I already bought literally six pairs with my own money, so have no need for kickbacks, but if THINX reads this, maybe you could hook up my girl Jasmine? Thanks. You can email me for her info. I am an INFLUENCER.
So, periods are the ultimate YMMV, obviously, I can only speak to my own experience. Let me share it with you.
Usually, I wear either tampons or a Diva Cup, both backed up with pads, because they leak. Yes, I am wearing the Big Gulp-sized Diva Cup, being a 33 y/o who has shoved two large-headed babies out her vagina. It’s okay. It was very Crimson Peak. I had a horrible malfunction with it earlier this month, but normally it only sucks a little bit. So this means I have monthly period expenses despite having acquired the purported Holy Grail of blood-collecting devices, and I have a strong personal faith in the promises of money and technology to improve my mortal existence as a meat-sack, and therefore was highly likely to purchase THINX.
You can buy heavy, medium, and light varietals, but since they all look the same and there isn’t much of a price differential, obviously just buy the heavy ones. Come on now. They come in black or in beige, but I’m too squeamish for beige, so fuck that. They have thong ones, but I’m old and married and work from home and I do not spend Shark Week wearing anything that requires a thong.
They’re expensive! The heavy one is $34, but you get decent price breaks for buying more of them, and it was worth it to me. Maybe not to you, so if that’s the case, don’t buy them. They are pretty true to size, and they go up to 3XL, which is pretty rad, honestly.
They look cute! They definitely look like normal, reasonably-sexy black underwear.
(I sexily wandered over to the bed, wearing my period underwear, and whispered, seductively, “do you like my underwear?” and then when my husband indicated that, in fact, he did, I yelled “GOTCHA! I AM BLEEDING INTO THEM AS WE SPEAK!” and he blanched. He’s a very good husband and he paid for the ENTIRE Toast redesign as my birthday present and deserves a better wife.)
The heavy ones can hold two tampons worth of blood, which is pretty legit. You also don’t feel damp, because they suck the moisture into their innards very handily.
What I did was wear them starting two days before I expected my period would arrive, resulting in a VERY satisfying moment when my period started and DIDN’T trash yet another pair of normal underwear. My first two days are like the elevator in The Shining, so those two days I wore them with my leaky Diva Cup and that was great, and then the remaining four days of my period I wore only THINX, and that was great too. At the end of the day, I rinsed the blood out of them (KIND OF FUN, oddly?) in my sink and then tossed them in the washing machine, then hung them to try (they dry pretty quickly.)
Pros:
I like them, they’re great, they’re cute, they work.
Cons:
Cost, and also don’t wear them when you’re not on your period unless you have a laundry emergency, because they don’t breathe very well and you’ll get stank.
Okay, go buy them if you want.
Also, you KNOW I love it when a company acknowledges that not everyone who has a period is a woman:
Hi tsoleau,
That was the biggest surprise for me! It doesn't smell, no odour whatsoever. I was at least expecting the same amount of smell as when wearing my Always pads, but there is none! And also you dont feel you are sitting in a pond of blood 😀 Ok, I have medium flow but lots of mucus :), but there is no problem here. Anyway with pads when I went to pee I took of the mucus from the surface of the pad with toilet paper and I do the same here, so it can absorb actually even more blood.
Hahaha, I am a lady type and I thought the *exact* same thing when I saw the headline! I did think "THINX" was an odd name for that sort of product line….
I was not at all disappointed to discover I was wrong; these sound awesome and I want some.
When, back in the dark ages, I used cloth diapers that I cut and sewed myself into a 'huggies' shape for my daughter, I used a blue liner that could be thrown away. It looked kind of like a disposable dryer sheet. It may have been made from spun polyester. Not ecologically sound, but I had massive clots, and for 6 days out of every 21 for a few years. Ugh. I'd give them a try, if I were still worrying about this stuff. lol Menopause!
Not surprising! Periods are scary and taboo in our culture! Much more so than giant graphic billboards of hypersexualized half-naked people making out. But a girl sitting in a camisole and underwear drinking a cup of tea? SICK! But only because the word "period" is associated with it.
6 weeks later and I'm still giggling at the phrasing here. <3
#alliwantforchristmas
Also, you might be my spirit animal.
I'm just glad they don't make us go live in huts outside the village. #SoBlessed
I have been using these for a few months and they work terrifically, EXCEPT the breathability is so bad it get mighty rank down there. I can't smell it until I take them off, but its bad. Very bad. I am going to go back to the sea sponge.
Oh and you can hand wash them. I do all the time.
So small. I'm an 18 and a 2X fits me like a medium in Victoria Secret.
That's what I do too but I just bought a pair of Thinks to try. I've got a drawer of old socks, they were bleached and everything before their new use but know it sounds gross, and most of the time work fine with tight undies(to avoid migration) and avoids the horrible waste of pads. I just got so sick of that and said to hell with that, wasted money and polluting environment. But these seem like a more pleasant alternative and could free up a drawer.
Also I take care of my elderly father and sometimes one winds up in his laundry. He thinks they're for the dogs to play with.
Omg, not an Applecheeks! I might commit dogicide. Ugh.
Oy–because menstruation is so damn sexy! 😖
Can you wear them to bed?
My periods never stopped with mirena, I had it for 3 years and most if the time my period would drag out for 10-12 days. It was awful!
Loved reading this piece. Your voice is hilarious. I nearly died of snorting laughter during the bit about psychics your husband. Thank you for writing this. It has 100% made my day.
I loved this topic. Actually, sometimes I just hate my periods because of choosing right period underwear. It is very embarrassing me. Now a days many online stores are there for selecting best period underwear with quality. So it is more beneficial for me to select my period underwear.!!
Ok, new question…any opinions on using these for newly menstruating teenagers? I've got two girls getting ready to start that madness and I'd love to give them this as an option.
The "smell" happened eventually (6 months) and no matter how often you wash them, it smells like old period forever. Thinx have an expiration date, I believe.
Thanks for following up!