How Period Panties Work and How to Get Blood out of Them

Author:

Jennica is a teacher, a mother, a runner, a food adventurer, an explorer, and a bike enthusiast living on Vancouver Island in BC (Canada).

What Is Period Underwear?

Being a woman is great in so many ways, but one of the perils is dealing with your menstrual cycle (the cramps, the bloating, and, most of all, the blood). There is so much blood every single month. Getting period blood out of your underwear is also very difficult. In this article, we're going to examine how period panties work and how well they work.

Are Menstrual Products the Best Choice?

Traditionally, tampons and pads are the go-to solution for dealing with blood. Companies that make sanitary products for women are a $15 billion industry. Women are spending several thousand dollars on sanitary products over their lifetime, and these products are full of chemical-based products (bleached rayon, cotton, and plastics) that have no business being anywhere near our bodies.

Besides the physical risk of using pad and tampons, there's the green factor: Are pads and tampons good for the environment? Most of these products end up in our landfills, but women have accepted this fate for years because there weren't other alternatives (with the exception of menstrual cups).

The Science Behind Period Underwear

The concept of menstrual underwear has been around for a long time, even before my time (I was born in the '70s). We're finally getting to a place where we can talk about our periods and advertisers can tackle menstrual issues as well without being called crude. There are essentially 2 types of period panties:

one type holds your pad in place
the other type replaces a pad/tampon

Panties That Hold Your Pad in Place

PantyProp panties offer undies that hold the pad in place. This addresses the issue of the shifting pad, which is often the cause of leaks. The idea of PantyProp is very straightforward: There's a slot for the pad to slip into. There are 2 styles to choose from: a bikini and a hipster.

Brands such as Hesta, Harebrained Designs and Bamboo Viscose all offer a similar style of panty: a comfortable, not too bulky underwear with a gusset panel. The panel prevents leakage, but you still need to wear a pad/tampon with these panties.

Panties That Replace Pads/Tampons

The outside layer on Dear Kate is made of a combination of nylon and lycra, and topped off with a liquid repellent finish. Thinx undies uses a multilayer system including a "moisture-impermeable polymer layer," a "moisture-absorbent layer," and a "moisture-wicking layer."

The main thing about Thinx panties is that the material is comfortable, thin and attractive. Unlike the diaper-like material on pads, the material is breathable and natural feeling. Thinx offers a variety of styles: hip hugger, high waist, boy short, sport, cheeky and even a thong. Padkix is very similar quality and technology to Dear Kate and Thinx.

Period Panties Comparison: A Quick Review


	Type of Period Panty	Price	Reviews
Bamboo Viscose	Back up protection (wear with a tampon and/or pad)	$7.70 a pair	Works well, order a size up, soft and light material. The protective panel doesn't go all the way up and over time the panel will separate from panties
Harebrain Designs	Back up protection (wear with a tampon and/or pad)	$8-$12 a pair	Cute designs, fits on the small side (probably intentional to catch all the blood), doesn't last forever but great value for what you get. Customer service is great!
Hesta Protective Panties	Back up protection (wear with a tampon and/or pad)	$12 a pair	Holds up to 1.5 tampons worth of liquid, complete back to front coverage, soft and doesn't make a sound when you walk. Doesn't wick away moisture as well as Thinx.
PantyProp	Holds your pad in place/back up protection	$17-$22 a pair	Gussets only hold regular sized pads in place (extra ling pads need to placed on top of the liner)
Padkix	Replace pads and/or tampons	$25 a pair	Very comfortable to wear, great quality (lasts for a long time)
Thinx	Replace pads and/or tampons	$32-$39 ($24 for thong)	Holds up to 2 tampons worth of liquid, great quality product, helps wick away moisture and keeps leaks out. 60 day money back guarantee.
Dear Kate	Replace pads and/or tampons	$36-$44 a pair	Expensive but quality product with a 1 year warranty

Comparison of All Panty Types

Pad-Holding

PantyProp is "a patent-pending technology and specially designed gusset for underwear, swimwear, leggings and bodysuits that provide leak-proof protection for women, girls and men. The built-in absorbent gusset is perfectly angled to collect your flow immediately, ensuring stain-free comfort. It can be worn with your cup, tampon or a pad. Sanitary pads are locked in and securely held in place in the dri-tech mesh gusset." The panties range from $17-$22.99 a pair.

Before your first wear, give your PantyProp style a quick stretch.
If using a pad, remove the adhesive release paper and press pad firmly into the PantyProp gusset, like you would in your normal underwear. Pull the dri-tech mesh around the edges of the pad. Smooth with your hand until pad is flat.
Pull PantyProp style up snugly to your body.
For proper protection, change your pad, tampon or menstrual cup with regular frequency.

She Thinx Underwear: Do Period Panties Work?

How to Get Blood out of Panties

If you are a woman, chances are you've dealt with trying to get blood stains out of your panties/sheets/couch. Now give yourself a pat on the back because not only is life busy and and complicated, we have to deal with blood stains on top of everything else. I'm going to offer a few tips and tricks to getting blood out of panties.

How to get Blood out of Underwear From a Period

Use cold water to soak your garment. You can add soap to the water or even 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide. The main thing is that the water is cold (hot or warm water will set the stain)
Scrub the stain, rinse and repeat until the stain is out.
You can use the washing machine, just make sure you use cold water and use a stain removing product on the garment.
If you need to wash/scrub multiple times, make sure to air dry the garment. Using the dryer will set the stain if the stain is still there.

Period Panties: The Way of the Future

If you've read this far, I hope your brain isn't overflowing with information; rather, I hope you feel more confident in choosing the type of period panties that's right for you. You can spend as little as $7 a pair and as much as $38 a pair, but every period panty company differs in technology, quality and style.

In the case of the lower priced period panties, the problem is that over time the protective layer will separate from the underwear and you'll have to replace them. Might be a case of you get what you pay for. As for the pricier period panties, many of the companies that charge a higher price stand behind the quality of their product, and some offer exchanges and warranties.

Either way, you have to decide what's right for you. In any case, period panties are a god-send to women everywhere!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.