Ok, I get asked a lot about how to Pick the right Nickeze Period Underwear for your flow?
The first thing I want to talk about is when to start trying period underwear. The advice I would give you is try first on your moderate flow day, that is normally day 3 to day 5 for most. It is when the heavy flow days are finished (usually your first and second day or your second and third day). Some also bleed more at one part of the day than others and that can usually then follow a certain pattern thereafter. Of course, if you are exercising during your period, you might find that you bleed a little heavier during the exercise. There are a combination of reasons for this, gravity, the exertion, the temperature of the body, the effort etc. So, as I say, start on day 3, and work backwards to day 1.
The absorbency
Period underwear are usually graded according to the amount of regular tampons that the period underwear can hold. This can be a bit of a confusing concept, I like to describe them more as light, moderate and heavy flow descriptions of periods as every person that has a period is so unique and just like their finger prints, no two people will be the same.
You must remember that if you have a heavy period, and you use regular tampons, you will probably have to change them every hour. So with 4 regular tampon period underwear, you can expect to get up to 4-5 hours out of it on your heavy days. Of course, on your moderate to light days, you would expect to get all day.
With a Super Absorbent Style, this type can deal with your heavy days. Again they can take up to 8 regular tampons on average which probably translates to 5/6 hours on your heavy days, unlikely that you will need super heavy styles on your moderate or light days, just use 4 tampon styles for those days.
I find that young teens are most concerned about period leaks, and this fear can really hold them back from fully participating in sport, going on their sleep overs, out with friends etc. That is the main reason why mums buy Nickeze period underwear for young teens, it is the fear of leaks and to ease that fear. They usually wear them with their pad at that age and Nickeze is all about choice.
It isn't about choosing one sanitary product over another. We do try to raise awareness around the whole environmental issues of disposable sanitary products, that they can take up to 800 years to decompose in a landfill. But we are all about choice for women and the last thing that we want in Nickeze, is women and teens feeling bad about choices they make when they are menstruating. However, all we do ask is, could you wear your Nickeze underwear on the days coming up to your period, the days you don't know whether your period is coming or not, and could you wear period underwear on the moderate and lights days of your period? If you could do that for the 30-40 years of of your menstrual life, you have already changed the world and you already have made a massive impact.
How do I know I am reaching maximum absorption point on my Nickeze Period Underwear?
The first thing is that all sanitary products, disposable or reusable have a saturation point. It isn't like putting on your normal underwear for the day and off you go, you don't put on a sanitary pad for the day and off you go either, you can of course, do that on your moderate and light days and that is the beauty of period underwear, but on your super heavy and heavy days, you will need to change them if you are wearing them on their own. Teens that are wearing them with pads, won't have to change their Nickeze underwear, as they are wearing them as their security blanket to stop leaks at school etc., and they are super at this job!
I have teens that wear Nickeze period underwear to school on their non uniform day with light clothes and they rock it! But if you are wearing period underwear on your heavy days, you will need to change them when they reach saturation point. How fast you reach saturation point depends on how heavy your flow is and if you bleed more at one point of the day than others. I have a heavy day one and two, and I get 4-5 hours out of a 4 tampon style, that is very good.
How you know saturation point is being reached is as follows: blood will go to the same point in our underwear, it will wick a little towards the front and back of the vagina, but mostly wicks laterally, so when you see the blood reaching the inside seams of both your legs, you are reaching saturation point. The protective panel ends at the seams laterally, so once it reaches there you need to change your period underwear. I love changing them, I love the feeling of the fresh pair. I find I have less period cramps as you are bleeding freely, I guess as Mother Nature intended, and there is nothing occluding the blood. It is not messy or yucky at all. Because the protective panel is black in most of the styles, you actually don't see the blood at all. It soaks quite quickly into the absorption panel and you really don't feel anything. I bleed more heavily in one part of the day than the other, so just keep an eye on your flow for that. You learn so quickly what works for you. And once you move over to period underwear, you rarely go back. And every time I wear my Period underwear , I just know it is one less pad going into the environment and ending up on a beach somewhere, and I am making a change right now, one that I can make without too much effort.
In summary, choose your Nickeze 4 tampon style for your moderate to light days, Nickeze have lots of choices in this absorbency, as it is the most popular type. Choose your Nickeze Super Absorbency, like Nickeze Suzannah, for your heavy days, usually your day one and two.
Remember that I am only ever a phone call/ email away if you ever want to chat. This is our community of women and teens trying to support positive periods and to make things better for ourselves and for the next generation and minding our planet as we go, even making small changes to the way we manage our periods can have a massive impact. Don't ever underestimate the little things!
Love Ellie
www.nixxworld.com
Talk to me: nixx@nixxworld.com
