It's Earth Day!
And this post is for all the ladies who want to know how to save the world (and save money 😉) by changing to environmentally friendly feminine products!
Now before you get down into this post, you should know, there will be period talk and there may be some TMI moments... so be warned.
That being said, I'm a clean freak and by no means will I tell you to ditch your hygiene habits to save the environment... I mean, I'm all for saving trees, but a girls gotta have limits...
Did you know, the average woman uses roughly 11,000 tampons throughout the course of her life?! 1 woman can throw away around 300 lbs of applicators, pads, and tampons in her lifetime! And you spend roughly $2,100 on solely tampons over a lifetime. That's not including other period protection or pills used to combat cramps, etc. Our periods are bleeding us dry here! (pun intended) If you just type "tampon waste" into Google, you'll see a bunch of articles on the waste of feminine products and how they impact our environment.
For years I used Playtex Sport tampons. They were my favorite tampons on the planet. The applicator was so friggin' easy! And they never leaked.
"So... why?" you ask. "Why would you change something that's so perfect? If it ain't broke, don't fix it..."
Well, my inquisitive friend, I was introduced to the first product on this list and I became very very curious as to what else I could be missing out on. Continue below!
1. Menstrual Cups
I feel like I could do an entire blog post just on menstrual cups... and maybe I will. But, for now, I'll give you a description on what they are and why I love them.
My coworker introduced me to menstrual cups a year ago. At first, I was very unsure of how it would work and it all sounded really weird to me. But then, she told me you (usually) don't have to empty the cup for almost a whole day... You can keep it up there collecting your "you know what" for (up to) 12 hours. Which means, no more tampons, no more waste, no more looking for a bathroom in a panic when you've hit that 4-6 hour "I'm gonna bleed through my pants if I don't change this now" mark.
I know what you're thinking, "don't you have to touch it and don't you get it everywhere when you take it out? Is it really worth it? What if my period is REALLY heavy?"
Okay... you DO have to touch the cup. Sorry. But, it's honestly not bad. Once you get the hang of it, you reach in, pinch it to release the suction (yep, suction keeps it place) and pull it out like a tampon. It has a little tail (which you may have to trim like I did) and everything to help you get it out neatly. It doesn't get anywhere, if you're careful and you just pour it in the toilet. Then you rinse or wash your cup and reuse it.
Lunette comes with a natural, vegan cleanser that you can use with it and it smells divine!!
When you do become more comfortable with it, (it takes time and failures and a couple of breakdowns of frustration) it's so worth it.
You don't need to worry if your period is like "The Shining elevator doors" heavy, they have different sizes for that and one cup can hold twice as much as a super plus tampon! You'd be surprised at how little you actually bleed when you see it collected. (ew, I know)
I LOVE the fact that you can reuse it. No more going to the store and spending $8 or more on a box of tampons every month and thinking that you should be able to write these things off on your taxes because you're literally throwing your money into the garbage...
Sleep with them in! They won't give you TSS or put chemicals into your body. They're vegan, natural, safe and odor free.
My coworker used the Diva Cup and I did my research and decided on The Lunette Cup. They're all relatively the same, but I recommend you do your research, look at reviews, and pick whatever you think suits you best.
If you get one and it doesn't work out, try another brand.
Like I said, I'll do a post on all of this if you want to know more about how to use them and what brands are good and so on.
Do your research. The reviews speak for themselves.
2. Lola Organic Tampons
Okay, I'm usually not into these subscription based feminine thingy's that may or may not work and may or may not make it to your door.
But, this one is actually pretty good! I started looking into LOLA to see what all the hype was about and I came to find that it's really not that much more than regular tampons, they're organic, and you can customize your box!
They want you to know what's in your tampons and what you're putting in your body. No bleached, chemical, synthetic garbage. I never really thought about what was in my tampons before LOLA.
Customize your pack with however many you want of each size (18 total) and decide what kind of applicator you want. I get 3 light tampons, 5 regular, and 10 super. Then you can send it once a month, twice a month, every other month, skip months...whatever! You have the freedom to make it work for YOU and YOUR period. The best part is, it's only $10 a box or $18 for 2!
They're organic, biodegradable, high quality tampons that don't leak and don't cost much more than regular ones!
What's not to like?
3. Thinx Underwear
This is for all you pad lovers out there.
These are the weirdest/coolest things on the planet. They're literally underwear that acts as a pad. It sounds super gross, I know.
They have a special lining that collects all of your stuff and keeps it off of you. You rinse them at the end of the day, throw them in the wash, and use them again! They're a wonderful invention in my book.
I like to use them for lighter days when I don't feel like wearing anything or the first day I may get my period. But, they have all different sizes and types to accommodate all shapes of woman and all flows. They have a heavy flow pair that holds up to 2 tampons' worth! They have thongs too for light days or to wear with your tampon or cup for backup.
They're really comfy! They feel like underwear and they're not heavy or weird.
Use this link and get $10 off your first pair:
I hope you guys try some of these out if you haven't already! They've all changed my period game.
If you try them, let me know what you think. Happy Period-ing!
