Period Panties: Lunapads Lunapanties Review

I received product and/or compensation in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Have you heard much about period panties before? If you’d asked me what period panties were two years ago, I would have told you they were the plain black granny panties that come out of my drawer only for that time of the month just in case of leaks. I mean, no one wants to wear their good underwear during their period, right? Fast forward to 2017, my year of switching to reusable menstrual products 100% of the time, and period panties have a whole new meaning! So what exactly are they? Period panties are underwear with built in waterproofing and absorbency that can be worn instead of using pads, tampons, or a menstrual cup. That’s right, underwear that absorbs your menstrual flow so you don’t have to use any other products. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering how on earth something like this could possibly work. Always up for a new challenge, when Natasha of Baby Footprint asked me if I’d review Lunapads Lunapanties for her, I was totally down. Here’s what you need to know about Lunapanties period underwear!

The Details:

Lunapads Lunapanties are period underwear that provide full leakproof protection with adjustable absorbency. The two styles that I’ve tried are the organic bikini Lunapanties and the organic hipster Lunapanties. For all intents and purposes, these two styles have the same construction as far as period protection goes. The difference is in the cut of the underwear. The organic bikini sits low on the hips with a high cut leg and good bum coverage. The organic hipster also sits low on the hips, but has more bum and side hip coverage than the bikini, and has non-elasticized leg openings. Each pair of Lunapads Lunapanties has a leakproof gusset panel sewn right in, and comes with one reusable maxi insert.

The leakproof gusset panel of Lunapanties has three layers. The outermost layer is the cotton/spandex jersey, then there’s a hidden leak proof PUL barrier. Closest to your body is an absorbent layer of cotton fleece. The gusset panel in a pair of Lunapanties covers a much larger area than the gusset in a regular pair of underwear. It extends farther forward that a traditional gusset, and it goes farther back providing excellent coverage through your period. Though the single layer of cotton fleece does provide some absorbency built right into the Lunapads underwear, the majority of the absorbency comes from the reusable insert.

Comprised of two layers of soft organic cotton fleece, the Lunapads maxi insert is placed on top of the gusset of the Lunapanty. To keep the insert in place, each pair of Lunapanties has two cotton jersey straps sewn into place; one is sewn near the front of the gusset and the other is sewn near the back of the gusset. The insert simply slides underneath these two straps. As the reusable maxi insert becomes saturated, simply remove it and swap in a clean Lunapads maxi insert. Lunapanties are compatible with Lunapads maxi inserts, long inserts, overnight inserts, and postpartum inserts.

How It Works:

There is one thing that has kept me from trying period panties up to this point. Heavy flow. I’ll be honest here. Period panties didn’t seem like such a great idea for me. I couldn’t imagine there being a period panty out there that would be capable of taking me through an entire day without needing to be changed. The last thing I want to be doing is changing my underwear in the public bathroom at the zoo or playground part way through my day. This was my biggest concern with the whole built in absorbency of period panties. The good news is that Lunapads Lunapanties are different! Unlike other period underwear where all the absorbency is built in, the absorbency of Lunapanties can be changed out as needed without needing a new pair of underwear each time. This is all thanks to the reusable organic cotton maxi inserts.

Speaking of absorbency, let’s talk about just how absorbent that double layer of organic cotton fleece really is. These maxi inserts are really thin! They’re barely noticeable inside the Lunapanties and add no extra bulk. But do they absorb enough? Oh yes they do! On my heaviest day, I needed to swap in a new insert every two to three hours, but on my regular days (probably still heavy compared to most) I could go four hours or more without a maxi insert being fully saturated. I did notice that as a maxi insert became more saturated, menstrual fluid did press through the insert and onto the cotton fleece that’s built into the Lunapanty. This is precisely how they’re supposed to function. That layer of cotton fleece sewn into the gusset is simply a third layer of absorbency or added leak protection, if you will.

Because some of you wanted to know how Lunapanties performed overnight, I wore these overnight through my period. The first night, I layered two maxi inserts together and slid them into place under the cotton jersey straps sewn into the gusset. I was concerned that just one maxi insert wouldn’t be enough absorbency to last all night. Using two maxi inserts at the same time did not compromise the fit around the gusset or leave a gap for leaks. The edges of the Lunapanty gusset remained right up against my body, so there was no gap in the protection. Not only did this combination last all night, but the second maxi insert wasn’t even needed! The maxi insert that was farthest from my body all night was completely dry in the morning. So one maxi insert was enough for me overnight (as an aside, my flow is always heaviest during the morning and early afternoon of day two, so I don’t typically need a ton of absorbency overnight).

