TMI Pimping
Nov. 26th, 2010 12:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glasmalereiAnyone who's followed any of my TMI rambles for any length of time is probably familiar with the fact that I hate my female reproductive system and we have universally declared war on each other which involve irregular skirmishes that usually have me downing stupid amounts of pain killers and being all sorts of unhappy and gloppy.
Don't worry, this is NOT going to be one of those posts. ^_^
A few weeks backtammylee - who always has the most interesting recs - linked to a place that does cloth pads, with a note that she was thinking about trying them. After snorting over the name (come on, "party in my pants"? Abbreviated to "PiMPs"? What's not to laugh at?) I read through the FAQ, ascertained that they're completely machine wash and dryable, don't stain (much - less with dark colors), and last for years.
Given that I hate every brand of anything commercially available in stores (I'm 100% allergic to anything with one of those noxiously floral/baby powder "scents" in them, and increasingly allergic to most of the unscented ones too - I've had to pretty much give up on tampons as a surefire way of being a mess of itchy burning pain and if my cycle lasts for more than five days then pads start irritating the hell out of me too) I said ok, sure, I'm willing to try it. Last I knew I wasn't allergic to flannel or cotton. =P So I ordered a sample of a few different sizes in some fun patterns and figured I'd give it a whirl.
In a nutshell: I started my period three days ago, and after the first day I promptly went back to Party in My Pants and ordered MORE pads because omg these are my new bestest friends EVER. FOR REALS.
Comfy. C.O.M.F.Y. They do not slip around, they do not move, they're nice and thin and feel pretty much identical to normal underwear (mine tend to be cotton - satiny fabrics are on the list of things that make me itch), enough so that I've had more then one moment of "...wait, did I put a new one on or not?" because they're THAT unnoticeable. Perfectly secure during sitting, walking, housecleaning, yoga and tai chi (that being everything I've done so far).
Given that I'm at home for the holiday right now there's absolutely minimal muss or fuss - they really don't stain much (or at all), and I've had enough instances of having to wash underwear out in the sink after overflow accidents that washing out a cloth pad isn't all that different (and infinitely more comfortable in as much as it doesn't involve the "ARGH!" of messing up a clean pair of underwear or potentially a pair of pants as well). Easy hand wash, I pin them up in the shower to dry and they're ready to go again in a few hours. As I only have three right now I'm sort of rotating at need, and tossed the two I'm not using into the laundry load this morning. No staining, no overt smell (LESS than what is noticeable when I'm using commercial pads, really) and best of all, zero itch or irritation (that's probably related, as I usually have some sort of a yeast infection by the end of my period, directly relating to whatever brand of product I'm using.)
Yep. I'm a convert. And hey, it's greener and more cost effective in the long run and all that jazz... but best of all I'm COMFY. Now if the Riverdance Chorus of Clydesdale Ponies across my lower back would just knock if off, we'd be good to go (but that's what they make painkillers for). I've investigated other places that make them as well, but will stand with pimping the PiMPs - I like their design the best (and they fold up into self contained little packets, with neatly sewn in little tags that tell you what size they are at a glance. Useful!)
Besides... really? I wish my actual underwear came in these patterns. That would be awesome.
Don't worry, this is NOT going to be one of those posts. ^_^
A few weeks back
tammylee - who always has the most interesting recs - linked to a place that does cloth pads, with a note that she was thinking about trying them. After snorting over the name (come on, "party in my pants"? Abbreviated to "PiMPs"? What's not to laugh at?) I read through the FAQ, ascertained that they're completely machine wash and dryable, don't stain (much - less with dark colors), and last for years. Given that I hate every brand of anything commercially available in stores (I'm 100% allergic to anything with one of those noxiously floral/baby powder "scents" in them, and increasingly allergic to most of the unscented ones too - I've had to pretty much give up on tampons as a surefire way of being a mess of itchy burning pain and if my cycle lasts for more than five days then pads start irritating the hell out of me too) I said ok, sure, I'm willing to try it. Last I knew I wasn't allergic to flannel or cotton. =P So I ordered a sample of a few different sizes in some fun patterns and figured I'd give it a whirl.
In a nutshell: I started my period three days ago, and after the first day I promptly went back to Party in My Pants and ordered MORE pads because omg these are my new bestest friends EVER. FOR REALS.
Comfy. C.O.M.F.Y. They do not slip around, they do not move, they're nice and thin and feel pretty much identical to normal underwear (mine tend to be cotton - satiny fabrics are on the list of things that make me itch), enough so that I've had more then one moment of "...wait, did I put a new one on or not?" because they're THAT unnoticeable. Perfectly secure during sitting, walking, housecleaning, yoga and tai chi (that being everything I've done so far).
Given that I'm at home for the holiday right now there's absolutely minimal muss or fuss - they really don't stain much (or at all), and I've had enough instances of having to wash underwear out in the sink after overflow accidents that washing out a cloth pad isn't all that different (and infinitely more comfortable in as much as it doesn't involve the "ARGH!" of messing up a clean pair of underwear or potentially a pair of pants as well). Easy hand wash, I pin them up in the shower to dry and they're ready to go again in a few hours. As I only have three right now I'm sort of rotating at need, and tossed the two I'm not using into the laundry load this morning. No staining, no overt smell (LESS than what is noticeable when I'm using commercial pads, really) and best of all, zero itch or irritation (that's probably related, as I usually have some sort of a yeast infection by the end of my period, directly relating to whatever brand of product I'm using.)
Yep. I'm a convert. And hey, it's greener and more cost effective in the long run and all that jazz... but best of all I'm COMFY. Now if the Riverdance Chorus of Clydesdale Ponies across my lower back would just knock if off, we'd be good to go (but that's what they make painkillers for). I've investigated other places that make them as well, but will stand with pimping the PiMPs - I like their design the best (and they fold up into self contained little packets, with neatly sewn in little tags that tell you what size they are at a glance. Useful!)
Besides... really? I wish my actual underwear came in these patterns. That would be awesome.