Lunapads Review

Let me first of all say, I have a love hate relationship with lunapads, there are things I love about the pads and the company itself (check there website and blog, they have a ton of info on lunapads and reusable pads in general and want to spread the word about cloth pads etc) but there are so many “little things” I dislike about them and that adds up to a big thing.

For those of you not familiar with Lunapads, they are a base and insert type of pad, meaning you have the base that you snap into your underwear and add inserts of top of the base (under ric rac bands) and you can just change the insert throughout the day, leaving the base in place for the whole day.

When I first heard of lunapads, they sounded great! I loved the idea of a liner on top of a base so they were easy to freshen up throughout the day. At that time I thought this idea was unique to Lunapads and maybe it was when lunapads started out? But there are other brands out there that offer the same “style” as lunapads (which I will talk about in another post)

They offer a free sample pantyliner to new customers; you just have to pay the shipping. You don’t get to pick colours or even what style of pantyliner they send you, I think they have 4 sizes. They sent me a teeny pantyliner in the print apple blossom which is exactly the size and pattern I would of picked, I was thrilled! It was soo soft and comfortable and a good fit for me, the only thing I didn’t like was that the wings were too big, when it was snapped into place, the wings sort of hung down between my legs and could feel the snap on my inner thighs, the option of adding an additional snap would solve this problem, none the less the liner stayed in pace well and i had no issues with bunching.

I had heard a lot of negative and positive reviews of lunapads, and one thing that was common throughout was the shrinking issue when they are washed. Even lunapads will tell you that they shrink. I’m a pretty open minded person and realise that nothing is ever perfect so when my liner shrank slightly it wasn’t a huge deal, it just doesn’t look as pretty but is very functional. The flannel top didn’t shrink just the cotton around and under it so it looks a little funny. I don’t know why lunapads don’t preshrink their fabric, it’s not that hard to do and the negative reviews thy get are mostly about shrinking and warping.

Another negative thing associated with lunapads is the price, one maxi pad with one liner insert is $16.00 (us) which is a shock to the system at first, but when you add 4 extra inserts to last you one day it brings it up to $29, so it seems very expensive, but it’s a 5 in 1 pad you have there! And should last you the whole day. If you were to buy a days worth (or 5 pads) from another brand it will be a lot more expensive. 5 10 inch blossom pads will cost you $50 for example. 5 treehugger in the same absorbency will also cost you $55! They are other brands that are more than $12 per pad so in reality you are actually saving buy using luna pads! I paid in € but it’s just easier here to use $ for quick comparison.

I’m saying it load and clear; Lunapads aren't “the most expensive” which is what I keep reading, it’s CHEAP!!

I decided to order the mini starter kit which included one maxi pad with 1 regular liner insert and one winged liner insert, and a mini pantyliner. This don’t seem to offer this kit any longer.

 I was a little surprised by how thick the pad base was, they look so thin on screen. Adding a liner makes them a little too bulky for my liking, it’s hard to explain, not just the fact that they are a little thick, they are just a little uncomfortable for me, BUT I did get used to the feeling and then it was fine. I now sometimes prefare a thicker pad. On this order, I noticed the stitching was not that great, and after the first wash there’s a little bit of fraying due to them being overlocked, they won’t fall apart or anything that bad!

mini starter kit

mini pad and insert

I then got the mini pad, thinking that because it was smaller it would be more comfy for me but it was the same just shorter which I kind of say duh to myself now! I added 2 extra liners to my purchase. Now here’s where I come to another little thing I don’t like, the pack of 2 liners where not the same size or width as each other and neither of them were the same size as the one that came with the pad, one was in no way symmetrical either, it’s no big deal but it’s a little annoying, when there are other small things you don’t like, lunapads are a big “small” company so they isn’t really a reason why these things should happen. This is supposed to be an 8inch pad but it shrank to 7inches when I washed it which is too short for me for any sort of flow. I’m not sure if I’ve ever even used it?

2 mini liner inserts.

All of these were purchased as maxi inserts.

I also own a few pairs a lunapanties, some where bought directly from lunapads and some I got from feminine wear (I don’t think the sell them anymore) I love these for overnights and everyday underwear! I plan on getting more.

I’ve summarised the pros and cons to make for easier reading, it may sound like I don’t care for lunapads so much, I do, but i want to give precise reviews and pick out every little thing, as what may not bother me too much, could irritate the heck out of others.

As I said at the beginning, I have a love hate relationship with them but I DO love them and will probably get more at some stage! I have my eye on their overnight pad.

Pros of lunapads:

Great customer service
very absorbant pads and pantyliners
pretty fabrics
fast shipping
Great company ethos
Works out very cost effective
you can customize your absorbancy by adding more liners
They air dry really fast after washing, so you could use the same liners the next day easily if you wished.

Cons:
Not the best construction wise
teeny fiddly snaps get annoying!
Wings too long
Shrink and warp

The inserts pill up quite a bit.
Not much consistency in terms of size and shape.