Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to talk about periods and the women who have them, so I’m just saying now, no matter what your junk looks like, if that topic makes you want to harf, get out. GET OUT NOW.
K?
K.
Here we go.
I bought THINX.
TWO PAIRS of THINX, y’all, even though they’re, like, $30/pair, and I’ve been using the heck out them.
Have you heard of these?
They’re underwear for women with periods.
As in, you don’t need a tampon or a pad or a cup or any of the usual blood collectors with these ’cause the panties do it all. When Little Miss Red coming a’riding, you just — get this — put on your undies and go.
I know, right? I KNOW.
Weirdest thing EVER. Also, COOLEST. And even though every single girlfriend I tell about these looks at me as if I’ve lost my ever-loving mind — all furrowed brow and pursed lips and head cocked to the side — and even though you may be just like them, thinking, “Really, Beth? Really?” I am here to say, “YES, REALLY.” For REALS, REALLY.
Thing is, I debated for two months about purchasing these things after I found out about them. Two months of “Thirty dollars? GEEZ. I’m not sure I want to risk thirty entire dollars.” ‘Cause what if they don’t work, you know? Or they don’t fit? Or they feel squidgy and damp? So I kept up with my regular routine which includes finding and losing my diva cup, scrounging in my bathroom drawers for the upended dregs of a tampon box, cobbling together off-brand pantyliners into what I hope passes as a full sized pad, and wadding toilet paper into my panties when I’m truly desperate. It’s not pretty, guys. It’s not pretty at all. But it’s what I do. It’s what I’m used to.
Or it’s what I did. What I was used to.
Until the day I had a sort of epiphany.
An epiphany that went like this, “What if I could have my period, put on a pair of undies like I do every other day, and just go?” and “What if it doesn’t have to be like it’s been?” and “What if my daughters could do the same?”
Greg was there when I epiphanied, lucky guy, so he got to hear every profound thought as I thought it. Every ah ha! Every grace-filled, self-actualized insight. It was beautiful, y’all. Deep. “I am going to buy myself Thinx, Greg. And I am going to buy TWO OF THEM. And you know what you’re going to do about that? You’re going to give me ZERO GRIEF, man. ZERO of the GRIEF GIVING even though this will cost us SIXTY DOLLARS. And you know why you’re going to give me zero grief? DO YOU KNOW WHY? Because if you bled from your penis for 25% of your life from age 10 to 55+, you better DAMN WELL BELIEVE you’d have figured out a way to quit shoving blood catchers up there by now. You would have said HELL NO to ramming cotton penis swabs in that thing and trying to pull them out in a bathroom stall and make your way to a faucet without anyone thinking you just reenacted that blood bucket scene from Carrie or slaughtered a small animal. That’s right; MEN wouldn’t have put up with this crap. MEN would’ve DEMANDED another solution. But we women sit passively by and ACCEPT that our lives have to BE LIKE THIS. Well, no more, Greg. NO MORE, I SAY. I’m spending sixty bucks, man, and YOU’RE GOING TO LIKE IT. GO, WOMEN!”
And Greg, because Greg is wise, said, “YES, I AM. I am going to LOVE it,” and he asked me the next day what Thinx are.
Here I am, two periods later, friends, and I have to say, I’m a fan. This “put on panties and go about your day” business? It’s pretty amazing. Pretty incredible. And I highly recommend.
……….
P.S. This post isn’t sponsored by THINX. They don’t know who I am, and I get nothing from telling you about them other than the joy of sharing a good find and freaking some people out by talking about periods. Wheeee!
P.P.S. All photos included in this post are the property of THINX and are used without permission. I didn’t ask before I lifted them from the internets. I’m sort of just banking on the THINX people being cool with free advertising of their product. If they let me know I’m wrong, I’ll remove the images. I’ll think they’re a little less cool, but I’ll remove them.
P.P.P.S. THINX is also doing cool things for girls in Africa. Rad, I tell you. These things are rad.
P.P.P.P.S. You can find out more about THINX here.
P.P.P.P.P.S. If you have any questions — any at all — let me know and I will answer.
48 responses to “The Non-Sponsored, Unaffiliated Lowdown on THINX”
I’ve been eyeing up the thinx for a bit, but due to being 7.75 months pregnant (tired of waddling so i’m counting down can ya tell?) I hadn’t bought any yet.
And then the idea hit me that these would be perfect for the laughing, sneezing and my-cat-jumped-on-my-bladder leaks that come with pregnancy.
BAZINGA PERFECT!!
So I’m going to be buying a couple pairs and I’m going to see how well they do postpartum as well so maybe I don’t ruin my clothes and I can wear something aside from the hospital’s mesh granny panties.
I did however message thinx on fb to see if they’d considered making postpartum panties because that would be sweeet!!!
did you use these postpartum!? im due in 4 weeks and considering these as well but im scared of leaking (postpartum bleeding is no joke!)
Please do post the code for the $10. I would love to try these too.
Ok…so I have to know…you just throw them in your washer? In your regular washer?! Alone, or with other articles of clothing? This may be a weird question, but does blood get all over?
