Want to know the secret to better periods?

Sick of tampons, pads and all their plastic paraphernalia but can’t get to grips with the Mooncup? We might have found the answer. Lucy tries out Thinx, period proof underwear.

‘Women’s problems’, there’s a lot of them, right ladies? Childbirth, sexism, being given smaller portions of food and money than men, but by far the most annoying has to be the period. Don’t get me wrong, periods are a completely natural part of womanhood that should be respected, talked about and even celebrated – but the faff with tampons – where to keep them, change them, buy them, and stop them slipping out their wrappers and escaping onto your work desk like tiny little naked blind mice – we could all do without. Not to mention the worry about what all those little bits of plastic are doing to the environment.

The problem with the Mooncup

There’s been a recent influx of ‘I’m trying the Mooncup actually’ on my girls Whatsapp chats of late.  Cue questions to intrepid Mooncup explorers of how to insert, how not to splash blood about when removing, and where to wash your hands if your toilet doesn’t have a sink in it. They may be eco-friendly but they’re certainly not faff free. The only other option is ‘free-bleeding’, where you use nothing at all and just go with the flow, which I’m a fan of in theory, but who wants to live a life avoiding other peoples chairs entirely.

Have you heard of period pants?

Enter, period panties Thinx. On paper, basically, period nappies that feel and look like normal underwear. We tried the ‘Super Hip Hugger’ design, made for heavier days. They’re made from a black soft material kind of like swimwear lycra, so they fit really snuggly to your body whilst still being super comfy and lightweight.The waistband even has a sexy see-through patterned design on it – they are far better looking than any ‘period knickers’ I’ve ever owned. A browse of the website later and I’m lusting after the maroon thong and leopard print French knicker designs. So, these are some seriously good-looking panties that feel like you’re wearing bikini bottoms made of angel wings.

But don’t they leak or smell?

I wore some white jeans to check in the name of professional journalism and can confirm they absorbed my first day flow with no trouble at all, and thanks to an odour absorbing layer I stay fresh all day too. Thinx have a moisture wicking layer to the material that makes the cotton breathable and draws away wetness, so I wasn’t left with a, erm soggy bottom either. I literally forgot I was on my period until the delightful cramps kicked in. They’re also great for that in-between stage at the end of your period when you think you’ve finished, but don’t want to risk it so use a tampon on your poor bone-dry vagina anyway. In the future, I’ll just put on a pair of Thinx. Other people’s chairs will be mine for the taking.

By Lucy

Get your weekly DOSE fix here: SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER