Traveling With A Period

No one wants to travel with Aunt Flo. It's only because sometimes you have to, which totally sucks. But there's no need to let your period get in the way of a well-deserved vacation, because, believe it or not, you can manage your period and still have fun.

1) Pack adequate supplies. The area that you're traveling to, especially international travel, may not have your preferred brand of feminine hygiene supplies. There's no fun in getting stuck with pads the texture of cardboard or tampons with flimsy strings. Pack at least the minimum for getting through the trip, and if you are a heavy bleeder or want to feel secure, feel free to pack a few more. Better safe than sorry.

2) Get ready before you get out of the door. There might be a long line for the bathroom before you leave, and before you can get in the stall, you might have already leaked. Save yourself some time and hassle by getting ready before you leave and changing later, when it's more convenient.

3) Pads: Use extra protection. This applies especially on planes. Use a higher absorbency because you might not be able to change as often, so the absorbency will keep you protected. For long, international plane rides, you could also consider overnight pads, which are usually extra long, and have higher absorbency. This way you only need to change a few times as opposed to many.

4) Tampons: Backup or protect. For security, you could use a pad or extra pantiliner with a tampon or increase to the next absorbency. Your call.

Paranoia: Smelly Period

Paranoia: Smelly Period


Fear #1: Other people being able to smell the period
Fear #2: If period smells are associated with other issues

Fear #1:


Yes, periods do have a smell of their own (all women's periods have its own distinct smell, it's natural), but can other people smell it? Even though you might notice, it's likely other people won't because they aren't as close to you as you, yourself. Often you might not even notice because it's so subtle. If anyone actually could smell it, they'd have to sniff "down there" closely, but I don't think you'd let them get that close. But if you really are concerned, you should practice good hygiene by showering everyday paying special attention to "down there, changing sanitary products as often as needed (to feel fresh, smell fresh, and be courteous to the comfort of others), and wearing breathable, cotton underwear.

Fear #2:


All periods naturally have their own, subtle smell, but if the smell is really strong, could it be some sickness? Only a doctor can know for sure. If you follow a good hygienic routine, this shouldn't happen, but if it does even on your most stringent routine, seeing a doctor is advisable.

U By Kotex "Curves" Regular Liners

U By Kotex "Curves" Regular Liners

This is my very first review of a Kotex brand item! Hope you like it!

Packaging and Appearance: U by Kotex is known for its colorful, sleek, and bold packaging in the signature black box. That's what first caught my eye. The box is black, and the liners are each individually wrapped. The wrappers are colorful, and have this paisley/swirl designs on the edges. The liner is held closed by the folded wrapper and pressed edges, which has a thin edge of adhesive on the opening fold, but it isn't very strong. After unfolding the liner, the liner has an additional paper backing on the inside, which you peel the liner off of. This wrapper is decently quiet.

The liner itself is white, with a light purple design in the center. It's basically shaped like any other pantiliner to fit the shape of the crotch of your underwear. The cover sheet is soft, but does kind of feel "plastic-like" in a way. The adhesive is edge-to-edge and works very well.

Absorbency: This liner has nice absorbency, but only for more fluid substances. For example, discharge or heavy, sticky (sorry, graphic, I know) periods take FOREVER to absorb, which is a big thumbs down for me, but anything lighter light wetness or very fluid periods absorb pretty quickly.

Comfort: The liner is very flexible, which means it'll bounce back into place if bent or folded. This hugged it close to my body, so I couldn't even notice it after awhile. However, when I first put it on, it took awhile to feel invisible. The liner also made me feel dry, which is very nice.


Reliability and Weartest: The liner is pretty reliable because it has decent absorbency, etc., but the only thing I've noticed that it would kind of fall apart during exercise. If you were just lounging around the house, this doesn't happen, but I went jogging and played some soccer at the park, and I had noticed that the layers of the liner had separated, which could be a problem. However, before it fell apart, the adhesive did stick nicely with no shifting.

Summary:


Pros:
. Colorful, attractive packaging
. Strong adhesive
. Nice absorbency
. Flexible
. Soft
. Felt dry

Cons:
. Layers separated after exercise and a lot of movement
. Took a long time to absorb thicker fluids, but the thinner fluids were just fine
. Takes awhile to become unnoticeable
. Has a slight "plastic-like" feel

Overall, this is a pretty good liner, but it's not something particularly special or striking that you need to rush to the store for. As much as I love the cute packaging and other pros, the major thing is performance, and one of the biggest things that didn't completely "sell" me on this product was the layers separating. On a scale of 0 to 10, I would give this product a 5.