As a woman who menstruates I’m constantly looking for ways to make my period more pleasurable and convenient, so when I heard about Thinx’s period-proof underwear, I was instantly interested. Thinx have been circling my social media radar over the last year, but they’ve actually been out there since 2014. Miki Agrawal and her twin sister Radha started the company to break period taboos, empower women, and provide clean and environmentally friendly access to menstruating.
When I first heard about Thinx, I thought the idea of free bleeding into underwear without leaking was an insane idea. How exactly do they work? Isn’t that just a glorified pad? Wouldn’t it feel uncomfortable to sit in menstrual blood all the time? Periods are totally personal to each woman, but as a menstrual cup user Thinx seemed like the exact opposite of my preference. The ads, however, show comfortable and sexy looking black undies, unpreturbed by any kind of stain. As I read about them on shethinx.com I learned that there are multiple layers which fight bacteria and absorb any liquid into the thin layers beneath to keep one feeling dry.
In the end, I was just too curious, so I ordered a pair. There are different styles to fit the individuals body, comfort, and flow. The most popular pair and the one I ultimately chose was the hiphugger for $24 (usually $34, but 10% off for signing up for their newsletter #ballin), which shipped in two days.
I was excited to try them, and I waited for day two of my period, as I know it to be the heaviest day of my flow. The first thing that I noticed was how light and soft they were; they contoured to my hips and butt perfectly. The one thing I hadn’t thought about was the extra layers, but the sensation of the thickness dissapated quickly. I slid my jeans on over them and quickly forgot about my period.
I made my first trip to the bathroom two hours later at 10:10 AM. I felt what would normally tell me I was leaking. I noticed a little wetness visible on the underwear cloth, but when I took a piece of toilet paper and wiped, I noticed that it was completely soaked up within the Thinx lining and only a little blood came off on the paper. I pulled Thinx back on and noticed a little coldness, but it shortly went away.
Around 12:00 I felt an overwhelming feeling like there was some kind of flood exploding, but when I went to the bathroom, again it had been soaked up within the lining.
What was most surprising to me was not the fact that Thinx worked, but the overwhelming sensation of the blood being released from my body. With my menstrual cup, and even with tampons before I joined the green club, this sensation completely disappeared.
By the time I made my way home at 2:40 PM I took off Thinx and went back to my menstrual cup. I love the message around Thinx, and even more the environmentally friendly aspect to their company and all their products (they also sell organic tampons and reusable tampon applicators), but the actual reality of them was just not my cup of tea.
Although I did decide to take them off, I 10/10 recommend trying Thinx out, and learning more about breaking the period taboo on their website shethinx.com. As a woman, I have zero shame of my menstrual cycle, and feel empowered by my choice in how I choose to menstruate, both financially, environmentally, and simply how it makes my body feel. If you’ve been using the same product for years I recommend experimenting with something new! Get out there ladies, the world of empowering periods is just opening up.
To learn more about Thinx head over to shethinx.com