AD- I received two pairs of WUKA period underwear to trial and review in exchange for this post and shares on my social media. I have also signed up to their affiliate scheme which gives me 10% off future purchases when somebody uses my code, as well as money back. All opinions are my own.
Seeing as yesterday was World Ocean's Day and also World Environment Day it seems an apt time to talk about Period Pants, plastic waste and reusable items. Did you know that 4.6 million tampons and pads are flushed in the UK every single day and that abandoned plastics now account for 59% of waste found along British canals with 570,000 items ending up in our oceans every single year??
Or that each tampon contains on average the same amount of plastic as 4 shopping bags???? Shocking isn't it, yet we continue to destroy our planet and oceans by continually ignoring these statistics and carrying on like we've always done. I know because until very, very recently I was one of them.
I never thought there would be anything to replace my usual menstrual option of tampons with as the only real thing I had heard of was moon cups and I really didn't like the idea of that, no matter how many positive reviews I read or YouTube videos I watched. I'm not apologising for not wanting to get up close and personal with my menstrual blood, even though it's natural and we should all learn to embrace it more, rather than shy away from it.
That was until I saw an Instagram story by my friend Sian (helpfulmum on Instagram) who had been trying period pants by another brand. I eagerly watched and learnt about how awesome they were and how she had made the switch already and was preparing to help her daughters out when they reached that age too, by buying them their own sets of period pants. I thought this was brilliant and messaged her, eager to find out more.
I then went to Twitter to see if there were any brands out there who would be willing to work with me on this review as I didn't want to shell out for something which may very well not work out for me. Unfortunately the first brand who contacted me didn't work out, as they were sure they'd sent some out to me but nothing materialised.
So I went back to Twitter and did some more research and that's where I came across WUKA wear - Wake Up Kick Ass Period Underwear - so I sent them a pitch email and luckily enough Ruby (founder) sent me out a couple of pairs.
Obviously I found them to be perfectly acceptable and so here we are today with this very positive, very glowing review of WUKA period underwear. I found them to be the very perfect replacement for my tampons and thankfully not as messy or bloody as a menstrual cup would have been (I assume!).
All WUKA underwear is sustainable luxury by design and are luxurious, soft and stretchy Lenzing® MicroModal fabric is CO2 neutral and 3.5x softer than fine cotton. Combined with their superior absorbent ho-tech fabric and a breathable moisture barrier their pants are uniquely period proof. Midi brief style with full coverage at the back without feeling bulky and are Vegan Approved. They are all machine washable and are best left to dry by themselves on the radiator.
Heavy:
The complete tampon and pad replacement, wear it for up to 8 hours on light days and 4-6 hours on your heavy days or all night. Holds at least 20ml of period flow or light leaks, around 4 tampons worth. Customers have run marathons in a heatwave, gone to school, slept soundly and much more in pair of WUKA.
Light:
Wear up to 8 hours on light days, holds at least 5ml of period flow or light leaks - about 1 tampons worth. WUKA light underwear can absorb up to 5ml of any kind of flow, like your period, stress or urge incontinence or vaginal discharge.
My Positive Review:
I first tried the light pair when my period was just beginning as this is always one of my lightest days - my period usually lasts for about 4 days, with days 2-3 being the heaviest. I was eager to try them on see what they were all about. The pants themselves felt no different from any other boxer style pants I've worn previously and didn't come across bulky whilst wearing them which I was pleased about.
I just put them on and carried on about my day. I thought they would be perfect for when I'm working and don't have time to even have a drink, let alone go to the loo to change a tampon! I could just pop them on before my shift and just replace them when I got home 6-8 hours later, brilliant!
Day two arrived and so I changed into my heavy pair in the morning and rinsed out the lighter pair, ready for the wash. This part is really easy as I'm sure we've all been there before - rinsing out our knicks as our tampon yet again let us down and ruined a pair of our 'nice' undies! It's just the same here so there was no real 'get up close and personal with your menstrual blood' necessary, thank goodness!
I suppose the only real difference between these pants and tampons (apart from the obvious!) is that your menstrual blood is on the outside rather than being all nicely kept where it should and you only really coming into contact with it when changing your tampon!
You just perhaps need to spend an extra minute or two ensuring that you're all clean down there before pulling up your WUKA pants and carrying on!
I guess the only negative here would be that I got caught out during my heaviest days when my other pair were still drying and I was still wearing the only other pair I had! This was when I could've easily done with another pair, ready for use whilst I washed my current pair and the others continued drying.
I should have listened to my instincts here and used a tampon before heading out to an event but I didn't and so I suffered the consequences - but this really shouldn't put you off trying them because it was my own fault for not taking charge and using a tampon when I needed to.
Thankfully I have since ordered a couple more pairs and so I shouldn't be caught out like this again but if I am I'll know what to do! I shouldn't be afraid to use tampons when I need to, just so long as I dispose of them properly and ensure that my period pants are ready for action when I need them to be!
I do have to say though that the rest of my period went by without a hitch and for once I didn't have that 'have I finished or will it come back to ruin my nice knickers?' dread! My period finished nicely and without any last drops approximately 4 days after it came!
Sleeping in my WUKA period pants was like a dream, only it was 1000x better because it was reality! I could just pop on a fresh pair of WUKA pants and a t-shirt and get to bed, no more interrupted nights because of a leaking tampon or irritating pad.
Like I said before I have just willing paid money to buy another 2 pairs of WUKA period pants because I believe in them that much and also really do want to help save the environment. I want my periods to be plastic free, eco-friendly and vegan - which thankfully all WUKA period pants now are!
I do have an affiliate code which will get you 10% off a £20 or over spend on their site as well as giving me a 10% my next purchases too. Just use code WUKA-SUNSHINEXO at checkout (or follow the link!) and start enjoying a plastic free period today!
Love, Sarah xoxoxo
