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Alternatives to Disposable Pads and Tampons

by Becca Stallings

Most menstrual pads and tampons on the market are bad for your health and the environment, External Link! but those aren't the only reasons to try alternative products. Reusable menstrual gear is just cool! It turns a period into a different kind of experience, one that I've found is more comfortable and less like being sick. Get all the details at the bottom of this page!

First, a quick explanation of the different kinds of environmentally preferable feminine supplies:


mc Reusable menstrual cup is a rubber or silicone device worn inside the vagina to collect menstrual flow. It can be reused immediately after emptying, and the only thing you throw away is your flow! The cup has never caused a case of Toxic Shock Syndrome (associated with tampons).
cp Reusable cloth pads are washed between uses. Most styles attach to panties with "wings", but Many Moons, Reddy's, and Sisterly Work make styles with belts.
ct Chlorine-free cotton tampons do not contain rayon, chlorine, or superabsorbent chemicals, unlike most mass-market tampons. Some brands use organic (pesticide-free) cotton. In addition to being better for your health, these tampons are better for the environment because their manufacture is less polluting.
dp Chlorine-free disposable pads are not bleached with cancer-causing chlorine and contain minimal amounts of plastic (which encourages yeast infections by restricting air circulation). Most brands are packed in recycled paperboard boxes instead of wasteful plastic bags, and some brands use recycled or sustainably-harvested wood pulp in the pads themselves.

If you're not ready to switch to reusables, try chlorine-free disposables. The Earth will thank you, and you may be decreasing your risk of cancer, TSS, endometriosis, and infertility! Read labels to find safer products at your local store, or shop at these online stores.

The Earthling's Handbook is not affiliated with any of these businesses.External Link!


