Periods are natural occurances in our bodies. They suck, but they happen and there aren’t many ways around them. Like fingerprints, no two periods are the same. One person might have a light flow that lasts for three days, while the next person has a very heavy flow and severe cramps that can last for five days.
One major side effect of periods are the period products. You’ve got pads, tampons, pantyliners, pain medication, heating pads, old underwear that you wear specifically on your period so if you leak it doesn’t ruin the new underwear you just bought to replace the old ones, and chocolate of course. Every person who gets a period uses at least one type of period product and uses a lot of them. Period products can be incredibly wasteful, not to mention expensive! Luckily for us, there are lots of sustainable period products that can help us save money and cut down on waste.
- Organic Pads and Tampons
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Organic pads and tampons are an easy swap for regular products. While they still get tossed after use, the materials used are from sustainable sources and break down faster that regular pads and tampons. There are lots of great brands that sell organic products, like LOLA. They use 100% organic cotton in their products, and are cheaper than the regular products. Tampons can be purchased with a cardboard applicator or no applicator at all, and cost around $8-$9 for 18 tampons. They are also hypoallergenic, which is great for people with sensitive skin. They also sell pads, liners, cramp care (daily multivitamin and essential oil blend to help relieve PMS symptoms), condoms, and lubricant.
- Reusable Pads
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Reusable pads are another easy swap from disposable pads. They do involve a little bit more work, but it pays off in the end. Most reusable pads are made from organic cotton, and are either machine washable or hand-wash, depending on the brand. Reusable pads can be made at home from scrap cloth, but if you don’t have the time or sewing skills, there are lots of great brands out there, like Lunapads, Hesta Organics, and GladRags. For example, Lunapads makes a huge variety of reusable pads that vary in size and absorbency levels. While reusable pads can be a little expensive upfront ($12.99-$29.99), they’ll save more money in the long run.
- Period Underwear
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Period underwear is a slightly bigger step up from reusable pads. Period underwear is underwear that has been designed to be worn on a period with no pads or tampons, or as backup for tampons or menstrual cups. There is a huge variety of styles, colors, and absorbency available. Period underwear can hold anywhere from 1/2 a tampon’s worth to 4 tampons’ worth. Thinx has a great selection of period underwear available, which cost anywhere from $24-$39. They have a wide variety of sizes available (yay, inclusion!), and they use nylon, cotton, and elastane in their products. For cleaning, Thinx recommends rinsing the underwear in cold water after using, machine wash cold in a delicates bag, and hang drying.
- Menstrual Cups
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Menstrual cups seem like a huge step up from tampons, but they just require practice and making sure you have the right size. Menstrual cups are made out of medical-grade silicone, and can be left in for up to 12 hours. Tampons can only be left in for 4-8 hours, and they hold less than menstrual cups. Menstrual cups need to be disinfected before and after each period, which can be done by boiling them in a pot for 5 minutes, or by using a disinfectant wipe from the same company that the cup is from. Menstrual cups generally come in two sizes, a smaller size and a larger size. The smaller ones are for people who are younger or have lighter flows, while the larger cups are for older people or those who have heavier flows.
Periods can be messy, painful, and incredibly wasteful, but there are tons of great products available to help make periods more sustainable!
P.S. I’m actually kind of looking forward to my next period, when I can try some of these awesome swaps!