After learning about all of the ingredients and chemicals that are put into certain brands of pads and tampons, I have been on a journey to a more natural self-care method when it comes to my time of the month. It’s taken some experimenting with different brands for the past two or three months.
Target has become one of my favorite places to shop (I mean it already was but that’s beside the point) because they have a large selection of more natural feminine hygiene products than Walmart. In this article, I’ll be exploring two of my new favorite brands and breaking them down for you.
The Honey Pot Company
I was first introduced to this company through a Target advertisement that made a certain group of individuals mad. The owner, Bea Dixon, is a Black woman, and she basically expressed that she wanted little Black girls to know that entrepreneurship is a possibility for them. Which made sense in my opinion being that business ownership isn’t the easiest feat to achieve for African Americans or the Black population in American in general.
Related: See Black Business: Building a Community
When I discovered that some of the products were released in my own area’s Target a few months later, I had to go buy to support Dixon and her values. All of the products in her line are plant-based. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus on her menstrual pads.
I bought the Regular Herbal Pads with wings and was in for a shock. It was spicy down there when I first wore the pad. Spicy meaning it was the same sensation as chewing mint gum and breathing but…down there. This makes sense as the main ingredients on the packaging said mint, lavender and aloe. I quickly got used to the sensation though and found that it actually helped the cramps I experienced throughout the day.
These pads are cotton with wings and they do not contain artificial fragrance, parabens, carcinogens, pesticides, or chlorine. After wearing it for a couple of hours I didn’t see any cottony balls or anything weird. The wings stayed exactly where I needed them to. I give it a 10/10!
I have not been able to get them again, unfortunately, because my Target no longer sells them and they are seemingly sold out…everywhere. Thanks, TikTok! This brings me to my next product…
LOLA
I discovered LOLA looking for a Honey Pot substitute in Walmart. I did not have high expectations especially since the only boxes they had in the store for regular pads with this brand were six-packs.
Ehem…six-packs.
I bought it because I only had a couple of pads left from my Honey Pot pack. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a very comfortable pad. The wings are lightweight and firmly stay in place during wear. The shape reminds me of a panty liner, which is probably why it was so comfortable to wear throughout the day. I ended up going back and getting two more packs for my next cycle.
The only issue I have is I don’t know exactly how natural the product is because the only thing they advertise is a 100% organic cotton topsheet and core…what that means exactly I’m not sure. They don’t seem very transparent with how natural the pad is like listing what isn’t within the pad (like the Honey Pot Company does). For that, they get an 8/10.
There you have it, collegiettes, two of my current favorite menstrual product brands! Here’s to being more conscious of our lady bits.