Fashionista's Review: BambooLite Cloth Panty Liner

I have gone green.

No.

That's probably not true.

Before you read more of this post, let me just make one thing clear, I have never aspired to be Captain Planet, or even Mrs Captain Planet. Neither is my husband a candidate for Mr Save-the-Earth (let me think for a moment, nope, he wouldn't even pass the qualifying rounds unfortunately).

Anyway, in my quest to learning more about cloth diapers (you know, the reusable diapers that I'm planning on using for my baby), I have stumbled across a whole new world of alternative environmentally-friendly products (sadly, this goes to show just how small my world is). This company came to me by surprise (interestingly I did not discover it while googling cloth diapers, it actually found me). You know how Facebook now recommends pages that you might like based on the pages you have liked before (beware people, Facebook knows you better than you do yourself), so a few days ago I came across a suggestion for this page: BambooLite (and Facebook also informed me that 3 of my friends like the same page). So I clicked on the page, found out that they were selling cloth diapers and went to their website to get more information on their products.

And this is where my world suddenly opened up and I found out that they were selling cloth feminine pads *gasp* and cloth panty liners (something that I didn't knew even existed). I immediately googled reviews on cloth feminine pads (which I previously thought to have gone extinct since the introduction of disposable feminine pads) and found quite a few positive reviews on the stuff. Since I am not that adventurous (the only adventures that I go on involves exploring foreign countries and not introducing foreign items to my va-jay-jay), I've decided to test the waters by trying out BambooLite's cloth panty liner (and the fact that they're so many pretty designs to choose from helped out in me making that final purchase decision).

Among the designs for cloth panty liners available by BambooLite.

I made an order on Friday and voila, the item arrived three days later, on Monday. I decided not to try them out that very night but rather to wait for the next day so that I'd be testing them for a regular day at the office.

The cloth panty liners, neatly packed in a transparent plastic envelope complete with an instruction manual.

I ordered two cloth panty liners (at RM15 each they totalled to RM30) and also paid for PosLaju shipping cost of RM8.50 thus my total cost for these items only amounted to RM38.50. I would have to confess, my initial attraction to cloth panty liners is mainly due to economical reasons. By opting for cloth panty liners, I do not need to get disposables and therefore save money on future disposable purchases (besides helping the environment by not adding waste, definitely a win-win situation, right?). However, I am cautious in my decision to becoming a convert towards environmentally friendly products and that is why I bought only two of these. I'll buying more once I'm confident that cloth panty liners are here to stay (permanently in my knickers drawer that is).

These are the designs that I opted for: Rings N Bars (left) and Cashew Flowers (right). 

Despite it being a cloth panty liner, the size (they're about 17cm in length) is almost exactly the same as disposable panty liners, I previously assumed that it'd be bigger (and less efficient, being cloth after all). 

On how to wear them; the colorful fabric is the outer fabric, that side of the fabric should rest onto your knickers and the plain minky fabric (in bright orange as in the photo above) will be saying hello to your va-jay-jay (in their website they did mention that the minky fabric does not stain, so that's definitely a plus point). As you can see there are snaps by the side of the panty liner, the snaps are fastened in a way that the panty liner encloses over your panties just like a regular disposable panty liner would.

Storing the panty liners is just as easy, just follow the instructions and once folded, they'll look like this. Washing is also as easy, you just soak them in cold water for 30 minutes then the panty liner can be hand washed or machine washed (washing instructions are also available on their website). 

So how did my day fare as a first time cloth panty liner user? When I first put it on, I felt weird (well, that's due to my preconceived negative thoughts on cloth panty liners and I did have a wild thought on how I would react if I see my cloth panty liner fell to the ground while I was walking?), but the minky fabric felt incredibly soft to the skin. My main concern for panty liners is to keep the private parts dry and comfy (and let me tell you, being pregnant and having to go to the loo every hour or so does not make that easy) so after using BambooLite's panty liner for the day, I'd say that it absorbs moisture really well, keeping my va-jay-jay comfortable and dry during the day. The only con is that I do feel that compared to my disposable panty liners, they are slightly (not much though) bulky, it's like I can feel their presence but it's not that noticeable (maybe it's due to the fact that it's my first time so I'm a little bit self-conscious).

 

And this is my experience on using it for the night. As using it for the night meant that it would be the second time for me using the cloth panty liner, I find myself relaxing and not noticing that it was even there! I find the liner to be as good as disposable (if not better!) and felt comfortable using it throughout the night (despite the regular toilet visits that I have to endure now that I'm in the final week of my pregnancy).

 

The ultimate question is, would I convert to a cloth panty liner user? I certainly do think so. The pros definitely outweigh the cons; they're good for the environment, they last longer than disposable panty liners (that's for sure) and they help you save a pretty penny (so that you can go out and get yourself a pretty bauble as a treat!). Some even say that it's better for health as there are no harmful chemicals involved in manufacturing cloth panty liners (thus no harmful chemicals will be released to your va-jay-jay). And the part I like best about this product is how easy it is to wash them, just three steps, soak, rub with soapy water then rinse. Squeeze the water out and hang it to dry. Easy, right?

 

And the next question, would I try out cloth feminine pads or menstrual pads? I do think it is a possibility in the near future (I think it's like learning to ride a bicycle, initially you'll be learning how to ride on a tricycle, and once you've gotten the hang of it, riding a bike is as easy as ABC). Maybe I'll give the cloth pads a try for my lighter days (during menstruation) and when I feel comfortable (and confident) enough, I'll upgrade to using them all the time during my menses. But one thing for sure, I'll be getting more of these cloth panty liners and leave my disposable ones exclusively for traveling =).

 

Let's go green peeps! It's not only good for Mother Earth, it's also kind to the wallet.

 

 

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

 

Ps: Just in case you were wondering, the panty liner never did fall to the ground like I imagined. It stayed in its designated place minding it's own business, keeping me dry and comfortable *grin*.