We love seeing videos from GladRags fans, and getting a glimpse of the diverse types of women who swear by reusables. In this post you’ll find a few of our favorite YouTube videos sharing information about GladRags products.

We hope you enjoy watching, and encourage you to leave comments for the awesome women who made them!

In this super informative video, Dalene from The Natural Fertility Shop explains how to use GladRags Day Pads and the Moon Cup. We love how professional her video is!

In this video, the Patriot Nurse explains why reusables are a necessary preparation for when “the poop hits the fan.” Whether or not you’re part of the preparationist movement, you’ll learn a lot from the Patriot Nurse!

Tarot Lady Lissa shares her review of GladRags pads in this video. Best part? Her young daughter helps out, too! Way to start promoting period positivity early!

Taylor may be young, but she knows her stuff! She’s part of The Girl Gurus channel on YouTube that provides info on important topics like how to deal with your period at school or how to tell your parents that you’ve started. In this video, Taylor reviews the Day Pad and Pantyliner and gives you a peek at our zine, Menstruation Sensation.

Have you made a video about GladRags? Send us a link!

“After the birth of my second child, I bled very heavily. The extra thick, extra long disposable pads kept the bleeding contained but they were very uncomfortable and caused major chafing. I started using folded hand towels in my underwear at night and around the house because the material felt better and I noticed that when I used the cotton towels, there was no funky odor.

One day while shopping at Whole Foods I happened by the women’s section and saw GladRags. I bought a 3-pack of regular pads and a night pad. I was instantly pleased! I had the same results as using the towels – but without the extra bulk and with even more comfort – and I could wear GladRags out and about. My cycles have always been heavy and I have always needed the extra length of overnight style disposables. The daytime pads weren’t long enough for my cycle needs, so now that I’m a GladRags user, I only use the night time pads because I need the extra coverage. I am so very pleased with this product!!” — Keely

“I have had trouble for 19 years and just was told I was allergic to sanitary napkins and tampons and was told to order the organic sanitary napkins from GladRags. I ended up ordering the napkins and the DIVA! My life has completely changed! I have to say I was pretty angry that I was unaware of any other option to manage my cycle. I want to shout from the rooftops to everyone about how wonderful these products are. I have now used them for 3 months and will never turn back. Even if you are hesitant to try a menstruation cup – TRY IT! Keep in mind it took time to get used to a tampon. The DIVA took some time and figuring out but it was all worth it.” — Laura

We love to hear from you! Send your GladRags story to orders@gladrags.com.

I’m in China, where no one leaves home without their own small package of toilet paper because it is not supplied in public toilets anywhere, and where most of the toilets are the hole-in-the-floor Asian kind. I’m also in my 60s, so squatting to go is not something I can do very well. That’s where my GladRags pads come into play. Just like the Chinese don’t leave home without their toilet paper, I never leave home without wearing my GladRag to keep leaks from ruining my long days teaching and standing on my feet, and to keep me from having to run up and down five flights of stairs (no elevators in my school) between the ten-minute class breaks. GladRags are indispensible to my life here in China!

Thanks to Linda C. for sharing her GladRags story! Send us yours at orders@gladrags.com.

Every so often we like to share a few of the love letters and rave reviews we get here at GladRags. Have your own story of how reusables changed your life? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. We love you too!

I am so glad my sister bought me my first set (and the set I still use) of GladRags about 4 years ago. They were the most useful gift I have ever received. Every time I use them, I feel so good about myself for keeping all those pads from going into the landfills. I live in China, so I was sharing with one of my Chinese friends how I don’t use disposables. She was shocked, and related to me that all women in the Chinese countryside used to use something similar to GladRags (and some still do), only until recent years. When I informed her of the impact on the planet and how this isn’t gross at all, she decided to get on board and have her mother make her some cloth pads too! Some people I talk to still think cloth pads are gross, but I hope to change their minds too. My Chinese friends have really taught me so much about reducing, reusing and recycling. I hope I can share some of this knowledge with them too. — Amanda

