By now you all may know I like to "go green" when I can, which is why I used cloth diapers. I even went as far as to make some of my own. Before I made any purchases for my cloth diapers or any of my materials, I did a lot of research. I spent countless hours looking through shops in person and online. While searching, I came across cloth pads. I remember I thought, "Oh, that's weird," and moved on without looking into it further. It always stayed in the back of my head, though. So, not long ago, I decided to look into the cloth pads and other alternatives to their disposable counterparts.Turns out there are a lot of brands and options.
First, I wanted to touch on some reasons people switch to reusable and more natural products.
- Disposable pads are made from fossil fuel derived petroleum products: bad for you and the planet.
- Many pads get flushed down the toilet, going into the ocean untreated.
- Most disposable products are not made with organic fibers which means you are being exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. It's easy for these chemicals to be absorbed into your body.
- Many women have reactions to the scents that are added to these products.
- Some women feel that the disposable products degrades the natural process of their bodies and that disposables make it feel more like an ailment than a natural occurrence.
- Many women who use reusable products claim they have less cramping and lighter periods.
- A lot of women who aren't using disposables claim they no longer suffer from "period odor".
- It can be fun collecting all the fun designs and choosing which fabrics, materials, an designs you want to use.
- Using reusables saves money!
Cloth pads
Cloth pads come in all kinds of shapes, styles, materials, colors, and whatever else you could think of. The options are almost endless. You can opt for just using a terry cloth towel in your underpants to buying a PUL lined pad with a hemp absorbing core and everything in between. This is all great, but cleaning is obviously one of the first turn-offs we face and we tend to just curl our noses and run away. I did quite a bit of researching and it doesn't seem like it's too bad. Also, from what I've read, most cloth pads don't leave ... dare I say ... the period odor some women are familiar with, because the soiled pads don't have any of the chemicals that are in the conventional disposables to react with. So now you may be worrying about bulk. There are materials out there that are super thin and extra super absorbent. There's a material called Zorb that stands out in my mind, or if you want to go more natural, bamboo or hemp are good options. I've seen regular flow cloth pads half as thick as disposables. I also think these could be a better option because of the rubbing from plastic disposables on your legs. If you want to know more, I recommend going here. It's a great youtube channel. She can answer just about every cloth pad question you could possibly come up with. If you do a quick search for cloth pads, you will find tons of online stores - from major retailers to etsy sites.
Cups
This is a product I know a little less about, but it's an option that many women like. Basically, it is an alternative to tampons. From what I understand, the product is made from silicone and it is exactly what it sounds like. It's a tiny little cup with a stick-like bottom. I've watched a few comparison videos between cups and tampons and the sups actually seem to hold a bit more than most tampons. Every few hours you empty it, rinse it, and use it again. There are special cleaning products you can buy for them and most come with a storage bag for in between uses. Each manufacturer is different, but some last up to a year. You can find a bunch of videos on youtube that show you what they look like and who prefers which product. There is a video on the cups on the youtube channel link I placed in the cloth pad section of this post.
Reusable tampons
There are a few different options to tampons besides the cups. Some women use sea sponge as a tampon replacement and some women use cloth tampons. They can vary between rolled cotton or even knitted.
It's important to remember that TSS is a possibility with feminine products - especially those which are used internally. Do your research and talk to your doctor. Some fibers are more prone to harboring the bacteria which cause Toxic Shock Syndrome. It's always important to follow cleaning directions or any other instructions on how often to change the product, etc, etc when using these products. I am by no means a doctor, I just like to share the things I find with you. Using green alternatives is great and sometimes cute and fun, but be safe.
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