Taboos Part II - Shweaty Feet (Dr. Scholl's For Her Rub Shield Friction Preventer Stick)

There's a reason why these things are called taboos.

Ever since the weather has grown warmer and the heatwave suddenly hit, my feet have been feeling the effects.  That is, blisters (and, as a result, calluses) began to form on the tops of my toes--namely, on the joints between my metatarsals and phalanges.  Not only are they unsightly, but they are fuckin' ass painful.

My very unscientific hypothesis is that, because those are the highest points of my toes, they endure the most friction.  Due to the type of footwear I don for work, my feet are trapped in the shoes with no airflow.  Therefore, the warm conditions and resulting moisture (yes, from sweat) combined with the friction caused by the constant rubbing of the skin against the socks/shoes causes fluid to collect between the layers of skin--aka. blisters.

I looked for sweat-wicking socks, but all the ones I've seen are ankle socks.  Other athletic socks are extremely thick and while thick socks may contain sweat/moisture better, my feet get way too hot.

Luckily, I found an alternative.

Dr. Scholl's For Her Rub Shield Friction Preventer Stick.  I believe it was around $9.99 CAD.  Now, I'm well aware that many of you probably have lovely, non-sweaty feet.  But this may still be useful for you when you wear fancy shoes (and of course, non-fancy shoes) that pinch or squish certain areas of your feet/toes and cause blisters.  It is scentless, colourless, and has a slippery texture that relieves the friction.  I've heard some people mention that Vaseline provides a comparable effect, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is just glorified Vaseline in stick-form.

Regardless, my toes have been blister-free since using this product.  There are some small calluses now and then, but overall I think it works well for me.

- R

Taboos Part I - PADS (Always Infinity)

Yeah, so...I'm gonna talk about pads.

WARNING: If you haven't surmised already, talking about pads may include frank discussions of a certain crimson substance.  If you are offended by talking about something that is contained within every human being and every animal, including yourself, then...I don't know?  What's wrong with you?!
 
When I was a young lass, all I knew about pads were that they were shameful, embarrassing evidence of a cruel and unusual punishment against womenkind*.  While that may still be the case, no one said that this shame cannot coexist with a sense of security - that is, knowing that the hemorrhaging would stay within the confines of...okay.  I will stop.   


I must say that, as a laywoman consumer, I have observed (as I'm sure y'all have has well) and been very impressed and happy with the technological and conceptual progress of such products.  By technological, I mean that the pads of today are sleeker, more absorbent, less noisy packaging, and just plain BETTER.  And conceptually, today's commercials for menstruation products less shaming and more empowering (think: Kotex); accordingly, even their overall aesthetics appear much more whimsical and less...clinical-looking...as they are now adorned with floral patterns and contained in bright neon packaging.  

Me likey.

But of course, no matter how pretty the pad is, the most important thing about it is whether or not I can use it and feel relatively secure, as opposed to a raging fear that I would inadvertently advertise my fertility on the seat of my pants.


So, the point of this post (after four paragraphs of rambling...): Always Infinity is THE pad.  Whether it's the daytime or nighttime one, it is the bee's knees.  The cat's pajamas!   The horse's foot!!!!!!  Okay, I made that last one up.  I'm sure a lot of you are already using this, but for those who aren't...please give this a try.  By the way, this is not a sponsored post, haha.  Our tiny little blog has hardly achieved the level of viewership that would compel any company to send us free shit.  Although, I really would not mind if I get a lifetime supply of these pads.  Just sayin'.

It says this in the company's website:
Always Infinity is a pad like no other. It's the only pad made with an incredibly absorbent material called Infinicel, which is super thin but can hold 10x its weight. Now that's powerful absorbency like you've never experienced before. Its revolutionary new wings are designed for secure protection and less mess on the sides. The microdots help channel fluid deep into the pad and away from you, helping you feel dry. And the form-fitting channels and soft cover sheet provide great leakage protection that's so comfortable, you might just forget you're wearing a pad. 

Now, I definitely never "forget" that I'm wearing a pad.  I mean, that shit just ain't gonna happen.  Nevertheless, I agree with everything else that is stated here.  It IS a pad like no other.  Actually, I first tried this pad out when it was distributed as a sample to my door.  It was pretty much love at first...wear.  I could not believe its retention capacity (ew).  In fact, you can hardly tell that there's anything on it until you see the reverse side.  Then you're like, ZOMG HOW IS IT DOING THATTT???!!!  To be quite frank, the previous generations of pads definitely have a way of telling you that it needs a changin'.  As in, they leak.  Overflow.  This crazy Spongebobadoo has never allowed that to happen.  Therefore, while they are slightly pricier than regular pads (around one or two bucks, depending on where you shop), they will not let you down.  I like to stock up when they are on sale.  Yes, that would be me with the four boxes of pads, a tub of ice cream, and Cheetos in my arms.  (This happened in real life and not during the time of the month.  Just a regular ol' Thursday night.  Yes, the bagging man stared at me and smirked creepily.)  


By the way, I've heard the arguments against mainstream commercial pads in favour of natural pads.  While I totally and completel understand the sentiments and admire those who can abide by them,  I'm sorry, but...ew, gross.  I, myself, haven't reached that stage of zen yet.


That is all.  Thank you for reading.

-R 


*In case there are folks who think I am being misogynistic, please know that I actually have come to appreciate the miracle of menstruation.  It's no longer something that I feel "ashamed" about, but you've gotta admit it can be quite inconvenient.  Nevertheless, I've even come to appreciate the extreme bloating that precedes the actual "experience."  Just think, it's your body's means of preparing for and coping with what is essentially a form of trauma that it is about to undergo.  It's awe-inspiring, really, the miracles of the body.)