Product review: Always Infinity

I've been in a "feminine protection" product rut for several years now. Once I found stuff that works tolerably well, I just kept buying that same stuff. For several years I've been buying Always regular pads and Playtex tampons. Why mess with success, right? I tend to be suspicious of all the "new and improved" products--what's the advantage of having a braided string on your tampon, honestly?

On Sunday I had to buy new supplies for the first time in a year (long story). Usually I'd just buy my regular stuff, but the Infinity stuff was on sale. It was still a little more expensive than the regular pads, until I spied a coupon somebody had forgotten! With the sale and the BOGO coupon, I was sold. I got a large box of the regular absorbency and a smaller box of the ones for heavier flow.

When I first opened one up, I thought it was really strange looking. The front is narrower than the back, and the slip that holds the wings in place even says which direction is the front. The top layer is a soft sort of mesh. The next layer has horizontal slits cut out of it near the back, and a collection of small holes near the front of the pad, where most of the liquid would land. I wasn't sure what the point of those holes was, nor if this ridiculously thin pad would be worth messing with.

After my first use, though, I was impressed. Whatever this "infinicel" foam is they use to make these, it's amazing. It's like very thin, very flexible sponge. The blood gets channeled down through the small holes, to the bottom most layer of the pad; the top stays amazingly dry. The foam also absorbs an astounding amount of liquid--and it doesn't well back up to the top layer until pretty much the entire length of the pad is saturated. When it gets to that point, though, even a light touch will cause fluid to well up, so suddenly the entire length of the pad will show red. Still, it controls it well--I didn't ruin any underwear using these.

On a day like today, I usually would've used five or six of the regular "heavy flow" pads, and probably a couple of tampons as well. Actually, if I hadn't had to work, I'd've spent the day sitting on towels in case of leaks and taking frequent showers. Instead, I've used three regular flow Infinity pads and one heavy flow. That may sound like a lot for one day, but comparatively, it's amazing. Yesterday I only used two pads all day--because not only are they crazy absorbent, they're very durable. After eight hours, the wings were still firmly stuck, the mesh top of the pad was still intact, and there were no signs of the inner layers of the pad starting to break up or flake like some pads will.

My skin wasn't irritated by the pad, which is an improvement over others; it didn't come unstuck and end up adhering to my skin; the wings didn't chafe the insides of my thighs; it didn't bunch up or feel like it was migrating backward as I walked; and it handled even my heaviest, most obnoxious flow--during the dinner rush, no less, when I couldn't go to the restroom for hours. I'd say these pads are just about perfect; they're pretty damn impressive. My only complaint is that they are a little pricey, so I'll probably make a strong effort to always have a coupon to use, but even if I can't find a coupon, this is a product I'd be willing to pay full price for.