What is one thing that most women all across the globe have in common? We all have periods. And for something that we all experience on a monthly basis, it is seriously time that we make periods more comfortable, eco-friendly, and a non-taboo topic. I purchased 5 pairs of Period Underwear to try a non-single-use period option. Today I’m sharing my experience using Knix Canada Period Underwear.

What is Period Underwear?

It is underwear that has a built-in technology, a multi-layered fabric that collects your menstrual blood. It is designed to be worn alone (replacing traditional single-use feminine products) or to be used as extra protection. These underwears (Knix) come in 4 different absorbency levels; Light, Medium, High, Super to suit every type of flow. I would recommend purchasing the kits that they have available on their website to start off.

See How to Sync your Life to your Period

More FAQ answered in the video*

My Experience

The underwears are very soft and sturdy. The material feels like a mix between shapewear and swimwear. I enjoy that these ones have seamless edges so they are not so obvious underneath your clothes. It felt very comfortable while wearing it, I barely noticed I was wearing something other than my regular undergarments. I have white sheets on my bed, so stains are always a concern for me during this time of the month. I am pleased to say that I had no spills or stains on my sheets!

I decided to rotate the underwear. I used one in the day, and one at night. To clean them, I would immediately run it under some cool water, while I was in the shower (to avoid wasting water). I hand-washed it until the water ran clear, then hung it to dry in the shower. You will get a bit up-close-and-personal with your body fluids with this but it is your own fluids. The next morning, when the underwear was dry I put it in the mesh bag that Knix sent as a free gift and put it in the hamper.

Washing the period underwear was easy too. Just pop the mesh bag into the wash (on cold) and tumble dry low (or lay out flat to dry). As long as you handle them with care they should last for a long time.

Which ones I got

• Leakproof High Rise (Black and Nude 5): a medium flow pair. I wore this in black on the first day and it completely melted to my body. I love the support it gave to my lower stomach as well. It fit like a glove. I also got the Nude, which was a brown that actually matched my skin tone (dark skin). It is nice to finally have a pair of nude undergarments that are not beige.

• Super Leakproof Bikini: heavy-duty cheeky underwear perfect for the heavy flow days. I wore this one on the second day of my period since I usually have a heavy flow. I found this pair fit really… nug. It started to pinch my inner thighs a bit. It does say on the website that it will fit tight and as you wear and wash it should morph to your body. It wasn’t super uncomfortable but it was noticeable. I put lotion on my thighs to prevent chaffing and it was fine after that. Very good coverage.

• Super Leakproof Thong: a heavy-duty thong. I never thought I’d say that in a sentence. This is by far my favourite pair. It fit like a glove. I absolutely loved the way this wore, it morphed to by body within like 2 hours and I completely forgot I was wearing it. It is so nice to be able to wear comfortable underwear during your period rather than feeling like you’re wearing a diaper.

• Knixy Lace Leakproof Thong: a light (liner-like) thong. This one is so cute. It has lace detailing on the rear that makes you feel sophisticated while you’re menstruating. This one is designed to be worn every day for discharge, workout sweat, and so on. It felt like regular underwear.

I did find that because the inner portion of the underwear was black I really couldn’t tell how far along my flow was. Was it heavy? Was I near the end? I had no idea. So the last two days I wore regular liner’s. I feel as though I would need at least 2 more pairs of underwear to make sure that I can make liner’s obsolete.

Each pair is about $30 CAD which upfront sounds like a lot (x 5 = $150 CAD) but you’re only paying this once. I got mine on sale so altogether I paid $125 for mine. A woman will spend about $5,000 on feminine products alone (not counting birth control, pain killers ….) in her lifetime so I’m okay with the price if it means that I won't have to repurchase a new box every month.

If you’re looking to have a more eco-friendly period, and like me, you’re not a big fan of the menstrual cups, then you will definitely want to give this a try. I truly enjoyed this experience and will be purchasing 2 more to complete my collection in the nude 5 shade.

Have you ever tried period underwear?