People warn you that problems aren’t so easily resolved and that change is fickle, sometimes elusive. I like to learn from experience, because I think that things that may matter to one person may not matter that much to me. This is why I chose to buy things despite their known issues and improbable change.
Today I will review a product I never thought I would be discussing; Natracare Natural Panty Liners and Ultra Regular pads!
Why did I not think that I would be reviewing it? Simply because that is the one area I never thought anything natural mattered. It never occurred to me to try anything but O.B. tampons, Always or Kotex pads and panty-liners. Frankly, if you are uncomfortable with your “feminine hygiene” products you really might feel awkward and stressed all day. I usually resent the commercials showing that time of the month to be the happiest day of our lives; the only day in which we may choose to wear white and dance around. It’s supposed to convey a sense of utter trust, I know, but perhaps trust is not such an easy matter. And say you do trust that tampon or pad to sit neatly, holding still… is it really all you have trusted it to provide?
A quick internet research shows that indeed, toxic shocks or the effects of the chlorine-dioxide bleaching process of those feminin products may lead to serious problems, and it is suspected to be causing cancer. Other views hold that using tampons or pads with chlorine dioxide bleached paper (or dioxins) might not be single handedly responsible for any more accumulation of dioxins within our bodies; however, I feel that since my goal in switching to a more natural and chemical free lifestyle was to help control that which I can in order to avoid unnecessary illnesses, I can certainly help my body accumulate less dioxins. After all, our periods are there each month for most of our lives, therefore, such prolonged use might be increasing that exposure.
With this said, I tried Natracare Ultra Regular pads and panty liners. I have read reviews prior to buying the panty liners so I knew to expect some issues with the liner stayed attached to underwear or thongs. However, I first bought the pads. They are quite soft to touch and they are a perfect fit to my tiny measures. They absorb quite well and there usually isn’t a very “overflow” or wetness like feeling to the pad. The same goes with the panty liners. They aren’t meant to be absorbing much during normal days, which means they do their jobs and they do fit nicely, but I would assume that anyone wearing a size that is not S, would probably find them a little too small. They don’t have any fragrance, which I find wonderful, as I just don’t know why more chemicals need to be added to such sensitive location. These two products seem to have two major faults though.
The first issue is certainly the adhesive or what keeps those pads and liners in place. It really isn’t working! The pads may move around when you sleep (depending on how “active” you are when you sleep) and this might also be the case during the day. I can say that most times this movement did not occur, but it is way less than perfect. If you have heavy flows, I would not recommend trying this because it certainly will not make you want to dance around in your white pants in the middle of the street! The liners suffer the same issue, but because they are not meant to absorb much during times you are not having your periods in, it doesn’t seem such a problem. They are bulky, and if you got used to super slim liners, these will feel odd and old fashioned even.
The other major issue is of course their price. They certainly cannot compete with any of the famous brand names because they can afford to sell 60 liners/pads (or more) at really cheap prices. Natracare products cost here sometimes twice as much and each package is usually smaller than any brand names’. They never seem to have any sales or reduction in price and there is certainly no “family pack” or bulk sizes. This is really a serious problem for those of us who are tight with money, because it really isn’t a convenient alternative.
On the plus side, they are made from organic materials so you will not have pesticides in your intimate parts, and they also are highly recyclable. They also feel very non-plasticky and much more nature or cloth like.
That said, at the bottom line, I would rate it as 8 out of 10. They really have to work on making the pads and liners stick! I will try the tampons sometime in the future and I would let you know how they are. I would really like companies like that to try and sell their products in kits that would include liners, pads and tampons in quantities that would fit an average woman’s cycle. They would enable a consumer to try all of the companies products at least once and also would be easier to carry around.
On another note, I would like to say that I’m back and I am planning to buy more new products soon. If you have any recommendations, feel free to send me a line and maybe you’ll see a review about it here, soon.
Have a great, healthy day!