I rinse first til water runs clear. Then I wash with other undies or with black clothes.
Does it deal with the smell?
I know it’s two years later, but someone probably needs the answer. At first, no smell. If you wash by hand, air dry and wear again, smell gets stronger. I can only smell it when I am using the restroom. And, barf.
So it is really that much better than the Diva Cup? Because I’m a total convert to that. I don’t have to panic about TSS, worry about killing the environment, or getting my period in the middle of the day when I’m totally unprepared–or spending all day running to the bathroom because oh-no-that-slightly-wet-feeling-must-be-my-period-because-I-know-it’s-coming-soon-and-I-must-be-ready. Now I just use the Diva Cup and go about my day, and if my period comes, I figure it out later…. But I wouldn’t mind mixing it up if it’s worth it.
For me, it’s totally better than the Diva Cup. I just really, really (really) like the idea of not shoving things in my vagina. I mean… I like shoving SOME things in my vagina. Just not period things, I guess. 😉 Never been a huge fan of putting cotton or plastic up there. Although the Diva Cup was an improvement over nearly everything else, and I was glad for it, the idea of just putting on undies and going about my day has trumped it.
P.S. I really enjoyed using the word “trump” in a post about periods. Heh heh.
Thanks! I’m always looking for ways to make that monthly curse a slightly less traumatic experience. And looking at my daughter and knowing that I’ll have to deal with this in a few years….ugh. I remember the awkward talk with my mom about tampons and how to use them. Hoping not to repeat that! (Though, in all fairness, my mom rocked it.)
I like my diva cup and my lunette cup more than my thinx because clean up is easier. I feel like both options reek after a while. I prefer to sleep in cup. But, i like the thinx, too. Thinx rocks for light days or if you think you’ll start soon but you don’t know when, so you wear these as backup. Or, as back up for cup if you’ll be out for a while.
Kudos that they are offered in big girl sizes!!!
I’m wondering about the blood clots too. Dinner plate size, I tell you.
Dinner plate. Heh heh. 🙂
See the answer to Juedee below, Lynnette.
Hahaah… ramming cotton penis swabs… bawhahahah, I still can’t stop laughing! But it is sooooo true! I have definitely been interested in trying these. I have used the lunapads and liked those and I have used the sea sponges and liked those too but I am always on the lookout for something better that doesn’t include throwing stuff in a land fill. Oh and I have definitely used the wadded toilet paper more than once to, nice to know I am not the only one.
Thinx is offering a GIVE $10, GET $10 deal – every time someone buys a pair using your referral code, you each get $10 toward a product. Would you mind sharing a referral code?
I think I have to email it to you. I didn’t look up or include that info in the post because I didn’t want to be “benefitting” from this post. But I’ll totally send it to you if you like! If you send me an email (to fivekidsisalotofkids@gmail.com) with “THINX” in the subject line, I’ll send you through the referral system they have.
Thank You for this post! I’ve seen these ads a gazillion times in my fb feed and not knowing how it really works from a real person has been driving me batty. Thanks for taking one for the team and trying them out!
You had me laughing out loud. Absolutely laughing and rolling out loud! I love love love this post! And if I hadn’t had a hysterectomy last year I would absolutely be buying these cool underwear! A while ago I started buying my daughter Lunapads. She absolutely loves them and will never go back to the regular kind. I think the people inventing these things are spectacularly brilliant! And thanks for having the courage to share this!ģ
Thanks, Beth! I have totally been wondering whether these work. And presumably they are actually very cost-effective, since then you don’t have to buy any more “feminine products” forever. Or at least until you get holes in them, which I’m assuming we’ll have to pay more attention to than holes in our normal undies.
So you don’t feel squishy, or wet? They really do work? Man I loved the idea, but I just can not fathom them working. Have you had any leaking issues? I would love to try them….
I DID feel squishy AND wet, but not ’til I’d worn a pair for 10 hours (TEN) on my heaviest day. For me, that’s a HUGE win, since I’m normally changing a pad or tampon every 2 hours.
Not sure I’m sold on the idea…but if you will post your referral code, I’ll use it if I buy!
Now we just have to figure out a way to get these to low income moms and girls in the US. I talked to the principal at my son’s school (preschool through 9) and they have girls that miss school because they don’t have any pads or tampons. Teachers provide them to the girls. This could be a real life changer for low income women.
YES. Low-income moms and girls all over the world!
How do they work for a heavy flow? I can sometimes empty my diva every two hours or less, and it’s filled to overflowing. Also clots. Big heavy gooey ones. Does it absorb those?
That’s my question!
Because I was that girl who read the “What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls” and felt betrayed – BETRAYED when my period didn’t come a little moodiness, some mild bloating, and a few teaspoons of blood over a few days.
Instead I got horrifying PAIN and ALL THE BLOOD – the stupid book didn’t even mentioned the godawful cramps – and OMIGAWD WTF honestly is up with the chicken-liver-sized CLOTS my uterus is forcing out of my pinhole sized cervix?
BETRAYED, I tell you.
Tampons? GTFO. Diva cup? GTFO times a zillion. The cobbling together of full sized maxipads to make a kind of DIAPER and actually CONSIDERING buying Depends every month because fuck my life already? Absolutely.
