Periods: Both a joy and a nuisance, they fill us with relief when they arrive, and utter pain when they kick in.
It can be a frustration-inducing time, especially when on holiday or if it comes on unexpectedly. HOWEVER, a joy and a nuisance they maybe, but if you’re a women, it’s a fact of life – a naturally occurring cycle which we simply have to accommodate once a month.
Fortunately for me, I live in the United Kingdom, and any products or painkillers I need are a simple supermarket or pharmacy trip away. Even if we are taxed for it…. But that’s another story for another day.
Since the tender age of eleven, I have always been graced with regular, monthly, 4 day periods – not too heavy or light. Every now and again I get one which knocks me for six and I end up in bed, with a hot water bottle squirming like a hormone enraged slug.
I’m a keen user of TOTM sanitary towels usually, as I hate tampons. I find them okay, but I end up freaking out about how long I’ve had it in, or having to fiddle about if I lose the string, HENCE I was super keen on trying WUKA.
WUKA (Wake Up Kick Ass) was created by environmental scientist Ruby Raut. They make multi-layered, super-absorbent, machine-washable pants which are designed to be worn solely throughout your period, entirely removing the need for disposable sanitary products – and the massive amounts of waste.
WUKA pants, which cost £24.99 a pair and are available in sizes 6-20, can be worn for six to eight hours a day or all night long, and hold the equivalent of four tampons’ worth of menstrual blood.
My experience of WUKA period pants
First thing to note – the pants are really rather comfortable. I mean, I won’t be entering any competitions for sexiest underwear with them, but they’re not ugly or too bulky. I was pleasantly surprised by their lightweight and soft black material, and strong elastic.
After keenly waiting for my monthlies to commence, the first day of my period I braved the WUKA pants. I will admit it took a while to get used to the feeling that there’s “nothing” there and the pants are going to absorb everything.
I didn’t wear jeans, as the downside of the pants is the VPL issue – but I don’t like to wear tight clothing on my period anyway.
It was nice to wear them at night, especially as I always freak out about leaking at night with a sanitary pad, and toxic shock syndrome with a tampon. They did make me feel super secure and no leakage, so thumbs up WUKA!
I guess it would be ideal to have at least 5 pants to last you your entire period, including nights. You can bung them in the wash on 40degrees (note: don’t use fabric conditioner) and they come up grand! The inner layer of the fabric also has antibacterial properties. This helps to prevent odour and bacterial growth.
You have to air-dry them which takes a couple of days to fully dry, but on the whole it really does save many many sanitary towels or tampons.
WUKA claim that the heavy pants can be used up to 2 years, and the WUKA light pants for over 2 years. Over 2 years, if you wore WUKA every day, it would save wasting 500 tampons / sanitary towels. You would also save a vast amount of money.
[Read: The E Word | My Endometriosis Story]
The Verdict:
I think I will most definitely be wearing my WUKA period pants on the reg. They’re a great eco-friendly option to mix things up during your period.
Excellent for wearing overnight or lounging around the house. Providing you’re not going to wear a tight outfit, if you’re not keen on tampons or sanitary towels, and a little nervous about menstrul cups, maybe give WUKA a try!
♥️ Other facts about WUKA:
Inner / Outer fabrics are made of soft, breathable, moisture wicking and luxurious Lenzing ® MicroModal fabric.
Central layers include an absorbent layer that is uniquely used in WUKA underwear that absorbs blood and interlocks its.
Vegan Approved – Registered with the Vegan Society
Buy your own WUKA period pants HERE
