Female Hygiene and Menstrual Products: What’s in them? Are there alternatives?

Periods. It’s a topic most don’t want to discuss. The most periods are talked about is in our group of girlfriends when we talk about what birth controls we are on and how it affects our periods, sometimes making us not have one at all or when we’re complaining because it is that dreaded week. 

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I have been in contact with an amazing organization called Period Movement who is working to make period conversations more universal. It is imperative that society stops labeling female periods as taboo. We are charged tax on hygiene products, embarrassed at school if we’re seen with a pad/tampon on the way to the restroom, and the worst of all, homeless and underprivileged women have to use paper bags and other found materials because female hygiene products are seen as a luxury not a necessity.

Most people don’t know that the generic and name brand products that we grab off the shelves on any female hygiene aisle have horrible chemicals in them. I have even seen people tear apart a pad which had garbage and recycled waste in it. Not only are we using these products ourselves, but parents are giving these to their tweens and teens that are just starting their periods. We have been victim to products that don’t have our best interests at heart – they only care about profit. They design pink and purple boxes and packages that our visual subconscious gravitates towards. We pick them up and head to the check-out without a second thought. Why would a company that makes hygiene products put chemicals and waste in them? Knowing how sacred the vagina is and that it can be prone to irritation and/or infection? 

On top of these products are on and in our vagina – this organ connects to other very important organs; the cervix, uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. We are using these dangerous products that can cause UTIs, yeast infections, and even scarier, cancer.

I want to spotlight a brand of female hygiene products that focuses on a woman’s health and well-being, not profit. (They even make high-grade latex condoms that are free of glycerin and paraben.) The brand This Is L. makes organic cotton products that women can have a peace of mind using near and in their lady parts. Organic cotton is the only material that should be used to make these products. L. makes sure that their pads and tampons are also chlorine-free, rayon-free, fragrance-free, dye-free and pesticide-free (yeah… I just said pesticides. Just take a minute to think about that).

A Way to Make Periods Easier

One of my favorite things about this brand is that their delivery program allows you to choose the terms. You can decide whether you need the products monthly, bi-monthly and you get to choose how much you spend. They have 3 options to choose from; one product for $4.95 (plus $2.00 shipping), two products for $7.95 (free shipping) or three products for $10.95 (free shipping). You can customize your package any way you want – pads, tampons, and liners. It really doesn’t get much better than that… but it does. 

This Is L. is a one-for-one program which is something that is very near and dear to my heart. When you purchase a product from them, they donate a product to a female entrepreneur in a developing country. Not only are you protecting yourself with healthy plant-based products that are safe to use. You’re also helping to provide that same assurance to a woman in need. 

My hope is that this post has planted a seed in your mind that will make you more aware when purchasing feminine hygiene products. You know what you’re looking for (or in some cases not looking for) and that you will educate other women; if you see them pick up a product that you know does no good. Help to open up the conversation. Try being more open about your period or reproductive organs. If someone shuts you down, educate them on shaming and that it’s not going to get any of us anywhere. A woman’s period affects everyone in one way or another and the quicker we work on this progress, the better off we will all be. 

Please take a look at our Period Movement collaboration page and consider donating to help open a chapter in Charlotte, NC in Fall of 2018 which will host period drives to collect pads and tampons for girls and women in need.