So while I LOVE LOVE LOVE the IDEA of Thinx, I am still sitting on the fence in my nest of bloody cotton waste being self defeatist… 😛
^^^^^ What you said!! I think they’re amazing, I’m glad they’re available for women with “normal” periods, but I think I’ll stick to stuffing half a bale of cotton into my undies once a month. :-p
Grace’s comment? This won the interwebs today. Laughing hysterically at my desk.
OK – here are the details.
These days, I have just one heavy day during my period, but on that day, I bleed like bleeding is my JOB and if I do it well it will save the lives of millions. I mean, I bleed like it MATTERS. On my heaviest day this last time, I wore my THINX to see how long I could go without getting damp/soggy. The answer was 10 hours. Now AT 10 hours, I was officially feeling squidgy and had to change them, but 10 HOURS, y’all. Normally I have to change whatever device I use on heavy days every TWO hours. In the future, I won’t wear THINX on a heavy day longer than 8 hours, but I feel pretty comfortable for that amount of time.
Regarding the clots (I lovingly refer to them as blood boogers, ’cause I’m classy), the panties don’t magically dissolve those. BOO! Maybe in a 2.0 version?? So I just remove those with toilet paper when I potty.
On the website, they say how much volume each type of THINX can hold. If you use a diva cup, you can measure the amount of flow you have on heavy days and you’ll know whether THINX will hold that amount.
Thanks Beth! I’ll consider this as an option, then, maybe there is hope!! I went almost a year without a period then they came back with a vengeance, so early menopause is toying with me (that BASTARD)and I keep hoping against hope…. After a lifetime of agony every month I’m just waiting for the day when it will STAHP!
So… With only two pairs – are you drip drying them like they suggest, when you wash them? I’m just not sure if I’m together enough to get something in the wash AND hung up in time to drip dry every night for a week. I mean, normally it’s a struggle to get things in the dryer before I’m resigned to running the wash again because I forgot too long.
HAHAHAHAHA! NO. Not drip drying. Washing in the washing machine and drying in the dryer. I realize this may shorten their life, and I DO NOT CARE. I don’t have time to drip dry things. I also refuse to handwash or dry clean. It ALL goes in the washer and dryer (if it gets clean at all ;)).
Beth, I am so glad I am not the only one who just throws them in with the rest and calls it good… I will restock as required babes!
Do you think they would work for postpartum bleeding? Because that could be all kinds of amazing.
I would imagine they’d work nicely for that, though you may need to change them more often?
Very cool! I haven’t heard of Thinx before. Do you just wash them out every night and alternate? I use Lunapads, which are similar in that they are cloth, but you have to snap them around your regular underwear. Sometimes there is some migration of the pads that happens that isn’t great.
I’m not a big fan of the orange picture, seems odd to me!
Yep! I throw them in the washing machine at night, and I alternate. Someday, when I’m less cheap, I’ll buy more. 🙂
And the orange picture makes me giggle. Because I’m a bad person.
I want to know if they actually really work for those of us who’ve had twins and you know, ALL. the. blood. comes out in like 2 days instead of 7 like it used to. ‘cuz yeah, that whole blood on your hands thing is no joke. or on your pants.
They actually, really work for this mama of twins. Granted, I got the hip huggers, ’cause I was all, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST ONES YOU HAVE?? Surface area for the win.
Okay. I have a major question that has been bothering me for months with all the Thinx ads on Facebook. Why, oh why, do they have a picture of a grapefruit in their ad?? I DON’T GET IT.
Because it looks like female parts.
What size did you get? Are they comfortable? Or too tight around the legs?
I measured myself and ordered large. Or extra large? I don’t remember. I just measured and clicked on the one with matching measurements. NOT too tight around the leg, which I can’t say for the swimsuit bottoms I ordered this year. :/
Thank you Emily! That is exactly what I was thinking! Well, I thought it was a blood orange, but whatever. Why the weird piece of fruit?
I assumed it was a blood orange too, because durrrr (and also because I just rewatched all of Dexter, so there’s that…);)
RE-watched????
I was so traumatized by the ending the first time I vowed never to watch it again.
But I might, eventually, because… Amazing characters. And Deb!!! lol
But… Deb!! *harsh sobbing*
I’d missed the last two seasons and it had been too long, so yeah. I identified with Dexter so strongly when the show first came out (I probably should not be admitting that, huh?) that I HAD to go back and catch it up and finish the series.
I probably should explain myself before someone calls the FBI… I was raised in a very isolated cult and had to learn how to be a “real girl” when I escaped at age 23, so the whole idea of Dexter having to watch everyone around him all the time for cues on how to act normal was sooooo familiar to me. I’m not a serial killer, honest! 😛
Grapefruit’s a pretty standard vulva metaphor. Plus, pretty.
You are way, WAY more mature than me, Emily. That’s not hard, but still. I saw the grapefruit and was all, HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE A VAGINA?? And then I “tee hee’d” like a 12 year old. You are hereby awarded 4 maturity points. Nice work. I’m in the negatives. 😉