Reusable Menstrual Pads and Pantyliners

I decided to take the plunge and try out some more reusable menstrual products.  I have been a long time Diva Cup user (see former blog here) and decided that I wanted to shift my eco-friendly lifestyle ambitions to eliminating all disposable menstrual products.  With a little online research, I discovered several very appealing products that I felt would be a perfect fit for my lifestyle. 


Product List

1. Lunapads Performa 5 pack pantyliners $59.95
2. Hesta Organic Cotton 5 pack pantyliners $34.99
3. Love My® Antibacterial Bamboo Fiber 6 pack pantyliners $14.95

Product Reviews Research


All the products are well received by their respective reviewers.  The products seem to do the job they are intended for.  Some of the particular considerations I paid attention to in the reviews that helped me solidify my decision were the following:

• Price
• Pad movement during basic activities such as walking
• Quality of product - did it fall apart immediately or have issues after washes?
• Leakage - did anyone complain of leaks in their reviews?
• Temperature complaints
• Ease of use
• Bulky bunching product- does it create a visible panty line through clothing?

My intent for the product use was to replace disposable pantyliners used for spotting or light days in my menstrual cycle.  I currently use the Diva Cup menstrual cup as an alternative to disposable products for my menstrual flow days so my research was restricted to the thinner pantyliner options.  After a lot of back and forth between option 1 and 2, I ended up purchasing the Hesta Organic Cotton 5 pack pantyliners from Amazon.




Product First Impressions 
The pads are soft, thin, and easily usable.  They snap together around the underwear using buttons.  My first month using them I experienced some pad movement.  On my second month of use, I remedied this issue by doubling up on underwear or wearing a pair of boy short style underwear over my underwear that contained the pad.  For cleaning purposes, I have been using the wet pail method of soaking the used pads in a bucket of cold water then hand washing with mild detergent and hang drying.  I picked up a PRESSA 16 clip hanging octopus dryer from IKEA to use for my drying method. So far after two months of use, I am really enjoying using the reusable pads and am a point of considering purchasing an additional set of five pads.  I'm also experimenting with cleaning methods.  I prefer the hand washing wet pail method and will try different detergents and recommended cleaning products with future use.  Overall, I am feeling very good about my continued progress towards a greener menstrual cycle.