I think there were two possible scenarios to your own birds and bees, his and hers conversation; either you totally knew more than you let on and were horrified, terrified and excited by the whole subject or you had no idea what this embarrassing and embarrassed adult was talking about and you were still horrified, terrified and excited. Awkward and as cramped as that may have been, "Menstruation", my period, flow, the painters, your friend, the visitors, me yolks, whatever you call your menses, is a bodily function and a monthly affair and I think it is an extremely important issue to talk about.
The different choices of all the monthly feminine care products available was brought to my attention approximately one year ago. I have to credit an old co-worker with shining the light on this for me. I shamefully admit that I was in ignorant bliss about the rag(e) pads. I never really considered what happened to the used ones after I skillfully rolled them up like a thick cigar and strategically placed them in the bathroom bin so they couldn't be seen by other bathroom enjoyers and I blithely forgot about them and went about my day.
My take on tampons. Let's get a little uncomfortable and red faced.
In my humble opinion there are two different types of girls. The Tampon v The Towel. For the men reading out there, there is a kind of superiority stance taken with girls who only use tampons against girls who solely use pads. Tampon users turn their nose up at and are completely disgusted by pads and that is fine, that's a preference but please don't judge me because the simple fact is I'm not skillful enough to actually use a tampon all the time. I'm really just completely jealous of your innate ability and what I see as superior femaleness. I know I'm not doing it right, I've known for years and yes I've spun myself into a ball standing on one leg trying and yes I can feel it. The them versus me inferiority complex is driven by the fact that I feel I haven't fully mastered the tampon and it's probably a bit late for me now. On the occasion that I can't feel it I'm thrilled and feel like a lay-dee, a winner if you will. I do use them when I need to. I mix it up a little when I can, variety is the spice of life and all that but my preference is a magic carpet with wings.
The important stats in all of this are: The average women can use upward of 12000 sanitary products in her lifetime, be they, tampons, pantiliners or towels. But where do they go?
Now I love being female. I am much more deadlier than any male (disclaimer: I'm not). I love makeup, I love clothes and Pinterest. I'm lazier at being committed to both my daily makeup routine and the heels as the years go by. This down to being a bit more comfortable in my bodily form and becoming a wise old woman, never mind my dodgy knee and wonky ankle. As a female, we get to doll ourselves up and make ourselves pretty even if we're not feeling so. I certainly do not have the inner strength to walk into a heaving bar on a weekend night in the centre of Dublin or any city and especially small town having just thrown on some aftershave or moisturizer with nothing but your wallet and personality to make you charming, let alone wander through the streets with their prying unforgiving eyes, exposing your natural visage as most men do. Of course I'm making a sarcastic joke, nobody cares about your personality.
Again I'm being a facetious just for the funny, but seriously as a female we could be a little more educated about the environmental impact of our choices.
Annoying writing, are you seeing red yet?
Well like a red rag to a bull, the animal's and environment's woes anger me or just make me sad. Sounds a lot like my PMS. I don't know what I'm feeling. I think I'm hungry.
Lets go back to the average woman again; all of her feminine care waste will end up in a landfill and the most of it will be incinerated. So with this in mind, shouldn't we at least be exposed to the idea of using biodegradable or reusable items, natural eco and animal friendly products that are good for your body, your furry friend, now now, the animals of course and the environment. And if not one the other?
I had a lovely "live chat", my first one, with a fantastic customer service agent on The Honest Company website. They were extremely helpful and informative. The products used in their feminine care line are biodegradable. However if we use biodegradable feminine products, the majority that end up on the landfill will not decompose because landfills are so tightly packed that air cannot get in to break down the materials, a necessary component for biodegradability. Please don't think of composting yourself as they contain human fluids and therefore will create a serious bacteria problem and lets face it that's just gross but they can be brought to a municipal composting facility in your area. I had another prompt response from the Seventh Generation customer service team, their products are not biodegradable. However both companies use natural chlorine free products, they do not test on animals and as that's one of my aims I am sold on these and now a customer.
I've been toying with the idea of reusables for some time now but I haven't gotten around to testing them out. The tampon terror has traumatised me. The reusable items include, A Diva Cup, A Soft cup or a Moon cup or using the alternative to disposable towels, reusable washing cloth napkins. I know people who use many of these reusables and swear by them. Once you get over the gory factor and get used to using them apparently they are as easy as 1,2,3 and very economical as well. Talk about monthly savings and we all know monthly savings equals more money for food!
From my research, what I've been both told and read is that with the cup you have to get used to it and practice makes perfect. Personally I am more inclined to seriously consider doing the laundry than washing the dishes every time I go to the bathroom, but that's just me, as I said I know girls who are cupped and are extremely comfortable. I imagine that when using the reusable cloth towels one would simply have to be prepared and have enough on hand for the 5 to 7 days of bliss. I have yet to find the cloth versions in any store I've been to but when I see them I will buy and let you know, this issue is very important as I have another twenty odd years of this cycle to go. If you can save money, the environment and the animals, you'd feel pretty good about yourself and I'm all about ego, sorry I mean altruism.
I have reviewed 3 animal friendly, natural, chlorine free feminine care towel products below and two of them use biodegradable products. I am fully converted to using these options in the future. I will continue to research and try The Honest Company's range and the reusables. (the Honest Company's range was not available in 3 stores I walked to). The cup I might leave to others…... All 3 brands also have a tampon and pantiliner selection available.
I understand that money is usually at the fore for people when making these choices. I know that the animal and/or earth friendly items can be a dollar or euro more expensive, but it is worth exploring the different options out there. Don't worry I'm done, I just fell off my pulpit.
Natracare. I bought them at Whole Foods and they were ridiculously expensive at $6.49, but they are available for cheaper in other retailers and they are also available world wide. Nourish in Dublin stock Natracare products for approx €4 as do Waitrose in the UK and other independent health food stores. If you cannot find them asking your local retailer is a good option. They are 95% biodegradable and compostable and completely cruelty free. These are great. They look and feel like a natural product especially the outer net layer of the pad. They fit and feel like any other pad and are absorbent and thin. I'm happy with this product. My concern would be for a very heavy day but you could just keep an eye on that.An alternative to Natracare in Ireland and the UK is from Holland & Barrett. They stock Gift Sanitary Towels for €4.45 and have a 100% biodegradable outer packaging. They are not tested on animals, contain no animal products and are chlorine free.
Organyc. I bought this in CVS and again it was a little on the expensive side at $6+, but you can buy them for cheaper at $4.79 in Walgreens, Drugstore, other retailers or online. This towel is slightly thicker than both the Natracare and Seventh Generation pad, and is my favorite out of the two organic natural cotton options (Natracare & Organyc). However you wouldn't know it was any thicker when you use it as it is extremely comfortable, soft and absorbent. It has a "best bio product 2015" sticker on it and it's biodegradable and made in Italy. 
seventh generation Ultra Thin pad is brilliant. I really like it. It was the cheapest of the three at $3.99. It is natural and both cruelty and chlorine free. It is not biodegradable though. These pads feel amazing, are ultra thin as stated, completely soft and very absorbent. My only concern was with the biodegradability. The packaging at least should be and the plastic pocket could have been too. However they are a great cruelty free option. Definitely worth trying as the layer is very soft and I'm now fully converted to the soft top sheet as opposed to my old previously used for years plastic feel tested on animals brand. They also do a pantiliner range that have less packaging in a recyclable box. These are great too.
All content (writing and photographs) is my own and original unless otherwise stated. Copyright © 2015. Ruth S
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