Code red. Aunt Flo. Shark week.
Whatever you call it, each month you get your monthly subscription to womanhood. An all-expenses-paid entrance into mood swings, cravings and pain. You have to worry about keeping your emotions in check and your cramps to a minimum. But, something that you shouldn’t have to worry about is unknowingly putting unwanted chemicals into your body. When you venture down the aisle in CVS to pick out your tampons, pads or other feminine care products, you’re not thinking about all of the disastrous things you could be putting inside your body each time you attempt to stifle your flow. Truth be told, it would be kind of hard to figure it out even if you wanted to know. Unlike many other products regulated by the FDA, feminine care products are not required to print their ingredients on their boxes which means you don’t really know what all goes into the thing you’re putting in or around your vagina. Manufacturers have been able to get away with this for years because society kept the idea of a tampon or a period taboo and out of sight. Now, many activists are calling for the disclosure of ingredients by the major tampon retailers but it’s not happening quick enough.
But, what’s the alternative? Do we choose to bleed in the streets rather than risk infection or an unwanted health risk simply because manufacturers don’t feel like telling us what’s going inside our bodies? I don’t think so.
Instead, I support products like just. who are upfront and honest with exactly what goes into their tampons. Their products are made free from dyes and fragrances and let you know exactly what you’re putting in or near your body. Their goal is to destigmatize the idea of periods and womanhood and uncomplicate the process of having periods.
Personal plug, I have tried the just. tampons and they work great for me. I tend to have a lighter flow so I tried their regular size tampons. The product was comfortable and practical and left me with a peace of mind knowing what I was and wasn’t putting in my body. But, if tampons aren’t for you or you have a heavier flow, just. has alternative sizes and pad options.
Though, just. is the first innovative feminine care product I’ve tried, there are many more out there. So, I urge you to look past the convenience of the age-old brands displayed excessively in CVS and put yourself first. Your vagina needs you to look after her and pay caution to what you put into her. You owe it to yourself to use a brand that cares, it’s that simple.