Since I switched to period-proof underwear by Modibodi last year, I received a lot of questions about my experience. My first post about it was a review, but here I’m going to tell you about how switching to Modibodi changed my perception of and my relationship with my period, as well as what it feels like to completely ditch what you can call ‘mainstream’ period products for good.
Why I switched to Modibodi
I’ve written about this already in my previous post, so here you get a shortened version of my reasons for joining Modibodi.
I was approached by a PR company to review Modibodi’s period-proof underwear in late 2019, but wasn’t prepared to make the switch. It seemed too weird to carry my blood around with me wearing period-proof undies, or at least that seemed the main deterrent for me.
I was already very concerned about the impact my period products – tampons and pads – were having on the environment. But I wasn’t brave enough to make the switch.
Then I read Maisie Hill’s Period Power, which I recommend to literally everyone (yes, even to those who don’t have periods, because SCIENCE BITCH), and changed my mind.
Period goods, period bads
The main reason I decided to make the switch was that I found out – albeit late – about the toxic chemical absorbent components of pads and tampons, chlorine and dioxin. These are endocrine disruptors that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we cannot safely be exposed to. And I was putting them inside me? WTF?
If you have been following me for a while, you will know that two things are constant, immutable and infinite in my life: anxiety and cystitis. And maybe anxiety about getting cystitis. I had read about how mainstream period products were more likely to cause cystitis and now, reading about the chemicals I was putting inside my body, I thought I’d benefit from getting rid of them for good.
Of course, being able to buy period-proof underwear is a privilege. If pads and tampons are taxed 5% VAT in the UK (despite promises to scrap this tax ), period-proof underwear – which lasts longer – is even more expensive. For now, Modibodi underwear feels like a health luxury good, which means not everyone can access it and that not everyone can improve their menstrual health and the environment. I’m hoping this will soon change.
What it feels like to ditch pads and tampons to switch to Modibodi for good
When I first started using Modibodi, I was very nervous. Will there be stains? Is it going to be super visible that I’m on my period? Will I smell or feel gross?
Turns out I shouldn’t have worried about none of that. I started using Modibodi with a ‘trial run’ at home, on a day I wasn’t meant to leave the house, in case I had any wardrobe malfunctions.
I soon realised that Modibodi underwear is period-proof for a lot of hours, and that you will know when things will get uncomfortable and that you will need to change.
New Modibodi 24-hour period-proof underwear
To make things even better, just this month, Modibodi have launched Maxi 24-hr, a new range of period-proof underwear for maximum protection. These are ideal for those of us with a heavy flow, or for those who need extra coverage at night.
The new Modibodi Maxi-24hr can hold up to 50ml of flow (10 pads or tampons’ worth of blood) which is LOADS, and super helpful if you are out for a long time or work long shifts. The new range starts at £23, but was gifted to me for the purpose of this review.
The new Modibodi range comes in the classic bikini style – the black undies on the left, with Maxi 24-hr absorbency – and they have also launched new heavy/overnight absorbency style and patterns (the floral one on the right).
Tips for making the most out if your Modibodi period-proof underwear
- Buy at least five panties, in different cuts and absorbency. That way, you leave time for the ones you’ve just used to dry.
- If, like me, your flow is very heavy during your first few days, you may need to double up with normal underwear and a pad underneath your Modibodi (or try the new Maxi-24hr range).
- I have tried both colourful and black underwear, but the black underwear looks nicer on me and makes me feel safer. If it does get stained (maybe because you twisted it in an odd way while moving) you won’t see the stain that way.
- I tend to hand wash them when I’m on my period and I need them to dry faster, and then I put them in the washing machine together on a quick delicates wash when my period’s finished.
- Do not wash them with fabric softener – that reduces absorbency.
How my relationship with my period has changed since switching to Modibodi
Before I switched to Modibodi, my period was something I was sort of ashamed of. It came every month, it sucked, I dealt with it by buying endless packs of pads and carrying them with me in case I came on outside my house, and I tried to look at it or touch it as little as possible.
Using Modibodi, and having to hand-wash my blood-soaked underwear, has made me feel more in touch with my body and with my period. The shame is gone. My period feels like what it is: a natural, if annoying and painful, process. I don’t apologise for it anymore.
Like what you read? Use my Modibodi £15 discount.
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