This blog is turning into a hihihi menstrual panty test but hey, as it’s a constraining thing, which happens every month… which can become annoying to travelers, I propose you a last article to present you the last brand of menstrual panties I could test, after THINX and MODIBODI.
In this article, we will talk about :
- Menstrual panties: what are they?
- Who are they for?
- How much do they cost?
- And my detailed opinion on this brand
This post is NOT sponsored.
Dans ma culotte brand review
Dans ma culotte is a French brand, whose products are made in India, which offers eco-friendly, zero waste or organic solutions for menstrual periods.
They sell washable sanitary napkins, cups, bio-degradable tampons… Strong of their experience in sanitary napkins, they have just released menstrual panties in organic cotton. As soon as they are out, as soon as they are adopted.
Menstrual panties can be used alone without any other protection or with another protection to prevent leakage.
In my panties states that “Menstrual panties are made of an absorbent insert. It will allow the absorption of menstrual blood for up to 12 hours depending on your flow. An impermeable membrane guarantees you a day without leaks.”
For the moment, there are only 2 models: high waist briefs in black & shorty in burgundy, in 4 sizes: S / M / L / XL
Who is it for?
I would say: to all women and girls who have periods.
Especially women and girls who are concerned about the environment, ethics and the composition of their periodic protection (in recent years there have been many scandals concerning the composition of sanitary pads and tampons sold in the trade). The menstrual panties at Dans ma cul otte are made of organic cotton and are Fairtrade/Max Havelaar certified
This solution is particularly interesting for travelers who don’t necessarily want to travel around the world with their stock of disposable towels or tampons (because there are countries that simply don’t sell them).
How much does it cost?
Between 32€ and 34€ per unit at “Dans ma culotte”. The delivery in Lettre suivie costs 3,4€
How to buy?
Just go to the Dans ma culotte website. The site is very well done and intuitive.
There aren’t so many models and colors as that (abundant vs normal flow), it’s very easy to find what you want.
Delivery time
Very fast, in a few days. The packaging is ultra minimalist.
As I chose Lettre suivi
as my delivery method, everything was deposited directly in my mailbox. At the top!
My opinion on “Dans ma culotte
Attention, it is clearly indicated that the panties should be washed twice in the machine at 30 degrees before use – to increase their absorption capacity.
The size
I opted for a high waist menstrual panty, size S, corresponding to an abundant flow
I have never tried the shorty, and there are two readers who complain about it so my opinion isn’t at all about the shorty.
My real size is XS, but I wear S during menstruation because of my bloated lower belly.
The Size S of “In my panties” actually corresponds to my size.
What surprised me is the “high waist” side that I didn’t guess when looking at the pictures on the site. As a comparison, you can see that it is much larger than a normal panties. All the products you see on the picture fit me well – you don’t have to look just at the dimensions but the fabric has to be taken into account as some are elastic, others are thicker…
In the case of “Dans ma culotte”, the panties are a bit thick, as if padded, so I don’t float in them. I would say that size S is well respected.
The design
Unlike other brands, the demarcation between the absorption zone and the rest isn’t super visible.
Looks like it’s the same fabric. You just notice a small line on the front. On the other hand the whole back area is lined with an absorbent insert !
I don’t really like the elastic that makes the border of the panties.
But there are two parallel borders that surely serve to prevent the leakage, which is a very good point.
Here is a picture to show you the other side, so all industrial fabrics (absorbent insert) are hidden inside, you can only see and touch cotton.
I like the fact that the label is printed directly on the inside of the panties, not on a separate label that scratches (or that is cut off and you can’t remember the washing instructions).
The composition
Interior: 80% viscose + 20% polyester.
Exterior: 95% cotton from organic fibers + 5% elastane.
All the industrial fabrics (of the absorbent insert) are hidden inside, you can only see and touch cotton (finally with 5% elastane to be a little elastic and fit the body shape).
And then, it might make you think “organic cotton ?” hello moisture and smell. I admit I had doubts, but last year I bought for the first time a tee-shirt made of real organic cotton and it had almost the same properties as a nice merino wool tee-shirt, namely no smell and a correct sweat absorption. Let’s see if its panties are effective in terms of absorption
The comfort
I don’t really like the side that is a little padded in the back.
I find the absorbent areas a bit thick.
Fortunately, the organic cotton, which is in direct contact with the skin, makes the touch very soft and pleasant – which compensates for the “padded” side of the panties.
Absorption
The model I chose corresponds to an abundant flow. It isn’t marked on the site what it corresponds to in number of buffers.
But in the other brands, I wear panties equivalent to 3-4 pads.
My model must match that as well. I have very heavy periods the first few days (day and night) and I’ve already stained the sheets because of the sanitary pads that moved during the night. With these panties, I was able to last 8 hours in a row, but not more, on a very heavy menstrual day.
