Reusable Sanitary Wear Review - Eco Lily
Mel Newton
Let me start by introducing myself; my name is Mel and I’m the Lead Project Director here at The SuPer Project. I’m on a mission to help menstruating people find the best and most suitable methods to manage their periods.
One thing that’s really stuck out to me since starting this project, from both my own experiences and conversations I’ve had with others, is that the reusables market is incredibly confusing! Although reusables have arguably been around for centuries, their resurgence in popularity over the past decade has led to a massive influx of reusable sanitary wear onto the market. As a result, many people are left wondering what options are best for them, particularly as large corporations vie to take our hard earned money towards the newest, shiniest, most fashionable item. This issue is further exacerbated by the societal stigma surrounding period poverty with many people feeling uncomfortable discussing the options with friends, family or even sales people. If you feel like the reusables market is overwhelming you, then I hope this new blog series will help you untangle the complicated mess that is the sanitary wear market.
Over this upcoming series of blogs, which will be published every first friday of the month, I’ll be on a mission to try as many different brands and options as possible, so you don’t have to! If there’s one thing I’ve learnt so far in my role at The SuPer Project, its that every brand has positives and negatives and it’s about choosing an option that’s right for you and your cycle and therefore with these reviews I’ll aim to give you a well rounded view on each item.
I’m going to kick the series off by discussing Eco Lily. I purchased this brand from Amazon back in February, my period had taken me by surprise, I only had 2 pads to hand and even in an emergency I couldn’t bring myself to buy disposables, so thanks to Amazon’s speedy next day delivery I was able to get these on super short notice and for a fairly reasonable price. The pack I ordered was a 6 pack (3 Medium + 3 Heavy), which comes with a waterproof travel bag, at the time of writing this pack listed on Amazon for £19.99 and has an 4.5 star rating based on over 5000 reviews.
The Pros:
These pads are unbelievably soft to the touch and comfortable when worn.
Super easy (and cheap) to clean, they barely stain, even without rinsing before putting in the wash.
These pads are both reasonably priced AND easy to get quickly and discreetly via Amazon.
The travel bag they come with is great - it comes with 2 pockets meaning you can keep your clean and dirty pads separate while on the go.
The Cons:
Questionable advertising: the tag line on Amazon says they are bamboo but further research showss the top layer is actually polyester based fleece with just a small amount of bamboo inside. Being a plastic based material, polyester isn’t the most vulva-friendly material.
Polyester based materials aren’t the best at moisture wicking, meaning these kinds of pads aren’t able to pull the moisture away from your skin. I find with these pads you often feel as though you’re sitting in moisture with little being pulled into the pad. This is especially noticeable when rinsing the pads, the water literally sits on top of the surface of the fleece, even after multiple washes.
Things to note…
These pads are quite long, with the medium being 10 inches long and the heavy being 12 inch. Whether this is a positive or negative entirely depends on what you’re looking for from your sanitary wear. If you’re looking for a longer pad to protect you from spreading flow, particularly during the night, these will do the trick! However, if you’re looking for a more discreet option these aren’t for you. That being said they do offer a light flow version which is only 8.6 inches long.
The take away…
These are a great starter pad if you’re just getting into reusables thanks to their price and easy access.
Being easy to clean makes them a good options for those not quite comfortable handling their menstrual blood. That being said, you get what you pay for - it’s made with cheap materials, like polyester, meaning if you are looking for an environmentally and vaginal friendly product, this might not be for you.
I hope this advice was helpful! Next time we will be looking at M&S period pants. Got an idea of sanitary wear you want us to review? Message us via the contact us page or on Instagram @tigersuperproject.
Disclaimer - This blog is the opinion of Mel Newton based on her own personal experiences with products listed and does not necessarily reflect the views of The SuPer Project or Tiger Community Enterprise CIC. We hope through this series to encourage open and honest conversations around menstruation and sanitary wear. This is not an advertisement and we have no affiliation with Eco Lily or its associated brands.