Thank you very much for your outstanding product! I just received my order this week and love my new pads. I cannot believe how comfortable they are and how fresh I feel! There is nothing like soft flannel against your skin! I wish I knew about these sooner. I bought my first few liners from Earthward in Amherst, NH and then contacted your company and placed a larger order. Thank you for the prompt shipping and awesome customer service! I will be telling all of my friends about your awesome company! I am doing a great thing for my body and the Earth as well! Thank you GladRags! — Kristine

I must have bought my first set of three purple pads in 1992, that was the year I moved to Portland. I bought a second set of three about a year later. Both sets are still with me and working fine. The second set of black envelopes (with orange patterned inserts) has gotten a bit threadbare, but honestly, I think I’ve had them 18 years and they’re still quite functional! The sewing around the edge hasn’t lost a stitch. One of the best investments I’ve ever made environmentally and financially! — Katrina

GladRags user Kirsten sent in this story about her new use for her cloth pads.  Thanks for sharing your experience, Kirsten, and for reminding us how versatile GladRags are!

I originally bought some Glad Rags to try after a long and frustrating battle with repeated infections and skin irritations after my period. They solved that problem immediately! For the past several months, however, I have found a different use for my GladRags. I have been undergoing fertility treatments. These treatments require frequent internal exams and other equally unpleasant procedures. The nurses are always suggesting, “You might want to wear a pantyliner after this…” After the last procedure I had, a kind nurse left a traditional pad sitting on the counter for me to use before I left. I picked it up, smiled, set it back down, and took my organic cotton overnight pad out of my bag. Thank goodness. I can’t imagine how I would deal with daily skin irritation on top of these treatments. Thank you!

Do you use your GladRags for something other than menstruation?  Let us know your creative ideas in the comments section!

Yesterday we received a letter from a customer who wore her GladRags Pantyliner through a security scanner and was so traumatized by her resulting TSA genital search that she wanted to warn other women. (Read her letter below). Her past history of sexual assault made this experience a nightmare for her. At first we thought yes, we will warn people not to put themselves through this risk.

But on second thought, we want to ask every willing woman, menstruating or not, to put a GladRags in her pants and go through the scanner.  Let the TSA learn to recognize that a menstruating woman is probably not a terrorist! (And, yes, we know myriad jokes can be made be about that statement).

The fact of the matter is, everyone is subject to an invasive search. For some women and men it causes great stress and perceived violation. If you can handle the experience fairly stress free, help clear the way for our menstruating sisters for whom a genital search by a group of strangers is a truly traumatizing experience.

So get your GladRags on and get to grandma's house! Over the river and thru the scannners!  

"This email isn't going to be as polished as I would normally send, but I'm upset and I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else (if I can stop it). I recently traveled via air, and was subjected to that new scanning device. "No problem," I thought. I was wearing jeans and a linen tanktop, bra, panties, and one camoflauge pantyliner. I'm a rule follower, so I never have any problems at the airport. Not this time. I was stopped, and then held for 15 mintues while they tried to find a female supervisor. I couldn't get to my bag, my shawl or my shoes; just standing there while the TSA agents kept me in one place. Now, I don't want this to be about bad TSA agents; they were doing their job, they were as delicate as they could be, etc., etc. But what ultimately happened is that I was subjected to search so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assualts. Why? Because of my flannel panty-liner. These new scans are so horrible that if you are wearing something unusual (like a piece of cloth on your panties) then you will be subjected to a search where a woman repeatedly has to check your "groin" while another woman watches on (two in my case – they were training in a new girl – awesome). So please, please, tell the ladies not to wear their liners at the airport (I didn't even have an insert in). I'm a strong, confident woman; I'm an Army vet (which is why those camo liners crack me up), I work full-time and go to graduate school full-time, I have a wonderful husband, and I don't take any nonsense from anyone. I don't dramatize, and I don't exaggerate. I'm trying to give you a sense of who I am so you won't think that this is a plea for attention, or a jumping on the bandwagon about the recent TSA proposed boycott. I just don't want another woman to have to go through the "patting down" because she didn't know that her glad-rag would be a matter of national security."

