4 reasons why people hate hot water bottles 

Periods can an be a total b****. There’s the bloating, never-ending hunger, and more emotions than you never even thought you had! None of that compares to the struggle of trying to fight off period pain - whether that’s in your stomach, back, thighs, or anywhere else! 

Lots of you use painkillers every month and many even have to take stronger medications like co-codamol which can be such a downer on mood! Either way, since we can remember, the go-to therapy has been a hot water bottle. Isn’t it funny how there hasn’t really been any change to that? You might be thinking “if it isn’t broken, why fix it?” - but we ALL know just how annoying and inconvenient hot water bottles can be! They’re an outdated, clunky inconvenience that we put up with because we’ve grown up with them. 

As with many things like this, we don’t think about the downsides until asked - so we decided to conduct our very own poll to find out what annoys you most about using hot water bottles. This is what you said:

1. Too cold, too quickly 

We’ve all been there: we fill the kettle up, wait for it to get hot, and painstakingly try not to burn our hands off while filling up our hot water bottle. Then we FINALLY get down to Netflix (or bed… or both). At first it’s too hot, then it cools to the perfect soothing temperature… and then before you know it, it’s too cold! So what do we do? We cling on to it as long as possible hoping that it miraculously stays warm! Eventually, though, you just have to face it and pause Friends, just so you can go and start all over again!

So what’s the difference? Our Monthly Patches slowly release the eucalyptus and menthol essential oils over 12 hours. This means there is no need to EVER get up to refill anything! Put on your patch in the morning, go all day, and then replace it before you go to sleep. Nobody, and we mean nobody(!) likes waking up in the middle of the night to go and fill up your hot water bottle! Just ask them honestly.

2. Burning and Scarring

Another concern that came up from our poll, is the risk of burning or scarring. Many women with PCOS, endometriosis and similar conditions often use hot water bottles before and after treatments as well as during flare-ups. 

Using heat for inflammation can cause your blood vessels to close up after just 30 minutes. Some research has shown using heat for inflammation can permanently damage your capillaries. Erm...WTF?! Why does no one tell us this before using a hot water bottle?! 

The BeYou Monthly Patches are made from medical grade cotton. They contain no toxic chemicals as the menthol and eucalyptus essential oils are steam distilled, meaning they aren’t mixed in with any nasties. We even made sure our Monthly Patches were registered with the Vegan Society - which is an achievement in itself as the process is so stringent.

3. They’re not practical 

They’re bulky, it’s difficult to hold them in the right place, and they’re not practical at ALL if you’re on the go or on your feet. Our founder Kru used to use hot water bottles while at work when she had severe period pain. Her colleague said that it was unprofessional to use a hot water bottle in the office. What the hell?! Kru decided that she had had enough with being period-shamed while at work. That’s why she and her brother, Hemang, founded BeYou with the Monthly Patches. 

Hot water bottles are a relic! You can wear the Monthly Patches anytime, anywhere, day or night. It’s completely up to you! They can be comfortably worn under clothing as they are 6 x thinner than a 10p coin. That’s right, the patches are less than 0.3mm thick and they fit easily into your bag so you can even use them on the go. Say goodbye to yesterday’s hot water bottle, say hello to the BeYou Monthly Patches. They can take some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll never look back!

4. Eco-friendly 

People tend to forget the carbon footprint of everyday objects. For example, many people tell us that hot water bottles are more eco-friendly to use vs a one-use patch. However, if you take into account the energy it takes to repeatedly boil your kettle over the course of a period, you'd be quite surprised! By all accounts making a pack of patches produces less CO2 equivalent than boiling a kettle over the course of a period (in fact, our early study showed it was 5x less!).

We're getting this study done right now so we can quantify exactly how much better it is, so watch this space! As for disposal, our packaging is made from recycled plastic and is in turn easily recyclable, and the patches themselves biodegrade within a matter of months, not decades. Try recycling the majority of hot water bottles in comparison!!

The Monthly Patches are made with you in mind. They are made to fit your routine and lifestyle no matter what your day to day is like. At BeYou we believe every woman is different that’s why your BeYou Monthly Patch subscription is totally flexible. You can try your first pack and if you like it, you get a code to get your 1st month’s subscription for free! That means you pay £3.99 for your first 2 months! Remember, you can skip months, change how often you receive them, or even receive more - it’s all in your control! Yes, you can cancel from right within your account too!

Throw away your hot water bottle and sign up for BeYou Monthly Patch subscription today!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! Drop us a message on our live chat, the BeYou Team would love to answer your questions. Or you can hop on over to our Monthly Patch FAQ page.