The maxi inserts fit really nicely into the Lunapanty gusset, but they do take up the full length of the waterproof zone. I haven’t tried the long inserts, but I do wonder if they would extend beyond the waterproof gusset in the front or back. Since the inserts themselves don’t have any built in waterproofing, they do rely on staying put within the gusset of Lunapanties to avoid leaks. This might be getting too personal, but I’m sure inquiring minds want all the details, so here it goes. I found myself wishing that the waterproof gusset of Lunapanties extended just half an inch farther forward than it did. The coverage was great in the back, but I find that my flow tends to pool more up front. My instinct was to place the maxi insert farther forward/up in the Lunapanty, but that would place the very front of the maxi insert off the waterproof gusset. I was concerned that on my heaviest day that my flow would seep right through the maxi insert and through the cotton jersey of the Lunapanty where there was no waterproof gusset up front. Instead, I went against my instinct and kept the maxi insert within the borders of the waterproof gusset. Did I get any leaks up front? None at all. Did I get any leaks anywhere? Nope, not one. Did I feel like I needed the maxi insert to sit farther forward/up for my own comfort? Yes. But it didn’t need to be farther up.

Speaking of maxi inserts staying put, there was absolutely no slippy slide-y inserts happening in my Lunapanties. This is a common complaint with PUL backed cloth menstrual pads. They tend to slide around or shift inside your underwear. Lunapanties do not have this issue at all. The cotton fleece inner of the waterproof gusset combined with the cotton jersey straps keep the absorbency exactly where you put it all day long. Even overnight, despite tossing and turning as I am apt to do, the insert stayed in place and didn’t bunch up. That is a wonderful thing. Though the cotton jersey straps are essential to keeping the Lunapads insert in place, I didn’t love that they were there. I liked that I could change out the inserts for fresh ones as needed throughout the day, but the cotton jersey straps didn’t get swapped out (obviously, they’re sewn in!). That meant that those cotton jersey straps got wet soaked (mostly the one up front for me). I found myself wiping them dry with toilet paper so I wouldn’t have a damp cold feeling even after putting in a new maxi insert.

Without an insert, Lunapads Lunapanties work quite well for days of very light spotting or days with light natural discharge. Those days where I need the protection a pantyliner would provide are the days where Lunapanties without the insert do the trick for me. If you happen to experience very light bladder leakage (maybe when you sneeze or laugh really hard), Lunapanties are great for that too! On their own without an insert, they are as trim as regular underwear. I find they fit true to size (I have size medium and wear a medium in pretty well every brand of underwear I own), and are really soft and comfortable. I didn’t find them any warmer than wearing regular underwear and a cloth menstrual pad.

Caring for my Lunapads Lunapanties and maxi inserts has been really easy. When I switch out a maxi insert, I give it a quick rinse in the sink with cold water and then wring it out. Then it gets stored in a small zippered wet bag that I keep hanging from the toilet paper holder in my bathroom. If I changed an insert on the go, I store it in a small zippered wet bag and then rinse when I get home. I wash my Lunapads maxi inserts and Lunapanties with my regular dark laundry (it gets washed in cold water with Tide PurClean detergent). I dry everything in the dryer on low and that’s it! There are no stains on any of my maxi inserts or on my Lunapanties.

Pros:

• Made in Canada
• Made with organic cotton
• Built in waterproof gusset and light absorbency
• Insert system means absorbency can be customized and changed out as needed throughout the day
• Great for light, medium, and heavy menstrual flows
• Inserts stay in place with no shifting or bunching
• Can be used for overnight protection
• Comfortable, discrete, and trim
• Easy to care for and wash

Cons:

• Cotton jersey straps that hold the insert in place get saturated throughout the day
• I would prefer that the waterproof gusset extend a little farther forward up front

Final Thoughts:

Lunapads Lunapanties are everything I want in a period panty. They have customizable absorbency, they are waterproof yet breathable, the absorbency stays in place, they work great for women with heavier flows, and the absorbency can be changed out as needed. What sets Lunapanties apart from other period panties is that the inserts can be swapped out when they’re saturated so you don’t have to change your underwear if your period is particularly heavy. This is also what makes using Lunapanties much like using reusable cloth menstrual pads with regular underwear. The advantage to Lunapanties over just using cloth pads is that the Lunapads inserts really stay put in Lunapanties. There’s no twisting, no bunching, no sliding, and no slipping. If you’ve been hesitant to try reusable cloth pads, Lunapanties are the perfect gateway into the world of reusable menstrual products. The coverage and security that a built in waterproof gusset provides is great! You don’t have to worry that your cloth pad is going to shift and result in a leak in your regular underwear. With Lunapanties, if they’re on, you’re covered!

Lunapads Lunapanties are available to purchase from Baby Footprint. Lunapanties start at $31.99, and a four pack of Lunapads Inserts start at $11.99.

How would you like a chance to win a Lunapads Maxi Pad & Insert set and a $30 gift card to Baby Footprint? One lucky reader will win one Lunapad Maxi Pad & Insert set and one $30 gift card to spend at Baby Footprint. Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canadian & US residents, 18+, and closes on June 23rd, 2017. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Don’t forget to follow the Fun In The Sun Giveaway Hop and enter the other awesome giveaways linked up below!

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