So, Februar is into its second week and it is cold as ice! It does not matter how many pairs of socks and panty hoses I put on, my feet still freeze and I’m not exactly hating it!
It most definitely beats swiping at flies and fanning yourself with locally made hand fans that crap your wrists out!
Speaking of Nigeria, I have been seeing captions on Instagram about the crazy hike of sanitary pads and I cannot for the life of me understand any of it.
Look, I get that with recession, things tend to be a little crazy but come on now. Mensturation pads are extremely necessary and to deny women in Nigeria the chance at having a bit of normalcy is just downright wrong.
Periods, a monthly time in a woman’s life that scares even the bravest of men, is the most uncomfortable time for any woman. Some women get hospitalized due to intense pain, others have to take pain killers daily until the last flow day. Some women can’t hold down meals or even leave their homes.
So for pads to not be affordable is the most insensitive thing I have ever heard.
While in school, I would spend 100 bucks (or box as is pronounced most of the time in Nigeria) for a pack and I remember how upset I used to be. I would try to stretch it so that one pack lasts for one period month and it was upsetting.
I totally hate these four to five days of constant bleeding, but it’s a sign of great health in a woman and the possibility of creating life and being a Queen.
People, especially men, get their knickers in tight twists over periods and though I am the first person to disagree with Instagram photos of women wearing white and displaying blood stains, you just can’t ignore the fact that it is a symbol of greatness.
Let’s face it, no sane woman should dare wear white on her period, but if you are brave enough to stay sane while on your dreaded period, why the hell not damn the devil and put on that “China white” outfit right?
I don’t even want to discuss how much tampons could actually cost in Nigeria. Quite a number of Nigerian women are mostly into pads and very few go the tampon way. As a teenager I hated the idea of tampons and never even bothered to try them but the truth is they are life savers.
My only problem with tampons is not being able to keep them in for more than five hours. They do say eight but mbok who is that brave? Eight hours ke? I’m a heavy flower so one hour is about as long as I can keep mine in so I’m practically in and out of the bathroom regularly.
Which is why pads are my best friends. Well, OK I use both pads and tampons but the point being pads are a lot more safe and pose no health issues.
Always is a well known brand for sanitary pads and I totally understand Nigerian women sticking with that. But there are a ton more other much cheaper brands(OK maybe not a ton) so my opinion would be for women in Nigeria to let go of Always and try to stick with cheaper more local brands.
As fancy and more popular as Always is, they are not the only makers of pads.
Before I moved to Germany, I did use Always a lot and would only buy the cheaper brands when I was completely broke and down to my last pocket money from pops. The real truth is that Always is the one brand that distibutes the thin layered pads and those are so comfy it’s incredible.
I remember when a school mate talked about the thin pads while in boarding school and we would all laugh at the absurdity of thin pads. Who the heck was stupid enough to wear thin pads? Your bleeding was sure to sip right through and disgrace you in the presence of Anyawu(the public).
But she was right! Ever since the introduction of the thin pads into the Nigerian market, the other pads stood no chance whatsoever. So it is completely understandable for Nigerian women to want to buy Always because you know….Thin pads.
Since living abroad, the Always hype died a very quick death for my period life because I came across tons of other options. Why should I have to spend over 3€ on a pack of Always when I could buy a store brand for one cent less of a euro? The supermarket brands are about a euro ninety which is still very much a huge difference from 3€ abi?
So the drugstore brands have been saving my account for long and I don’t even look at the shelf housing the Always brand. Why should I really?
For prices to go from 100 to 400 bucks is a serious felony. One the Nigerian government needs to deal with ASAP. I bet if you had a friend or relative visiting Nigeria and asks what you would like, pads would be top on the list!
It’s totally insane I swear and my heart breaks at the thought of people who cannot even afford at all, much less pay 400 naira for a pack.
Something needs to be done to fix this. In the mean time, Nigerian women need to let go of Always and purchase local brands.
However, I googled pads in Nigeria and every online market sells Always more than any other brand. I did not see Simple ( the brand with the yellow pack) and Comfort I think it was called (the blue colored pack). These brands were bloody cheap growing up and I remember I hated how big and fluffy they were but they protected me very well and they lasted.
It would be sad if these brands have stopped being produced because they were lifesavers and so reliable.
In the mean time, at the end of this post are various links to check out on making your own reusable period pads. I was in awe myself when I discovered these diy projects and I think it is a great way to save on money and keep your anger in check.
Most of the tutorials are a bit tricky to master but there are a lot of choices to pick from. Simply check them out and see which ones are much easier to follow, try them out and wait on the drop in prices….Whenever that happens.
I truly don’t fancy the idea of reusable pads but at this point, what choice do we as Nigerian women have? Plus imagine the sack full of good you would be doing the world!
Go into the markets, buy fabrics needed for this project. Hell, recycle old flannel pyjamas if you want. Make as many as you possibly can and have enough and to spare for rainy days.
You don’t even need a sewing machine in my opinion. Hand sewing with just a needle and thread should do the trick too for those who don’t own machines.
These are trying times I swear so what better way to keep your sanity as a Nigerian woman who still gets her period than to have what you need to protect yourself?
Since the crap system does nothing to protect women, we might as well do the protecting selbst oder?
It’s a lovely day today and the coming days werden auch schön sein so let’s keep our sanity while hoping for a better system!
Have a great week ahead y’all!
http://tipnut.com/free-pattern-for-washable-feminine-menstrual-pads/
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/sanitarypads.htm
http://tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-homemade-sanitary-pads.htm
