Review: EcoBibi Reusable Menstrual Pads

中文版

By Jane Voodikon

One day six or seven years ago, I was compelled to sew my own menstrual pads, and ever since, I’ve been making and using my own. They are my period product of choice: In addition to reducing the amount of waste I create with pads and the money I spend on my period, I find that cloth pads are more comfortable than disposables—and I feel that I experience less cramping and fewer infections.

So I was very eager to try out some of the commercially available Bibipads. There were, after all, some issues with my homemade pads that I never managed to overcome—specifically, appropriate closures. My hand stitching was never durable enough to keep metal snaps on, and besides, they rusted; and Velcro was irritating against my skin. I also wanted to see if the “leak-proof layer” Bibipads (like many well-known cloth pad brands) offers was indeed leak proof. (For my homemade pads, I had simply used polyester fleece, which is moisture-resistant and non-slippery—but it wasn’t a perfect solution. Sometimes it leaks, and sometimes it slips.)

The Bibipads arrived from Shanghai to Chengdu within several days in a very nice box with a handwritten note from Bibipad founder Brigitte. The box included:
One large-sized Bibipad
One medium-sized Bibipad
One small-sized Bibipad
One Bibipads waterproof carry pouch
One packet of ecoBibi “multifunction washing powder”

The pads arrived in separate, sealed packages (made of biodegradable cellulose, according to the info card) with information cards (printed on recycled paper printed with soy ink) contained therein. The cards offer instructions in English and Chinese (and diagrams!) on how to wear, how to fold, and how to wash the pads, as well as some general information on the benefits of using the pads.

A separate information card offers additional facts about using cloth pads and more detailed use and care instructions. It also informed me that Bibipads “are made in China using fabrics made of three layers of 100% cotton and one layer of coated polyester to make the product leak proof but breathable” and that “cottons and flanelles are guaranteed free of lead and formaldehyde” and “metal snaps are guaranteed free of lead and nickel.”

The pads are a somewhat untraditional shape that provides wide coverage than the traditional oblong and features pointed wings that snap underneath the panty crotch. My pads came in a blue and green ditsy floral print with a pale turquoise underside; the metal snaps were professionally applied; and all edges had been serged in matching thread. The pads all fold up to a compact size—thicker than many disposable pads but not as tall or as wide.

The carry pouch is a drawstring-type pouch, and because the waterproof cloth is quite stiff, it’s hard to pull the drawstring to a complete close. But that’s only a minor foible; I usually use any spare plastic bag that’s handy to carry my pads anyway, and they certainly don’t seal completely.

I tried the large size (28cm) on the second day of my period—almost always my heaviest day. The shape, thickness, fabric, and closure of the pad were all very comfortable. (The tag did chafe my leg slightly, but it does explicitly state to remove it before use). The functionality, however, wasn’t quite as good: There was some leakage down the sides, and a slight amount through the “leak proof” layer, but nothing out of the ordinary (it’s a rare cycle that I experience no leaking whatsoever). This also could have been prevented if I’d changed the pad earlier, but I am just not the kind of person who’s in the habit of doing that. On subsequent lighter-flow days, when I tried the medium (23cm) and small (17cm) sized pads, I experienced no leakage problems. An extra large size (34cm) is also available, and that would have probably been a better choice for my heavy days. Other solutions are placing an additional layer on top of the pad, which can be changed as needed, but such a product is not (yet) available from ecoBibi (I use large squares of cotton flannel folded business-letter-style).

EcoBibi is a relatively new brand that also sells mother-baby products such as cloth diapers, changing pads, bibs, and so on, and seems to really be focused on creating eco-friendly made in China items. As far as I can tell from my Internet searches, they’re the only supplier of cloth pads on the Mainland (I’ve located one other in Macau but the logistics of ordering seemed slightly daunting). A limited selection of prints is available, and the designs seem to change periodically. Bibipads retail from RMB30 to 49, which is slightly lower than comparable pads available from overseas on Etsy or from leading U.S.-based producers of cloth pads.

