My Experience with Periods
My journey with period care has been an interesting one. After an incident at age 11 where I faked my period for attention (yup, I was that girl), my unsuspecting mother got me my first set of Kotex pads and taught me how to use them. Eventually, I told her the truth, and we talked about it. A year later, I got my period for real (although my cycle wasn’t regular until age 14), and I steadily used pads of all kinds throughout high school and even until early college. I noticed that there was a lot of stigma around using pads for some reason, and many comparisons of pads to diapers, and I wanted nothing to do with this discourse.
But the truth is, I was terrified of tampons. I believed they would hurt me or take my virginity, all total myths, of course. But I didn’t want to rush into it. I remember being 18 or so, a freshman or sophomore at Hunter College, sitting in the girls’ bathroom with a box of Tampax, hardcore freaking out at the complicated instructions combined with the warnings about the potential of developing Toxic Shock Syndrome. It was a lot to absorb, but I managed to figure out how to use my first tampon. And for years, tampons were all I used.
Discovering Alternative Products
After college, I started to look for alternative period care. I didn’t necessarily want to use pads all the time, but I was also kind of over tampons, especially since my periods were blessedly on the lighter side. My research brought me to “period underwear.” It sounded too good to be true. I bought from every brand imaginable and immediately was hooked. The best part is period underwear looked like any other underwear, and I knew that I could wear it under my clothes with confidence.
Concerns about Period Product Safety
Then I saw the headlines: Many of the brands selling period underwear were found to have products allegedly containing harmful PFAs, which contribute to the risk of thyroid disease, asthma, cancer, a decrease in fertility, and liver damage, among others. Not a pretty picture. And it’s not just the underwear that had these chemicals, but also the pads and tampons. We can’t win, can we? Wrong.
Introducing LOLA
LOLA is a period product company created by women for all people with periods. They have prioritized quality from day one, and sell exclusively safe, clean, and sustainable period care, including menstrual cups, panty liners, pads, tampons, and of course, washable period underwear. And none of the above contain any scary mystery ingredients.
I got to try a pair of their Washable Period Underwear during my last period, and I was beyond impressed. The pair I tried was actually thinner and more snug than a lot of the other period underwear I have used, but they were super absorbent. I wore my pair all day without a single leak or even a worry of a leak.
In light of recent news, it was comforting to wear LOLA’s Washable Period Underwear and know that it’s made of comfy cotton, holds up to three tampons worth of menstrual blood, and is machine washable!
Ever since I started the birth control pill a few years back, my already light period has only gotten lighter. Period panties are the right fit for me, and while nobody should ever be shamed for the period care they like to use, it certainly goes a long way knowing that what you’re wearing is made with no bad additives that could get you sick down the line. Periods are hard enough without having to worry about safe care. LOLA has come to the rescue for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Order your own Washable Period Underwear from LOLA online HERE. And visit https://mylola.com/ to see their other products, and for any other information.
