Blood on my legs and drunkenly dropping it down the loo heres what happened when I tried the w

I’M not easily embarrassed but the thought of washing my menstrual blood off a tampon applicator in a public loo filled me with dread.

The DAME, the world’s first reusable applicator, arrived in the post in a stylish silver and green Oliver Bonas-style tin. It wasn’t pink-washed like a lot of other feminine hygiene products, which was refreshing.

I’m all for saving the planet. I’ve recently switched to metal straws and started using a cotton face cloth. Trying the DAME, dubbed an “award winning applicator for comfortable, plastic free periods”, seemed like an eco-friendly next step.

The average woman uses over 11,000 disposable sanitary products in her life, resulting in 200,000 tonnes of waste from tampons, pads and panty liners every year.

Just one DAME applicator can save up to 12,000 disposable ones.  It fits light to super-plus tampons, and in your first subscription box you get 34 free tampons.

I was also attracted to the money-saving aspect. It’s a reusable product, meaning when you’ve handed over £24.99 you won’t have to pay a thing again.

• D. The Reusable applicator, DAME, £24.99 – buy now

Given we spent roughly £1,400 on tampons over our lifetime, that’s an enticing prospect.

I tried the applicator for the first time at home, which was lucky because it was fiddly and I had a few failed attempts.

There are three pieces – the outer cover, the applicator and the separate ‘plunger’. They were more complex to handle than a standard applicator tampon, where everything is built in.

During a heavy flow, I ended up with blood all over me

I kept trapping the tampon string in the applicator, which frustratingly meant when I removed it, the tampon was pulled straight back out again.

But, thanks to the smooth casing, it felt more physically comfortable than using a plastic or cardboard one.

And, once it’s in, it’s pretty easy to take out. The only problem then is: how the hell do you clean it? The DAME packaging says the applicator is self-sanitising but I always washed it with hot water and dried with loo roll.

When I was in a public loo I noticed women giving me side-eye and one even asked what I was doing.

I was OK with that but if you’re shy or a bit squeamish about your time of the month, it might be an awkward situation.

On one occasion, during a heavy flow, I ended up with blood all over me. I got it all over my legs and hands. I couldn’t really handle that. I was already irritable and hormonal.

I managed to drop it down the loo after a couple of glasses of champagne

I started having periods at around the age of 12. I was on a family holiday in Portugal and it wasn’t at all like I expected. I thought I was dying.

Since then they’ve been quite mixed: some months they’re light, other times the cramps are so bad I’ve had to take a day off work.

I normally use tampons and period-proof underwear, depending on the day of my cycle and what I want to wear.

Everything you need to know about the world's first reusable tampon applicator

DAME is a reusable tampon applicator, which fits any brand of tampon, lite to super plus.

It's made up of three parts: The Lid + The Applicator + The Plunger

To start with, take off the lid. Then pull out the plunger and place your unwrapped tampon inside the applicator.

Make sure the tampon string is in the string lock hole, and freely hanging down towards the floor.

Next up insert the applicator into your vagina at a 45 degree angle and use the plunger to push the tampon into your vagina.

Stop pushing just before the plunger clicks into the applicator - your tampon’s now in place. Gently withdraw D from your vagina, leaving the tampon safely inside you.

And you're done! Simply rinse and wipe your D after each use and you're good to go.

After each use, simply rinse your D under the tap and wipe with a tissue or towel, ensuring it's completely dry. In between uses, keep the lid on and store D in your DAME cotton zip wallet.

There's no need for dishwashers, boiling water or harsh treatment when it comes to D. These will just shorten its lifetime and compromise its antimicrobial properties.

During my DAME experiment there were a few awkward moments.

I went out for birthday drinks with friends and, because I wasn’t yet a pro at using it, I managed to drop it down the loo after a couple of glasses of champagne.

I felt gross about using it so rinsed it underneath the tap and put it back in my bag for the rest of the night.

There were a couple of occasions where things got a little messy, but I think that’s normal for a novice.

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After using the thing a couple of times it was pretty simple to use - just make sure the string is tucked inside the soft bit of the applicator before you push the ‘plunger’ bit inside and try to use it.

By this point, aside from the toilet incident, I felt like a pro. I'll be ditching the disposables and sticking with this from now on.

Meanwhile, writer Erin Brown spent a week using the Mooncup, a reusable, medical grade silicone menstrual cup.

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