Floating Lotus Pads Review

Floating Lotus Pads

So, cloth sanitary pads were always an idea I liked on paper but just couldn’t get 100% behind.

The first brand I tried when very new to reusable period protection were all cotton (which I thought would be a positive) and felt extremely wet, didn’t stay in position and bunched up at any available opportunity. They also stained which was extremely off putting.

A lot of brands use funky colours and loud patterns which I thought I’d be into too, but as much as I like rainbows and unicorns, I don’t care to menstruate on them.

I just wanted something simple, discreet, easy to care for and comfortable to bleed on, please.

An ethical company

Floating Lotus Pads are a small UK based, female* owned company based in Warwickshire. Their pads are designed in the UK and currently manufactured in China. They are transparent about how their products are shipped from the manufacturer (via sea, not air) and how they offset their carbon emissions by donating to reforestation programs. When placing a purchase on their website you have the option of “planting a tree” through One Tree Planted for the cost of a few extra pence. For every pack of pads sold, they also gift a pad through a number of charity projects in the UK, Africa and Asia (so far). Additionally you can donate a pad or pack through the website too.

I really love the effort this little company puts into following through with its ethics and was super excited to place my first order.

The product

Floating Lotus Pads are available in four different sizes/absorbencies. At the time of writing you can choose either a 5 pack of size small, a 6 pack containing 3 medium and 3 large, a 3 pack of XL or a value bundle of 14 pads (5 small, 3 medium, 3 large and 3 XL) which saves you £12. All packs come with a reusable wet bag. Today I am reviewing the medium and large 6 pack.

The packaging is just a simple box made of recycled kraft paper and non-toxic soy based ink and is recyclable or compostable.

Each pad is composed of three layers. The top layer that sits against your skin is grey “charcoal bamboo”. I am not certain exactly what this means but it feels like a light fleece. The core layer that absorbs liquid is made of microfibre and the bottom base layer that faces your underwear is black PUL which is what makes the pads leakproof. A thing that really attracted me to these particular pads is that they are black and grey which is discreet and has a minimal chance of staining which upset me so much when I tried cotton pads.

Each pad has double poppers to secure and get the fit you want. I really like how the poppers are colour coded for each size (size small has blue, medium has pink, large has green and XL has orange). Given I only use the medium and large, the size difference isn’t that obvious when the pads are folded up so the colour coding really helps if I’m in a hurry for whatever reason.

Before initial use, you want to run your pads through the washing machine at least once as this helps to activate their absorbent properties and also gets rid of any factory fluff you don’t want touching your body.

Performance

So, most importantly, are Floating Lotus Pads up to the job?

YES.

Honestly, these pads are a total game changer for me. They are very absorbent, the grey bamboo layer makes everything appear less “dramatic” than on a white disposable and they feel dry too, no matter how heavy my flow. I find them significantly more comfortable in virtually every way than a disposable pad.

Immediately after use, I rinse them under the tap and repeatedly wring them out until the water comes out clear and there is no visible trace of blood on the upper layer. They are then good to just chuck in the laundry. Easy.

The rinsing stage is… bloody. There is no way around it and you have to be comfortable with that. I am quite rough when I wring the water out and have had no problems with damaging the microfibre inner layer. These pads are really sturdy.

There is no offensive smell. I have an extremely heightened sense of smell (often a trait of people with ASD, my family joke I have a nose like a dog!) and I find disposable pads have a distinctive odour after a few hours. Even if my flow isn’t that heavy, if I notice this then I have to change now which means I can plough through disposables even if not technically necessary.

These pads don’t bother me in that way. Blood is blood. Unless it’s the first or just an unusually heavy day for me, I can often get away with wearing one pad all day and just change at bedtime and still feel clean.

I have had no leaks EVER. I wear close fitting underwear with a wider gusset to support the pad and for me they do not slide around. I wear the larger size at night as movement is more likely to happen then. If you have an exceptionally heavy flow at night time, e.g. you have to get up to change pad/tampon at some point, then I recommend using backup period pants or getting a few of the XL pads too.

I find the large size to be a bit bulky and I do feel a little self conscious that they may be visible in jeans (even though they’re not). I definitely wouldn’t wear that size if I was at the gym wearing leggings though.

Staining is also just not a thing for me. Admittedly I am very regimented with washing them – I always rinse each pad as soon as I’m done using it without leaving it to potentially “set” and I only use cold water to do this as warm/hot water sets blood stains wherever they are. I don’t know what happens if you can’t rinse immediately.

Out and about?

I have been using these pads since June 2020 and have since bought another pack and use them as my primary method of period protection – if I’m staying at home.

While I love my Floating Lotus Pads, so far I have not dared to change when out of the house. I just can’t quite get over walking around with a used pad in my handbag. Can’t do it.

The pads are designed so you can fold them up into an envelope shape and then they are good to just put in the included wet bag and get on with it. There should be no issue with soiling your bag or pocket and there should be no smell.

This is just a mental block for me personally, not a critique of the product itself.

The takeaway

Overall, I cannot rate Floating Lotus Pads highly enough.

I love the pads themselves and all the effort the company has put in to being as eco-friendly as they possibly can, with intent to improve.

I would definitely buy from them again!

I bought this product myself and this post was not sponsored in any way.

Floating Lotus Reusable Pads are available to buy on their site (which I recommend doing!) or on Amazon UK