We Tried: Modibodi Period Undies

Kira Simpson

Let’s talk about periods.

Almost half the population bleed around once a month. It’s normal, It’s natural and frankly, I’m sick of it being a taboo topic we talk about in hushed tones when the menfolk aren’t within earshot.

If this topic makes you uncomfortable, you should probably leave now, cause there’s about to be some serious menstruation talk. 

The unfortunate fact is, our monthly visitors are not helping our need to live greener and our sanitary waste is piling up in landfill.

According to the site Sustainable Menstruation Australia, the average woman uses around 12,000 pads and tampons over the course of a lifetime.

That’s about 120kg of sanitary waste sent to landfill.

Being a women myself, I too am a contributor to this problem and I’m certainly not shaming anyone for our natural bodily functions. But, there are some ways we can help reduce the amount of waste we produce each month.

I came across Modibodi when I interviewed Charlotte Rose Mellis, who collaborated with Modibodi to deliver their undies to women and girls in remote villages of the Palawan Islands.

Being a person who is trying to live a little more sustainably I was keen to give them a try. So I purchased some and tested them out over two months.

Before I get into the details of how they worked for me, I want to tell you more about Modibodi and the incredible, women empowering team behind it.

Sustainable Underwear

Modibodi was founded in 2013 by Kirsty Chong, a “mum on a mission, fash-tech entrepreneur and social advocate for women’s health issues and rights”.

Seeing a gap in the market and a need for underwear which dealt with the “taboo” Light Bladder Leakage, led her to create a patented Modifier Technology™ absorbent underpants and transform this into the current Modibodi collections.

Modibodi have six collections made from Bamboo, Merino Perform Wool and Microfibre. The collections, Classic, Active, Sensual, Sassy, Curvy and Maternity each address a different need and want for women. The underwear range from moisture wicking to super light and light and moderate absorbency.

The Modifier Technology™ works to absorb and wick moisture, stop odour and it’s stain resistant. They say “Stop worrying about sweat, odour, discharge, light bladder spots/leaks, menstrual onset/spotting, menstrual flow, or breast milk leaks and enjoy the freshness and comfort of Modibodi underwear”.

Modibodi are so confident in their technology they have a 30 day risk free trial.

"Our mission at Modibodi is to empower all women and we believe no woman should be held back or feel ashamed because of their body or bodily functions."

Changing The World

Aside from the great undies, I really love the empowering message Modibodi promotes.

“Our mission at Modibodi is to empower all women and we believe no woman should be held back or feel ashamed because of their body or bodily functions.”

In addition to the body positive campaigns you’ll find on their site and social media, they also work with a number of female focused charities and social enterprises.

Share the Dignity helps women who are living in shelters or homeless access feminine hygiene products and Days for Girls produce reusable feminine hygiene kits for women and nations where these products are not readily available.

modibodi

The Review

I use tampons for daytime and pads for bedtime and days when I’m not leaving the house.

I typically wont use pads during the day because I feel like you can see the ‘bulk’ when I’m wearing jeans or tight clothing. You can’t, but I’m paranoid.

I wanted to see if I could replace both so I brought four pairs of the undies. Three classic bikini, one in light absorbency and two in moderate absorbency and one classic boyleg in moderate absorbency.

I experience spotting and a light flow for the first few days then a moderate to heavier flow in the middle for 1-3 days then back to a light flow.

Did they work?

The light absorbency was great at the start and the end of my period and the moderate absorbency was perfect for the middle days. I went through three pairs a day. Two throughout the day and one pair overnight.

On the heavier days when I used the moderate absorbency, I did find I was at absorbency capacity midway through the day. It was the same when I wore them overnight and found they needed changing as soon as woke up. I experienced no leakage though day or night.

I don’t have a super heavy flow but if you do at any time, you might need to use a tampon or menstrual cup as a backup.

I had a couple of events and nights out over both months and I did revert back to tampons because I was paranoid about VPL. I also didn’t want to carry a spare pair of knickers in my clutch purse. I imagined them falling onto the bar while I paid for my vodka!

modibodi

Comfort

They’re VERY comfortable and feel like normal knickers, just with a little extra padding around the crotch.

Care

After each use I rinse them out in the sink and wash them in the machine on a normal wash cycle using my regular laundry powder. I hang them on the line to air dry, ready for use the next day. There were a few days of rain two months ago where I put them in the dryer, they didn’t shrink or stretch and I had no issues with the absorbency this month, so they seem to be dryer safe.

It was a bit of a juggle trying to wash in the morning ready to be worn later that day and night when I needed the moderate absorbency all day. In hindsite, 5-6 pairs would be easier to manage without running out.

Will I Keep Using Them?

Yes!

I’m a fan and plan to buy more from the other ranges for light days and just because some of the lacy ones are so pretty.

They also do what they say, no stains, no smells and after two months of wear and daily washing, still look new.

Try them yourself

The lovely team at Modibodi are giving you the chance to win two pairs for yourself.

ENTER HERE

Kira Simpson

Kira Simpson is an environmentalist and sustainability expert. She started The Green Hub as a blog in 2015, which has since grown to become one of Australia’s largest education sites dedicated to helping people live a more sustainable lifestyle.