What women have to say about Always pads in Kenya and South Africa

kenyan south african women always pads

Which is your favourite brand of sanitary pads?

Well, mine is, and has been for years, the Always (Kenya) brand by P&G. I asked your favourite brand because I think it’s crucial for every woman to know for themselves what works for their unique menstrual cycle needs. A sanitary pad is an important tool in menstrual health management, which is necessary for every girl; not just in Kenya and South Africa, but across the globe.

Dealing with PMS, and the discomfort and pain that comes along with every period, every month is difficult enough, physically. Having to put up a façade and hide that you’re in pain or discomfort makes it doubly harder. Then there’s ensuring you don’t accidentally stain your clothes!

Periods are painful, but the stigma around them is what makes them such a dreadful experience. With Always, I get a feeling that I can trust it for my menstrual wellbeing, something that I have also recently found reverberates among the women in Kenya, South Africa, and other African countries, too.

Why I choose Always pads

Each woman’s experience during menstruation is different and one simply cannot draw comparisons. It is never ‘easy’ for a woman. However, some don’t experience as much pain as others. Even so, it’s difficult to be certain as the threshold for pain varies from person to person, and hence our experiences too, differ.

If there is anything that makes this monthly ordeal bearable, it’s the fact that I can rely on an inanimate, man-made invention: a sanitary pad!

Many years ago, I was introduced to the concept of a menstrual cycle by a puberty education team from Always. As part of the session, we were all given Always sanitary pads (and some very cute bags!). So, I can safely say that I began my menstrual journey with Always, and to be honest, I did try other brands intermittently (over the past few years), but ended up coming back to Always, always (haha - pun intended!).

Journalist Kristine Githua says that the Always cottony soft pads are her favourite as they provide her complete comfort and protection. (source)

My personal favourite is the Always cottony soft ultra-thin pads as I feel the most comfortable in them. They are completely safe (much like all P&G’s products), reasonably affordable, and offer me complete protection from leakages –  reducing the number of times I have to conduct stain checks.

So, I am ‘kinda’ relieved to see my taste being matched by scores of other women in Kenya and other parts of Africa, as you will notice below.

Kenyan and South African women share their Always experience

Countless women like me, who were then teenage girls, including this one blogger, began their journey of practicing menstrual hygiene with Always products. This again is because Always is one of the few brands that have taken it upon themselves to shoulder the responsibility of providing puberty education and menstrual protection in South Africa and Kenya. Girls are able to learn about their bodies and the changes happening in them, in a fun and safe way. This has been the case for myself, my friends, and younger girls in our community.

Always safe and effective

One woman from Kenya says the Always Feather Soft extra-long sanitary pad is “perfect for postpartum”, and if a postpartum mom says that the pad meets her menstrual hygiene needs, then that, ‘sista’, and I say this with experience, is the perfect parameter to gauge the efficacy and safety of a sanitary pad. If you haven’t had a baby, you cannot even begin to imagine the stuff that happens down under post-childbirth. Trust me!

An illustration showing the dissection of an Always pad. (source)

Always pads’ safety

Another Twitter user says: “I've always been using that brand. And it's like my favourite.” (@the_lateefa). And that is the sentiment of millions of women across South Africa and Kenya, who have used Always sanitary pads for years and have been trusting the brand. The fact that Always sanitary pads go through a rigorous process further confirms their safety for women of all ages.

Always affordable

Hell yeah, you’d absolutely want your sanitary napkin to be affordable. It’s a basic right and a necessary commodity. You don’t want to have to think twice about buying sanitary pads because of its price. With Always, as this user has stated, Kenyan women can buy their monthly supplies of pads at an affordable rate.

I remember how a college friend of mine would be literally writhing on the floor in excruciating pain when she had her periods and think how blessed I am to not be on that end of the agony spectrum. I always made sure to take care of dinner on these nights. You know what they say, roomies who eat together stay together (especially during our monthlies – which somehow ended up being perfectly choreographed and running concurrently. Women’s bodies are so fascinating).

Always accessible

Highlighting the easy accessibility and availability of products, one user says she prefers Always as she knows she can buy its wide range of sanitary pads and panty liners from almost any supermarket or pharmacy. And this is the key aspect of Always’ campaign to make pads accessible in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa by ensuring everyone has easy access to menstrual health management.

The consensus on Always sanitary pads in Kenya

We’re all entitled to our own opinion, be it a good review or a bad one. But I do strongly recommend each girl and woman to make the decision of choosing the right product for themselves solely based on good research, buying the right products and seeing how their bodies respond to them. Because each experience is unique and you are the best judge of what’s best for you.

I, like countless other women in Kenya, put our trust on Always.