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Wellness > Sex + Relationships

The Importance of Healthy Menstrual Products

This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter.

Dear Menstrual Product Companies,

If you think about it, periods aren’t that complicated. Yes, they may be messy and not have the greatest side effects in the world, but women have been dealing with them since the dawn of time.

So please tell us, why are you making period products vastly more complicated than they need to be?

During us ladies’ time of the month, we already have a lot to worry about. Between an unwanted invitation to emotional mood swings, cramps, and everything else that comes along with it, we shouldn’t have to be considering the unknown chemicals we are putting into our bodies. Wait, did you just say there are chemicals in a little piece of cotton? Let me elaborate.

When you run out of feminine care products and have to run to the store to buy some tampons and pads, you usually don’t consider the dangerous substances involved when you just want to suppress your blood flow. Even if you wanted to, the FDA doesn’t make it that easy to figure out what exactly are in these items. Unlike other regulated manufactured goods, the Food and Drug Administration does not require menstrual products to print the ingredients used on the box. You would think that in this day and age, something that basic would be impossible to avoid, but manufacturers have been able to escape this for years due to the dreaded “period taboo.”

Instead, if you go out of your way and choose to research the product yourself, you can find a long list of chemicals to explain the excess of substances within tampons and pads. When I first discovered this, not only was I shocked by the limited public knowledge on this topic, but also what exactly I was putting in or near my vagina. These are products that I and many women use several times a month for many years, and imaging the lifelong impact it could have was especially concerning.

That’s when I found out about the just. company.

This is a feminine care product business that is honest and upfront about exactly what goes into their tampons and pads. All of their products are made free from dye, fragrances, and chlorine bleaching, letting you feel 100% comfortable about what is going in or near your body. just. is also working towards the destigmatization of the idea of periods, a silly taboo that definitely needs to be addressed in modern society. As the company states, “It’s not rocket science – it’s just a period.”

As a personal plug, since I’ve started using mainly just. pads (as well as their tampons), I feel so much better when my time of the month arrives. I no longer have to worry about what chemicals are in the product I’m using and feel like I can really trust the company that gives you all the information upfront.

just. May be the first innovative feminine care product I’ve tried, but there are many more out there that I personally want to look into. As one girl to another, I want all of you to put yourself and your body’s needs first. Your lady parts’ need you to take care of her and be mindful of what products you’re using.

As we all know, periods aren’t the best time of the month, so there’s no need to have unnecessary concerns added to all our problems. Make the switch to just. and take care of your health; help become the voice of change in creating clean and healthy products for feminine care.

It’s bloody simple.

 

Tara Wilson

Washington '22

Tara is currently a third year at University of Washington that is majoring in Creative Writing and pursuing a job in creative development. She is originally from Southern California, which is probably why she loves Disney and the ocean so much. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and exploring the city.