was Sexy Period. Aren’t we all glad that name changed? While I was conducting my research, I found many others like Knix, Knockout and Stride (which no longer seems to have a website). Since that time Thinx and DiaryDoll have hit the market. All of these brands are for women who experience light bladder leakage or want extra protection while they’re menstruating. 


I finally committed to purchase a pair after what I decided was going to be the LAST failure of my current sanitary product choice. It went exactly like this…in a Milton Keynes shopping mall, two days before Christmas, with a broken iPhone I needed to full-out replace, gum stuck to the back of my trouser leg, so I decide to buy new jeans, but I need a larger size than last time AND MY SANITARY PAD FAILS? DEFCON 1 is all I could explain to the BF about my state of mind and behaviour. Maximum readiness, prepare for my meltdown.

So, why does someone WANT a pair of leak-proof knickers?!
For me personally, I’m so tired of these embarrassing fails and the way they make me feel! As a woman, it feels like there is no worse horror than being in public or at work and your sanitary protection has failed, and there is a stain on your bottom. The constant checking in the bathroom, or the mirror, making sure you have a long enough shirt or cardigan, or are wearing really dark, or black jeans or trousers to camouflage any leaks is exhausting and nerve-wracking! What makes it worse is that I feel like I’m doing everything I can to prevent the leaks from happening. And I’m sure I’m not the only one!


I also don’t want my period to limit my options for clothing either! I can remember getting out a calendar and plotting out the months before choosing my wedding date based on this annoying bodily function. (Personal aside: no longer married, and this womb is NOT for rent!)

This past year, I also chose a stunning little yellow dress from Pepperberry for my university graduation. I wasn’t paying attention to the calendar and my handy little period tracker app (which I love, btw!) and all of a sudden this dress was no longer going to be an option. Argh, so frustrated! I just wasn’t going to chance it. I can’t trust Always. I’m always skeptical. 
Picture
The Megan dress from Pepperberry, in a lovely yellow/white colour combo. Not the colour you want to be wearing if you have concerns about your sanitary protection failing when you're about to walk across a stage in front of hundreds, perhaps 1,000+ people.

I apologize to any of my friends, family and coworkers who may read my blog and don’t want to know…but apparently 2015 was the year of the period and it’s time we stopped the hiding and shame we feel about this completely natural process our body goes through, in order to create life!


Here we go!

I purchase both LONG pantyliners and sanitary pads. On the days I menstruate, I double up. No, not with a tampon and a liner or pad - but BOTH my liner and pad. A liner more towards the front, and a pad more towards the back. I don’t know if I’m menstruating wrong (bad joke, sorry) or if I’m just too large in size for these already ‘long’ pads (like what do women that are size 20+ do?!) or what the issue is…but they’re just way too short!! I seem to experience a lot of failures if I just have the pad. If the pad is too far back, or my knickers move in the day, then there’s issues at the front. I move the pad more forward the next time…and then there’s issues at the back. BEYOND ANNOYING.

So, with the two, I find that I have a lot more surface area covered and the risk is reduced, but argh, screaming from the rooftops, why can’t it be eradicated?!
As it is, I feel like I’m wearing a stupid diaper. One that chafes, rubs and bunches, absorbs all other moisture that that skin down there feels dry and sensitive, sticky stuff attacking your hair and freaking plastic crunchy sounds when you’re walking. It’s bad enough I feel crampy, or have a backache or tender breasts, and then this?! WHY CAN’T THERE BE ANOTHER WAY! 


Ok, ok. I’ve seen the menstrual cups — I did research alternatives as part of my university project. If it took me nearly 5 years to buy a special pair of period knickers, imagine how long it might take me to try one of these cup things…
I guess it was time to try out these period panties.
​

Stay tuned for ‘next week’ when I share with you which ones I chose and how they feel, fit and function!

Do you struggle with your sanitary products? Have you tried these 'period panties'? Would love to know your thoughts...like how many pairs should I really invest in?!
11 Comments
Yelena link
2/27/2016 11:00:37 am

I love this, I feel like this is something I'm always thinking about but rarely talk about. I've always said my period has been the Bain of my life. The worst pain I've had to go through, the most insecure it made me feel, and how un normal I felt. Fortunately my periods have improved and it now doesn't seem to such an issue it once was, however it still seems to be a sticky subject. Did you see the women who ran the marathon whilst on her period and wasn't wearing any sanitary protection? The abuse she got because of that was awful. But the thing is what did people used to do?! There weren't things called tampons or pads so they had no choice but to bleed in their clothes. Some people were saying it wasn't sanitary for the lady to run the marathon like that, I've never got any infection from having a period so In my experience that's ridiculous. Bravo to that lady, she did something that I feel I couldn't do.
And coming back to period pants hehe, I bought some dear Kate's about 4 years ago, however unfortunately they were worse than my usual period pants. When wearing a pad I feel I need quite a tight but not uncomfortable pair of pants to keep it in place and these were not. They were quite silky and the gusset felt loose and actually gave me more problems, so then I only wore them when wearing a tampon and eventually stopped wearing them altogether. I felt the material they were made out of ( something synthetic) was really not great for period days, i preferred the breathability of cotton. They were black so it was hard to tell if stains did actually come out or not. I assume they did as I can't remember noticing any. So currently I have a selection of knickers that are period knickers and they are all cotton and quite tight fitting but very comfortable but I agree I think period products do need to be updated. However I also feel like there should be more acceptance of periods then there would be less of that embarrassment, I'm much more going with the flow of it these days than resisting it, which really helps but it's very hard in this society to not feel embarrassed etc.
Anyway I look forward to your review on what you thought too!

