Breaking down the stigma with Veeda

July 11, 2016

I'll hold my hands up and say that the first time Veeda got in touch with me, I politely declined because I wasn't sure this kind of post would fit with everything else I write about. But then I wrote 5 Things I Learnt From House-Sharing With Guys and one of the things I learned was that they don't have a very good understanding of periods. I dealt with this by talking about them matter-of-factly — not randomly, just when it was relevant, like if I had weird food cravings and they asked why, I'd say, 'My period is due' instead of getting all embarrassed and making up a different excuse. After all, for 50% of the population periods are just a normal part of life we have to deal with.

So, when Veeda got in touch with me for a second time to ask if I'd like to review some of their products on Toasty, I said yes. You break down the stigma by talking about things, right? Veeda's sanitary products are biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and fragrance free, and they don't contain chemicals, synthetics, or dyes. I was actually a bit shocked that this simple, natural approach is not the norm; surely you don't want to put anything too unnatural near your vagina? I was a bit concerned about the cost but luckily everything is very affordable and accessible: you can buy the range on the Veeda website and in Boots.

100% Natural Cotton Regular Tampons*, £1.85 for a box of 16
I won't lie to you, I'm not a fan of tampons, but these were comfortable and also the right absorbency for me, which helped a lot (and which is why I didn't try the Super Tampons, which are designed for women with a heavier flow).

Natural Cotton Towels*, £2.49 for a pack of 14
The first thing I noticed was how much softer the Natural Cotton Towels are compared to your standard sanitary towels and consequently they were much more comfortable — on lighter flow days I even forgot I was wearing them, and I definitely felt the difference when I switched to my regular brand at night. It felt like the level of absorbency was a little less than my regular brand — I'm not sure whether this is the case — but changing more frequently wasn't too much of an inconvenience. I'd love it if Veeda made versions of these without wings, because frankly wings get on my nerves no matter which brand I'm using, but I would still switch to these, no questions asked.

Natural Cotton Liners*, £2.99 for a box of 40
These are just as soft as the towels but thinner, like regular pantyliners. (Speaking of, does anyone else absolutely cringe at the word 'panty' or 'panties'? It literally makes me shudder.) The Natural Cotton Liners are ideal for days when you're either about to come on or you think your period has finished but you're not quite sure (periods are devious little buggers). Much like with the towels I tend to forget I'm wearing these because they're so comfortable.

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