Okay, so it’s weird to do this in English, since all the other monthlies were in Dutch (as Maandelijkse verhalen), but anyway, gotta start somewhere. And I might (one day) translate them all into English. (Kind of wanted to rewrite them anyway.)
ANYWAY. Today I am here to write about WUKA period pants! They sent me a pair a while ago (thank you WUKA!) and I’ve had enough time to test them thoroughly now, so I thought I’d write something about it.
Period underwear
For those of you who’ve never heard of period underwear before: In short it’s undies with built in pads, they’re washable and so reusable. You can use ’em as a back up for the menstrual cup or (depending on the brand, type and how heavy you flow) on it’s own.
I just really love the whole concept, I’ve tried reusable pads but they were always moving and turning, super annoying, also, those snapbuttons hurt when cycling. And I cycle a lot. I don’t want to use anymore single use pads, but really I don’t have to anymore: period undies are THE answer. Especially if you don’t like menstrual cups they are the answer.
WUKA
WUKA -stands for Wake Up Kick Ass (and I love that)- is a UK based brand that makes eco-friendly period pants. I love that they use gender-neutral language (period pants for menstruating bodies!) and that the CEO – Ruby- is a woman!
Wearing the WUKA
When I first got it in my hands I was a bit shocked by how thick the pad-section of the undies was, it felt a bit like 2 pads on top of each other and I was afraid it was going to feel a bit weird when wearing. But actually when I put them on I really didn’t feel any of that! It really just feels like you’re wearing regular underwear, and super comfy ones at that.
The waistband is an elastic band which is great because it helps with a snug fit, which is necessary and feels more safe as well, but it also isn’t too hard on the crampy stomach.
My first period I used the WUKA mainly as back-up with my cup and without a cup at night, the second period I used it without a cup on a lighter day. And this month I’ve been wearing it on my second day half with a cup half without. And all went great!
I have the WUKA heavy (they only just launched the lighter version which holds about 1 tampons worth), which can be worn up to 8 hours on light days and 4-6 hours on heavy days (or all night). It holds at least 20ml of flow, which is around 4 tampons worth. This, of course, also explains the thickness of the pad-part: most other period pants only hold up to about 2 tampons worth; the WUKA heavy holds double.
The blood gets absorbed straight away, so it really just feels like you’re wearing a normal pair of underwear. No wetness, no smells and best of all of course: no leaking. Having a period without noticing you’re having it.
Washing the WUKA
I always rinse my period undies in cold water before I throw ’em in the machine, so I did the same to the WUKA pants, but they say it’s also fine to just throw them into the washer straight away. The padded part, because it’s kind of heavy, takes a long time to dry (they mention this on their website as well). Best is to hang it to dry in the sun, or on/near a radiator so it dries a bit more quickly, and probably with the inside up, so the water can evaporate more easily.
Buying WUKA
I’ve had a lot of questions from fellow Europeans about WUKA simply because most other brands are from the US. When I ordered my Thinx not only was there a high amount of shipping costs.. I also had to pay about €35 on taxes.. and since all period undies are already quite expensive (they’re worth it, trust me, it just takes some saving) you’d rather just pay less for all those other things. Since WUKA is UK based there are no massive shipping costs (Free within the UK, £10 outside of the UK), also no taxes/custom fees (yet at least.. until Brexit kicks in probably)(so maybe just stock in on WUKA while you still can).
WUKA has a great website where they sell their period pants and their new bralette (which looks so niiiice). They have a really elaborate website with lots of information and a good FAQ . The sizing and everything is also explained really well.
The heavy ones are in stock atm, the light ones and the bralette are up for pre-order (at a reduced price).
Get your own WUKA here.
