Every month the same problem: you feel uncomfortable during your period. In addition to the pain from your menstrual cycle, you may also be confronted with other issues. For many women, sanitary pads and tampons seem to be the only solution for their period. But over time, you may have also noticed that you get a rash from these products. This is not an isolated case. Some hygiene products contain perfumes, plastics, and chemicals that are supposed to improve intimate hygiene. Regardless of whether you have sensitive skin or not, these substances can actually cause irritation, burning, or itching. What are the true causes of these allergies? How can you recognize the symptoms and, above all, avoid them while also finding solutions with adequate absorbency?
Influence of monthly hygiene on the female intimate area
A woman uses about 15,000 menstrual hygiene products (pads and tampons) over the course of her life. That’s nearly 290 hygiene products per year. These come into direct contact with the skin like a panty liner. It is therefore quite normal for experts to demand that we pay more attention to their composition and prefer hypoallergenic materials. The only downside: When reading the various components on the packaging of these products, it is nearly impossible to know the main causes and sources of allergies accurately.
For some brands, the list of ingredients is simply not available. The reason: manufacturers of feminine hygiene products are not required to provide this information on a hygiene product. It is completely legitimate to want to know what is behind these products that come into direct contact with our intimate area. Therefore, it is all the more important to address these details, given the fact that around 8 million French women suffer from skin irritations in the intimate area.
Ingredients that should warn us about certain hygiene products
Allergies to feminine hygiene products are not an isolated case. But why do these inconveniences arise? This pain and this itching? Conventional feminine hygiene products typically use non-natural allergens to enhance the performance of their products and provide effective protection. So you can guess: The pads as we know them today are full of substances that can pose a significant risk to your health and well-being during menstruation. In contrast, the washable period underwear from Sisters Republic is made exclusively from fabrics with the Oeko-Tex label, which are free from harmful substances and take the body's balance into account. So it is an equally effective and natural menstrual hygiene.
The ingredients
Aside from being really uncomfortable and impractical, one could also say that the pads are "opaque" in terms of their composition. It is nearly impossible to find out the exact composition of the women's pads sold by the largest brands on the market, and these brands like to give their products a more soothing "cotton" image. In reality, these pads contain only a very small amount of cotton (or none at all in some brands!). Their main component is plastic. They also contain cotton from intensive farming with pesticides, synthetic cellulose, and artificial, absorbent pulp. Another ingredient that might deter you: aluminum. Although it is only present in small amounts, that is enough to give you an idea of what to expect from these products. Therefore, menstrual underwear and other washable menstrual protection should be preferred by health-conscious women.
absorbent
The absorbent materials, usually in the form of gel, are sodium polyacrylate crystals made from petroleum products. They are also known by the abbreviation SAP or superabsorbent and can absorb up to 200 times their weight. The more absorbent your feminine pad, the more absorbent materials it contains. And as you can imagine, these ingredients are anything but harmless. If you are concerned about possible harmful effects, you should opt for washable hygiene products that carry the Oeko-Tex label and are therefore guaranteed to be free from harmful substances.
Other substances in disposable menstrual pads
"Tampons and pads can also contain other "dangerous" substances that can be "allergy-inducing" with daily use. These include synthetic fragrances, which in most cases serve to mask the odor of menstrual flow. Another example is dioxin, which is used to bleach the pads."
Actual danger for all women
The women's pads, which are mainly made of plastics, are waterproof. At the same time, they come into contact with the skin and mucous membranes for extended periods. This leads to maceration and thus to unpleasant odors. Fungi, infections, itching, and various bacteria thrive particularly well here. The synthetic fragrances and the lack of natural materials quickly turn this mix into a very strong allergen. But that's not all: Several large international organizations confirm that the ingredients in women's pads pose health risks and can cause problems such as infertility and vaginal dryness. The issue affects millions of consumers who use these hygiene products daily.
Period underwear: A real alternative
If you suffer from an allergy to sanitary pads or simply want to avoid an allergy, the washable period underwear is a good alternative. These slips, also referred to as "menstrual panties," can be worn like regular underwear for an average of 12 hours. The washable and reusable period underwear is an eco-friendly solution that can last up to 7 years. It is not only sustainable but also very effective. Since it retains odors, it can be worn in everyday life, at work, and during leisure time. Another great advantage: The slips are environmentally friendly.
"Their impact on the environment is significantly lower than that of biologically non-degradable disposable pads. Even more importantly, the components of the slips from Sisters Republic are Oeko-Tex certified. This means they are guaranteed to be free from harmful chemical substances, so the risk of allergies is very low. They are even better if you have sensitive skin. And don't worry, today's menstrual panties are very aesthetic. In fact, they are available in numerous styles: Shorty, Boxershorts, etc. Now you just have to choose the model you like!"