Reply
Kimberly
2/28/2016 07:49:49 pm

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this topic! Yes, it feels almost like it's still such a big 'taboo' and we can't talk about it. I did see the story about the woman who ran the marathon, and to be honest, I can't imagine how comfortable it would be to run a marathon with a tampon or pad - I would imagine it would chafe or shift!

I'm disappointed to hear you weren't happy with your Dear Kates. It's not the brand I purchased, but I AM very interested in trying them. I'll be hoping that since you purchased yours that they may have changed the design or fabrics a bit...
I'm definitely interested in alternative products, and designing some too, so we'll see what the future holds!

Reply
Melissa C
2/27/2016 10:23:40 pm

I've not tried the Dear Kate brand of period panties (err..cost!), but I can sew, so I looked at what the main features appeared to be from the various brands and pockled together my own version. I LOVE them. They have helped make life feel as normal as I guess it can get. I do use them with a cup (seriously, it took me two years to take the jump and I'm so glad I did. The cup is great). But on 'light' days or days when I think I might be in the danger zone, I'll wear my fancy pants and I've yet to be let down. I always had leaks, shifting, bunching, chaffing, etc with disposable products.
My panties are: micro-Lycra for the actual panty. Then a long internal gusset sandwich of PUL, bamboo fleece (x2 pieces), cotton interlock topper. I sewed a sort of channel (sort of oval shaped quilting) through the cotton and bamboo layers. The panty pattern is a Jalie one, 2568. I modified it to use just lingerie elastic (so increased the waist height to where it would hit if the lace was there). Magic. Totally worth the effort to make them. Hope you like the Dear Kate's!

Reply
Kimberly
2/28/2016 07:56:09 pm

Thank you for sharing your project with me! I didn't pick up the Dear Kate ones (yet) as they are a little bit more expensive and I'm worried about paying customs charges bringing them over to Germany. They have so many varieties though! I'll reveal my purchase in the next few days ;)

I'm going to have to investigate these cup things. They seem to be growing in popularity, and I'm really trying, where I can, to have a more 'sustainable' lifestyle. The waste sanitary products generate is unreal.

It hadn't really crossed my mind to make my own panty - but I certainly have the skills. I just imagined it may be difficult to find the fabrics I want and to laminate them together, but I may have to give your version a try. Thank you so much Melissa!!

Reply
mel
3/20/2016 05:17:49 am

dude! get a cup! been using one for more than ten years, never an accident if you halfway pay attention (sometimes I don't :) and have saved an unreal amount of money on pads/tampons.

Reply
Pancake
5/8/2016 12:53:24 am

Just wanted to put in another vote for menstrual cups. They get me through 14 hour shifts and beyond. I couldn't go back to disposable methods!

Reply
Kimberly
5/8/2016 12:41:19 pm

Alright, I'm going to have to start some serious research into cups. I'm getting tired of everything else. You reckon Amazon might be the best place to have a look?

Reply
Melissa C
5/8/2016 01:33:22 pm

Try Boots. That's where I picked up mine. It's a Moon Cup.

Yelena
5/8/2016 01:42:59 pm

There's a YouTuber who does reviews on period things under the name precious stars pads. She's really good!

scooter
9/1/2016 03:41:30 pm

Best thing to do if you want a cup is to figure out your cervix height, because that seems to be the number one thing that makes a cup work or not work for someone. Here's a little quiz thingy that walks you through: http://putacupinit.com/quiz/ If you have more questions, there's tons of info on the livejournal page.
Seriously, cups, I have no idea what I did before. Had horrible periods, basically. Also, if you're fine with period panties, look into cloth menstrual pads too. The advantages over disposables are numerous, but most importantly in your case, they are available in a huge variety of sizes and shapes to accommodate everyone's bodies and bleed patterns, unlike Always. :) I also experienced a ton less cramping and pain when I switched to reusables--bonus!

Kimberly
5/11/2016 07:22:44 pm

Wow! Thanks ladies! :)
I'm going to take a look. I'm becoming much more interested in the world of sustainability, I think this is somewhere to start! Cheers!

Reply



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    Educating women on the benefits of proper fitting bras is important to Kim. Designing lingerie that complements the fuller figure, and is comfortable, on-trend and beautifully constructed is her mission.

    Kimberly is a graduate of the prestigious Contour Fashion program at De Montfort University. 

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