This blog post originally appeared on My Red Tent.  We thought it was just to cute and funny to not share with the GladRags community!  Thanks to GladRags Guerrilla, Lafan, for allowing us to re-post it.

Who would have thought that a Gladrags cloth pad could double as a teddy bear cast.  Thank you to my kids for creativity and good laughs!

Just to shake things up we are going to bring to a back-to-school rave review from one of our happy customers on sharing the joys of reusables with her daughter.

6 years later and I still couldn’t be happier using cloth pads. In fact, my daughter couldn’t be happier. Well–maybe—I just got her a beautiful Green Lunette cup for her 18th Bday!!! She has been using cloth from day 1 of her period—and I would hate to see her leave home and feel the need to switch to disposables or –gasp—tampons because of laundry issues etc. So I am giving her the gift of a lovely green cup to help her along with her ‘green’ and reusable future Gladrags were my very first purchase for myself and my daughter–and I am happy to order again! -K.B.

We recently received this email from Leslie, a GladRags customer, who reminded us that choosing reusable products now will save you money later on!

Disposable pads have been a necessary evil most of my life. I cannot use tampons yet the pads cause irritation and even rawness. When I learned of GladRags several months ago, I scoured the site. I read every page top to bottom. I admit to snickering when I read a testimony, “How did I live without these”? Well, I am here to say that I agree with that lady. My life has changed for the better since I started using them. A few months ago, my husband (the sole provider) lost his job. I soon had a new appreciation for the GladRags realizing that buying pads would have added a financial burden that we just could not have overcome. So, with renewed joy in my previous purchase of GladRags, I send my testimony and thanks for a wonderful product that has served well in multiple situations.

How have GladRags changed your life?  Let us know; we love to hear from you!

May Monthly Friend: Sarah Fauber

Name: Sarah Fauber
Age: 31
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Current location: Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation: Self-proclaimed Jane of all Trades: nutrition and supplement specialist, childcare and pet-care provider, jewelry designer, soon-to-be self-published cookbook author, and seamstress.

Interests: Bicycling, party and small event coordinating and participating, VH1 “reality” TV shows, cooking and food research, reading.
Dreams: I have always wanted to own my own shop. It would be a place that could incorporate all the things I love to make and do and share with people. GladRags would definitely be available at my store.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: 8 years
Reason for making the switch to reusables: I made the switch after 3 years of hesitation. Primarily I was looking for an alternative to tampons that would alleviate vaginal dryness, be cost-effective, and not contribute to waste in the environment. It took a couple of months to get used to The Keeper menstrual cup but then I was so happy with it I bought one for a friend and she’s been using it for the last 7 years. I am continually enthusiastic about other benefits such as the reduced risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, not having to remove my menstrual cup when I urinate, never having to worry about packing tampons with me because when I need it my menstrual cup is already on my person. And I love reusable pads as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to my menstrual cup or just as added protection. I’m always informing women I know or meet about reusables.

Funny anecdotes, deep thoughts, or anything else you’d like to share: For years I’ve had bouts of Menorrhagia, excessive menstrual bleeding. Sometimes my periods would be so heavy I would have to use two super-plus tampons and an overnight pad just to make it 3 hours. Occasionally my periods would last for over a month. The first time I was diagnosed with Menorrhagia I had never heard of a menstrual cup but wished something like it existed. The third and last bought of menorrhagia occured about 7 years ago and having my menstrual cup made going through it so much easier. During this time I finally correlated weight gain and consumption of hormone enhanced dairy with my bouts of Menorrhagia. After weight loss and a switch to organic, r-BGH free dairy it has never returned. It would be an amazing opportunity for women to be consulted about menstrual alternatives at their gynecological check-ups. And I’ve often wondered what possibilities would occur if GladRags menstrual alternatives could be a part of sexual education for young women. Here’s a funny little anecdote about a time at work when I was informing a female co-worker about menstrual cups she exclaimed “that sounds right up my alley,” and I replied “literally.”