Alohaaa SuperForest Ladiesssss! (and Gentlemen who are interested in lady-related topics :)
Ok, Ladies, let’s talk about our periods. We all get them, or did at some point, and have been blindly sticking pieces of bleached cotton into our vaginas for years. I don’t know about you, but putting a bleached anything, anywhere in my body doesn’t exactly sound healthy. Nor is it financially appealing, at upwards of $10-15/month… more if you’re buying the fancy non-bleached, organic cotton.
Not only did I start to see the expense add up, I moved to a place where the trash system is simply: No Trash. In a system where this is no option to toss something in a bin or flush it down a toilet and forget about it, I started to see the Ick Factor in the tampons I was using. Throw them in the compost? Sure, that works, the blood is good for the plants, they will break down. But what about health and sanitation? What if the chickens go in the compost and spread them around and I’m not there to clean it up? And what about those who don’t live in place where there is a giant compost bin?
Feminine products create a lot of waste. There are millions of women every day using them and throwing them into land fills or down a toilet that’s filled with fresh water. This manner of disposing them does not coincide with my idea of sustainability.
So I explored my options at the local health food store, where I discovered The Diva Cup. I’d heard about these little cups before – tales of weird, granola, hippie chicks pouring their monthly flow into their house plants and totally gross stuff like that. Someone, somewhere, at some time relayed a story, an opinion, a limitation on my thinking, and it stuck; that is gross, I’ll stick with “normal” tampons, thankyouverymuch. Now, however long down the road since hearing that story, finding myself in search of an alternative to those little bleach sticks, I decided to ask some questions. The woman at Papaya’s was knowledgeable, shared her experience with the DC, and $36 later, I was the proud owner of my first Diva Cup!
And here’s what’s so great about it:
- Comfortable! Yes, it really is.
- Cheap! Only $36 / year!
- Good for the whole year (perhaps longer). The directions say to replace each year, but that’s only if it seems to be breaking down.
- Great for all flows – light, moderate, heavy. No need to buy multiple absorbencies.
- It works. My first month was the trial/error month. The cup is a flexible piece of silicon that you insert and then twist to form a suction. Sounds gross? Yeah, I thought so too. In reality, it’s no big deal. But it took a few tries to get the suction working. I recommend using a light days pad while you’re learning if it works for you. I had a bit of spotting the first month and not a single spot after that.
- Made of medical grade silicon. Won’t negatively interfere with your body.
- No health risk, like a tampon’s toxic shock syndrome, associated with it.
- No string! Can’t tell it’s in there! I enjoy a good skinny dip every now and again, and I don’t like having a ripcord on public display. Also great when showering at the gym. Oh, and no string you must attempt to avoid peeing on.
- Reusable. Insert at beginning of cycle, empty 2-3 times throughout the day, rinse after emptying, boil for 5 mins at end of cycle, store til next month.
- Zero Waste. The cardboard packaging is compostable. No applicator or plastic wrapper..
It’s Amazing! I’m more than satisfied! And I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make another giant difference in your environmental impact and your over all Moon Cycle experience.
Love!
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