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Finding A "Green" Pad Is A Bloody Tough Job
New York, 3:53 PM
Thu Nov 12
73 posts in the last 24 hours
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Finding A "Green" Pad Is A Bloody Tough Job |
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11/11/08
The answer is to buy from the work-at-home moms (WAHMs) who make these things! There are several small online businesses (basically just the WAHM and maybe an assistant) who do online sales, and their products are a thousand times better, and usually cheaper too.
My absolute favorite is Saucy Tots: [www.saucytots.com] ...but there are lots of excellent options if you look, including people who will make custom shapes, sizes and fabrics for little to no extra cost!
11/10/08
And I want to thank everyone for all their comments - I have learned so much from all you Jezzies!
11/10/08
Don't forget the worrying about bears! Don't mean to alarm (and I may be passing on an Urban Legend) but aren't wild animals attracted to the smell of blood? Just asking.
11/10/08
I use the divacup and have a copper IUD, but I don't get yeast infections. I did just have a long struggle with BV though and I washed my cup with borax and it went away after my period. I don't think you are supposed to use borax to wash it though, and I don't think it would help yeast infections.
The problem with IUDs is that it can be a huge pain in the ass if you get some kind of infection because bacteria can cling to the string.
There are certain types of soaps that are PH balanced just for vadges that should also be gentle enough to wash the cup with, however if you are unable to wash your hands/wash your cup where you are when you are working in the summer I don't know if it would be the best product to use. I know that some girls complain about getting more yeast infections with the cup :(
Maybe there is some kind of gentle wipe you could use to clean it?
11/10/08
I looked this up on the Straight Dope and it was really interesting! Grizzly and polar bears may be attracted to menstrual blood, but Black bears had no reaction!
It also went on to say that Deer are repelled by the smell of blood and that is probably why menstruation was so taboo/ women were made to stay home from hunting trips in primitive societies.
11/11/08
Bears: Actually, we worry more about the mice getting in our trash than bears. Seen em, watched em, helped bear proof the camp, and still slept in tents.
Deer: Really? For all time I've spent outdoors, this has never been a problem. Even the deer in my backyard don't seem to care - they ate all the birdseed this morning while I was standing there watching!
11/11/08
Thanks for the info! I guess I'll have a long chat with the doctor. Although the thought of more yeast infections just makes me quail...
11/10/08
/preachy
11/10/08
"awesome"...you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
This is what my brain said to me when I tried to suggest to it that cloth pads are as awesome as you say they are.
11/10/08
If cloth pads make her happy, she's free to use the word "awesome."
11/10/08
11/10/08
It does sound totally hippy-dippy, but once I'm off my Mirena, I'll dig out my stash of reusable pads and be happy.
11/10/08
I use pads because I like them. I get the thin disposable type. They are comfortable. I am not cursed with particularly heavy flow, I change them out every few hours, I don't have problems with odor or "sitting-on-a- pillow" syndrome. Tampons--even the little "teen" kind--feel like I am jabbing a goddamn Rice Krispie Treat up my cooter. They distract me all day long and they are just plain uncomfortable to me. The much-hyped, much-touted Diva Cups sound fascinating, but I am pretty sure I would find a way to fuck it up.
I do not own a car. I use only CFLs. I use mass transit exclusively. I recycle. I eat a lot of organic, vegetarian hippie stuff which is delish. Is it okay for me to just use disposable pads? Please?
11/10/08
By the way, I always look for your comments in these period posts...you're always the only other pad girl in a sea of "omigod pads are gross" comments.
11/10/08
And tscheese, I laughed so hard I snorted when I read your Rice Krispie treat comment.
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11/10/08
I would never go back. I think its a good option for saving not only the environment, but my clothes and a week of each month from dealing with it!
11/10/08
But the Diva cup...for all of you who have periods that last 5 days and can get away with simply a tampon, perhaps the "don't have to empty for 12 hours" thing works for you. I can predict that I would be either leaking, or else become covered in blood during the removal phase, especially on those two heavy days. Currently on my heavy days I use an OB ULTRA PLUS, which is the highest absorbency available in my area (no other tampons have an ULTRA PLUS). I have to pair it with a SUPER pad, and even with changing the pad every two hours or less, it is a bloodbath. Especially fun are the gushy moments where no absorbing is actually happening, as everything slides past the tampon. The Diva cup might prevent the sliding past thing, but would definitely would fill up much more frequently than 12 hours.
I might consider using one for the lighter days when I can finally go to just a tampon, but by then I've already used a ton of other products, so it's not really helping the environment.
I'm all for the sitting on straw in the Red Hut, eating chocolate and catching up on my novels. Anyone with me?
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Would this be a good alternative even with those odds? I'm curious.
11/10/08
And I don't want to hear about reusable tampons (if such a repulsive thing should exist). I don't reuse something that's spent 3 or 4 hours inside of me. Well, maybe if it was Sting.
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11/10/08
I don't know what type of Lunapad the reviewer from Grist was using, but I've never had any problems with "added height" from them.
(And yes, I've tried tampons on several occasions and didn't like them *at all*.)
11/10/08
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But with "proper usage," as the condom instructions say, the Keeper is 100% awesome and effective and I would recommend it to everyone in the history of ever.
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