Here is a picture of the panties when they are full (link to the picture, watch out especially if you are on the smartphone). What I don’t like is the halo around the red trace. Indeed, if the absorption is ensured, there is still a small feeling of humidity at all times. The fabric holds the blood well, but the surface in contact with the skin remains more or less wet, I don’t know if you see it on the picture.
The brand recommends wearing between 5am and 12pm (and not beyond 12pm) but I admit I didn’t try to go until 12pm – because the idea repels me a little.
On normal or moderate menstrual days, I can go all day without any problems, but that little feeling of wetness is still there. Because cotton, even organic cotton, does not dry quickly unfortunately.
Leak
I told you about the elastic that borders the crotch, the two elastic bands sewn in parallel seem to effectively prevent leakage at this point (most leaks, if any, will occur at the crotch). So I validate their trick. In addition, the width at the crotch is quite large, so no risk of leakage even for heavy rulers.
Then, a second problem I had with traditional protections was heavy menstruation during the night.
But here, with the absorbent zone that covers the entire back of the product, I’m quiet at night. I’m the type to sleep on my side and move around while I sleep, but there are no leaks to report either.
The absorbent part at the front is very large too, I think it will please women who sleep on their stomach, whose blood flows towards the front part.
Note: a reader told me about a leak in the crotch, one day of moderate menstruation with the shorty model because the elastics sewn in parallel don’t seem to be enough to stop the blood. I confess that I never had a leak, but I’ll let you know when it’s back.
Odor
At the end of the day, the menstrual panties smell like normal cotton panties – that you wear on a day without a period.
In short, they don’t smell like roses, but they don’t smell too bad either. You really have to put your nose on them to notice a slight smell of blood. Nothing shocking.
This is already a feat because other brands can give off a very strong odor after only 4 hours
Maintenance
Here are the instructions given by the brand.
| Pre-wash (recommended for menstruation) | Washing |
|---|---|
| Rinse by hand under water at room temperature (15 to 20°C) by gently wringing out the panties | Add the panties with the rest of the linen in the washing machine |
| Gently rub it with biodegradable stain rem over soap*, do not use a brush | Wash at 30°C maximum, preferably with an ecological detergent |
| In case of stubborn stains, let it soak for 1 hour in warm water mixed with sodium percabonate | Let it dry in the open air (recommended) or in the tumble dryer in a delicate program |
| Proceed to the washing stage. | *do not use black soap, Marseille soap or Aleppo soap |
I don’t know what you think, but having a bleeding period that lasts 7 days, having to go through so many steps can make me more tired than my period.
Fortunately, these are only recommendations. My “lazy” version also works very well: pre-wash in cold water and then machine wash at 40°C – with a normal detergent found in a normal supermarket. I imagine that my product will deteriorate more quickly because mistreated with a non-organic detergent, I will update you on this point in a few months.
The –
- The brand is French but the manufacturing is in India. To justify this choice not tip top, the brand is Fairtrade/Max Havelaar certified, which implies that all workers work in good conditions both in the organic cotton fields and in the manufacturing workshop
- It is necessary to wash the panties 2 times before to increase the absorption capacity. On Facebook, some people say they had to wash 4 times for it to be really effective. My panties were only washed once before use. But if it was so important for absorption, why didn’t the brand take care of it itself before selling them to us?
- Pre-washing and washing instructions too restrictive
- Drying time: quite long (2 days) if hand washed. If machine washed, the drying time is reduced to a day and a half
- The back is a little padded – it’s like a “diaper”
- Slight feeling of dampness – not extremely annoying but can do better
Conclusion
Absorption 9/10. A little trace of moisture but it remains bearable and better than sanitary napkins. You can trust these panties for heavy periods, but no more than 8 hours in a row.
Comfort: 8/10 (organic cotton makes it look like normal panties. But the 100% absorbent back part gives the impression to wear a diaper).
Odor: 9/10 (not completely odorless but it is already very very good).
Drying: 2/10: between 1,5 days and 2 days, how many panties in total do I need to cover my whole period?
In short, I recommend these panties to women who are sensitive to fabric composition, sustainable development and zero waste.
As far as prices are concerned, they are in the high end of the price range. There are other cheaper alternatives (such as Modibodi which I mentioned here). The fact that they take an eternity to dry makes me very uncomfortable. If you’re looking for a more expensive alternative but 0 humidity guaranteed (on the other hand, the smell isn’t great), I would advise you to use THINX instead
Be very careful which brand you buy, because there are more and more smart people who resell Chinese waterproof panties bought 2€, and call them “menstrual panties made in France”. Avoid buying them on Amazon, and read the terms and conditions and legal notices before buying. Any menstrual panty < 25€ is suspect.