Bibipads are available on the ecoBibi Taobao shop (http://ecobibi.taobao.com/)

There is plenty of information available on the Internet about the hows and whys of making the transition (either totally or partially) from disposable pads to cloth pads. Here are some links to get you started:
http://clothpads.wikidot.com/
http://www.clothpads.org/
http://www.thegreenmama.com/blog/greener-and-healthier-menstrual-cycle
http://www.flickr.com/groups/loveofcloth/

爱可比可重复使用卫生巾

译者：Tiffany
校对：Tang

6.7前年的一天，我被迫缝制自己的卫生巾，并从那之后，我就开始使用自己自制的卫生巾了。它们是我月经期的选择：除了减少我来月经时因使用卫生巾所产生的废物和我在月经期所耗费的金钱，我发现布料卫生巾比一次性卫生巾使用起来更舒适———我也感到我受到了更少的束缚和更少的感染。

所以我非常迫切地想要尝试做出一些可卖的可供使用的比比卫生经。但终究，在我自制卫生巾的过程中有些我从来没有能够克服的事情发生了——明确地说，合适的封口。手工的缝合一直都不能持久固定金属扣，另外，他们还生锈了；维可牢还刺痛着我的皮肤。我也同样想看看比比卫生巾的“防侧漏边”（就像许多知名的布料卫生经牌子那样）是否确实防漏。 我的自制卫生巾只用聚酯羊毛，它很防潮湿并且不滑，但这种材料并不是最完美的。有时它会漏，有时它还会滑掉。

比比卫生巾从上海到成都几天之内就能到达，它们被放在一个很漂亮的盒子里，并附有一张比比卫生巾的创始人 Brigitte 的手写纸条。一盒里面包括：
一张大号比比卫生巾
一张中号比比卫生巾
一张小号比比卫生巾
一个防水的便携比比卫生巾小包
一包爱可比“多功能洗衣粉”

卫生巾是独立，密封包装的（据说明书介绍，包装是用生物降解纤维做的），还有一张信息卡（用大豆墨水打印在可回收的纸上）包含在内。卡片上提供英文和中文的使用说明（还有图解！）如如何用，如何折叠，还有如何清洗卫生巾，同样也有一些使用这些卫生巾的好处的大概信息。

还有一张单独的信息卡提供其他的关于使用卫生巾和更多护理指导的详细内容。它同样告知了我比比卫生巾是“中国制造，有三层百分之百纯棉纤维和一层外包聚酯边来防止侧漏但它们是透气的”并且其中的绒布是保证无铅和甲醛的。金属扣是保证无铅和镍。

这种卫生巾在形状上多少有点和传统卫生巾不同，它比传统长方形卫生巾覆盖面积更大，并且具有两个护翼可以在裤裆下用扣子扣合。金属扣是专业制造的，并且卫生经所有的边缘都用相匹配的线来缝合。所有的卫生巾都可以折叠成一个压缩形状，比传统一次性卫生巾更厚，但没有它们那样长或是宽。

便携包是一个抽带式小包，由于防水布料有些硬，所以很难将抽绳拉紧到完全闭合。但这只是个小缺点。我通常使用一些空的便携塑料袋来装我的卫生巾，但是它们根本一点都不密封。

我在我经期的第二天试了试大号（28厘米）的卫生巾——第二天几乎是我整个经期中流量最多的。这个卫生经的形状，厚度，纤维，和闭合程度都让我感到非常舒适。（那个内标签的确有些微擦伤到我的大腿，但它确实明确申明了在使用之前应该剪掉。）然而，实用性来说，并不是特别好。顺着边缘处会有一些漏，防漏层也会有少许量露出，但是一切都还算正常（我还从来没有体验过真正的完全无漏的聚拢中心）。而且如果我更换卫生巾早一点，这一现象还是能被避免的，但我不是那种保持那种习惯的人。在接下来的量少的日子里，我试了中号（23厘米）和小号（17厘米）的卫生经，就完全没有侧漏问题了。一张特大号（34厘米）的卫生巾也可以用，但用在我量多的日子里是比较好的。对于侧漏还有另一种选择，可以在卫生巾上再放一小层护垫，可以根据需要来更换，但是这种产品在爱可比还买不到。（我用的是一块大正方形商务信函样式的折叠棉布。）

爱可比相对来说是个新的品牌，同样也销售母婴产品诸如布料的尿布，替换尿片，围兜，等等。似乎专注于创造环保的中国制造品牌。到目前为止，我在网上搜索布料卫生巾，他们是大陆唯一的供应商。（我也曾关注过另一家澳门的品牌，不过订单的物流费让人望而却步）。你可以有限地挑选卫生巾的图案，而且他们的设计好像也是定期会更新）。比比卫生巾的价格从30-49元不等。相对而言比在国外网站如Esty和leading U.S.(布料卫生巾的制造商)那买到的卫生巾便宜些。

比比卫生巾能在爱可比网店(http://ecobibi.taobao.com/)买到。

在网上有更多的信息关于如何，为何要做从一次性卫生巾到布料卫生巾的转变（无论是总体原因还是个别原因）。以下有一些链接，你可以从这里开始：
•http://clothpads.wikidot.com/
http://www.clothpads.org/
http://www.thegreenmama.com/blog/greener-and-healthier-menstrual-cycle
http://www.flickr.com/groups/loveofcloth/