Abundant Earth
www.abundantearth.com
1-800-513-2784
cp ctdp

Amorphous
www.amorphousness.com
mc

Arbour Environmental Shoppe
www.arbourshop.com
mccp ct

Avery Baby Care
www.averybabycare.com
cp

Bareware
www.bareware.net
1-877-934-2737
mccp

Born to Love
www.borntolove.com
mccp

California Babe Stuff
www.californiababestuff.com
1-877-423-1910
mccp

A Different Daisy
www.differentdaisy.com
cp ctdp

DivaCup
www.divacup.com
1-866-444-DIVA
mc

Earthbaby
www.earthbaby.com
1-877-602-6800
cp

The Eco-Store
www.eco-store.com
cpctdp

EnviroGards
www.hospeco.com/instit/EGpads.com
ct dp

Feminine Options
www.feminineoptions.com
mccp

Glad Rags
www.gladrags.com
1-800-799-4523
mccpct

Goddess Moons
goddessmoons.dyndns.org
1-877-551-1326
cp

Grass Roots
www.grassrootsnaturalgoods.com/
1-800-226-0924
ct

Greenfeet
www.greenfeet.com
ct dp

Green Home
www.greenhome.com
cpct dp

The Green Store
www.greenstore.com
mccp ct

Health Keeper
www.keeper.com
mc

Healthy Home Center
www.healthyhome.com
1-800-583-9523
ct

Heavenly Mamas
www.mom-and-me-creations.com
cp

Herbal Hut
www.herbalhut.com
cpct dp

Julie's Stuff
www.juliestuff.com
cp

Kasper Organics
www.kasperorganics.com
1-888-875-2233
cpct

The Keeper, Inc.
thekeeperinc.com
1-800-500-0077
mc

The Keeper Store
thekeeperstore.com
1-877-THE-KEEPER
mccp

Kokopelli's Green Market
www.kokogm.com
cpct dp

Kristin's Cloth Pads
www.kristinsclothpads.com
cp

Liz's Cloth
www.lizscloth.com
mccp

Mama Moon
store.yahoo.com/mamamoon/
mccp

Mama's Earth
www.mamasearth.com
1-800-620-7388
cpct dp

Many Moons
www.pacificcoast.net/~manymoons/
mccp

Mountain Rose Herbs
mountainroseherbs.com
cpct

My Little Stars
www.go-organic-baby.com
mc

Natracare
www.natracare.com
ctdp

North Farm Cooperative
www.northfarm-coop.com
ctdp

Organic Essentials
www.organicessentials.com
ctdp

Pandora Pads
www.pandorapads.com
1-888-558-7238
cpct dp

Pangea Vegan Products
www.pangeaveg.com
1-800-340-1200
cpct dp

Planet Veggie
www.planetveggie.com
cpctdp

Randomgirl
www.randomgirl.com
mc

Rawganique
www.rawganique.com
1-866-RAW-HEMP
cp

Real Goods
www.realgoods.com
ct

Reddy's Pads
www.reddyspads.com
1-888-873-7237
cp

SAHM
www.sahmdiapers.com
cp

Shop Natural
www.shopnatural.com
ctdp

Simmons Naturals
www.home.pon.net/simmonsnaturals
cpct

Simply Naturals
www.simplynaturals.com
1-877-509-9933
ct dp

Sisterly Work
showcase.netins.net/web/sisterlywork/pads.html
cp

Tomorrow's World
www.tomorrowsworld.com
1-800-229-7571
ct

Vegan Mercantile
www.veganmercantile.com
1-877-376-9056
cpct

Wee Bees
www.weebees.com
1-877-WEE-BEES
mccp ct


Now for those juicy details about reusable products...

A menstrual cup is incredibly convenient! Instead of packing my purse with tampons, I simply empty and reinsert the cup. It doesn't even have to be rinsed every time. It holds more than a "super" tampon, so it lasts several hours even during heavy flow. During light flow, the cup can be worn all day. It doesn't soak up water when I swim or take a bath. There's no string to catch in my clothing. Because the cup doesn't block the flow (as tampons do) and because it creates mild suction, it gets the flow out faster, with less cramping.

Using a cup saves a lot of money! It seems expensive, but it lasts 10 years, whereas that money would buy enough tampons for one year or less! Cleaning the cup takes only a few seconds and uses a trivial amount of water and soap.

The only negative thing I can say about the menstrual cup is that it's not for squeamish people or virgins. It is fairly large, and you have to use two fingers to insert it. Most women get the hang of it pretty quickly. If you're not sure you'll be able to use it, notice that it has a money-back guarantee!

I always thought I hated pads until I tried cloth pads! I'm amazed at how much of the uncomfortable feeling I associated with pads is related to the shortcomings of disposable pads. All their advanced technology can't compete with flannel and terrycloth in any way except thinness! (Cloth maxi-pads are about as thick as what was called a thin maxi back in the 1980s, before disposable pads started using superabsorbent gel.) A disposable pad feels like some kind of medical gear; a cloth pad just feels like underwear. It's like the difference between a plastic-coated-paper hospital gown and a cloth one. Which would you rather wear, a crinkly sticky stiff rustling thing that makes you feel like a walking biohazard, or an extra layer of clothing?

Using cloth pads feels like dressing for the occasion, like putting on a coat in the winter, part of the natural order of things. Using disposable pads feels like treating a medical problem. When you're forced to keep on with daily life despite an injury, you're grumpy and uncomfortable, right? Disposable pads may be contributing to the discomforts of your period more than you think. Besides, they don't come in fun colors and patterns like cloth pads do!

When you throw away tampons or pads after use, it's easy to think of your menstrual flow as dirty, as ruining everything it touches. Disposable pads' emphasis on dryness actually contributes to this, because dried flow looks and smells worse. Cloth pads tend to stay damp (especially during heavy flow) which is actually more comfortable, because you get used to it instead of feeling each surge. (This also makes them easier to clean than you might think.)

Are reusable products "gross"? Only if you think your own menstrual flow is gross. Try this: Collect all the disposables you use during a period in one bag, instead of scattering them among the wastebaskets in various places you go. At the end of your period, look at how much trash you've accumulated. Now, that's gross!


Copyright ©1999-2003 by Becca Stallings.
Last update: 2003-09-13
Maintained by Dan Efran - webmaster@earthlingshandbook.org