You stick a pad in the morning and by lunch it's somewhere else. Shifted back, bunched in the middle, wings come loose. That's rarely your fault. Usually it's down to what the pad is stuck to.
The usual reasons
- The fabric is too smooth. Microfibre, satin and lace look nice, but pad adhesive doesn't get much grip on them. It holds much better on flat cotton.
- The gusset is too narrow or curved. A lot of briefs have a narrow, single layer gusset. The pad is wider than the fabric under it, the edges stick to nothing, and it comes loose as soon as you move.
- The fit is too loose. If the fabric at the crotch doesn't sit close to your body, it moves with every step. The pad moves with it.
- The fabric travels. Briefs and thongs ride up into the creases between your bum and thighs when you walk. Whatever is stuck in the crotch gets pulled along.
- The adhesive has given up. Warmth and moisture weaken it over the day. A pad that has already been peeled off and stuck back on rarely holds for long.
What helps, whatever you wear
- Stick the pad on while the fabric lies flat, not once it's halfway pulled up. Press it down firmly, edges included.
- Fold each wing around the edge of the gusset and press it down. Don't just let it hang on.
- Wear something that sits close at the crotch. A snug fit holds a pad better than a loose one. Our size guide helps if you're unsure.
- If it slides back at night, a longer night pad with a wider back end helps more than anything you wear.
- Change the pad once it starts to come loose. Pressing it back down rarely lasts.
Why boxer briefs can help
Boxer briefs have a leg. The fabric doesn't end at the crease of your hip, it ends on your thigh, so it can't ride up into the creases as easily. The crotch stays where it is, and so does the pad.
That only works if the gusset is made for it, though. Plenty of boxer briefs have a seam or a narrow strip of fabric at the crotch, and a pad doesn't hold well there either.
What we did differently
Our boxer briefs have a gusset made from two layers of organic cotton. It's flat, so the adhesive has something to hold on to. The wings fold underneath it and stay there.
What they don't do: they don't absorb anything. They aren't period underwear. They hold your pad, they don't replace it. Here's the difference.
And no boxer briefs can promise a pad will never move. What a flat, two-layer gusset stops is the sliding and bunching you get on a narrow, curved one.
Ours
Designed in Berlin for women, trans and non-binary people who want boxer briefs that work with a pad. 95% organic cotton, 5% elastane, and the same pad-friendly gusset in all three lengths:
