Tampons made easy: Meet Lola, the 100 percent cotton tampons that come through a subscription service of your (period’s) dreams.

If you’ve ever wondered what tampons are made of, you’re not alone: After Jordana Kier and Alex Friedman searched for answers and came up empty, they decided to launch Lola—a customizable subscription service that sells tampons made of 100 percent cotton. Period.

“The more we started doing research around the ingredients and what was actually in the products, the more we realized we couldn’t figure it out,” Kier told Elle. “It’s hard to know what the composition is because cotton supply changes every single year, and nobody has to say what the breakdown is.”

The company, which launched last week, has our ovaries all aflutter. Besides the tampons themselves being made of body-friendly cotton, the applicators are made of BPA-free, recyclable plastic. And you know that thing where you buy a variety pack of tampons, only to be left with too many “super” and not enough “light”? Lola puts the kibosh on that too, giving you the option to customize your order based on your flow.

Each box comes with 18 tampons in the absorbencies of your choosing (a mixture of light, regular, and super), and you can choose to receive your subscription on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. If you need to make adjustments to your order—for example, skip a month or pause your subscription entirely—you can do so and not have to worry about additional service charges.

The service only costs $10 per box or $18 for two with free shipping anywhere in the U.S. New subscribers can score a two-box order for only $9! So really, what’s not to love? You’ll be doing your body and the environment a solid, while putting your tampon shopping on auto-pilot. (Translation: no more awkward emergency outings at three in the morning.)

Best of all, Lola is relatable. Instead of the too-pink, too-floral boxes and the annoying commercials of women twirling in white dresses, Lola cuts the crap: The tampons are delivered in chic, minimalist packaging that’s classy enough to leave out in the open—because while getting your period is no biggie, it’d be nice if the packaging didn’t scream “MENSIES!” to everyone who enters your bathroom.

And if you’re not a big fan of tampons, don’t fret: Word is Lola is planning to expand into other feminine hygiene products in the future. Cha. Ching.

What’s your biggest pet peeve about tampons?

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Tampon image via Shutterstock

The post 100 Percent Cotton Tampons Take the Suckiness Out of Getting Your Period appeared first on EcoSalon.

Periods: Can’t live with them… pass the chocolate-covered Midol.

The most annoying thing about getting your period is… well, all of it. It feels like your ovaries are trying to escape your body, everything’s the worst, and there’s no such thing as period leave. And have you ever noticed it always seems to show up right before an important work thing, relationship thing, or vacation thing? To top it off, the only alternatives are pregnancy and menopause. As. If.

But hey, at least we’re in this together. Here, 23 thoughts we’ve all had during our period:

1. “Uh oh…”

2. “This underwear cost me $24!”

3. “I don’t even want kids.”

4. “Crampscrampscrampscrampscramps.”

5. “Excuse me while I endlessly Google tampon horror stories.”

6. “I need to learn how to do more things in the fetal position.”

7. “Welp, another bed sheet bites the dust.”

8. “OMG, why are there so many different kinds of tampons?!”

9. “Too. Many. Feelings.”

10. “This aisle of family-sized junk food is EVERYTHING.”

11. “How can I check to see if there’s leakage without looking like I’m checking to see if there’s leakage?”

12. “Clearly, tampon commercials are written by men.”

13. “Why does everything have to suck?”

14. “Seriously, where is all the poop coming from?!”

15. “I need a purse just for tampons.”

16. “If one more person says, ‘At least you’re not pregnant…'”

17. “I should totally hit the gym.”

18. “I really want to have sex right now, but I really don’t want him to touch me.”

19. “I was supposed to get my period five minutes ago OH MY GOD I’M PREGNANT.”

20. “Will this ever be over?”

21. “I miss wearing underwear that doesn’t go up to my neck.”

22. “It’s like my ovaries are forcing me to watch this Nicholas Sparks movie.”

23. “I don’t want to do anything like, EVER again.”

What are your most annoying period thoughts?

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Sick woman image via Shutterstock / GIFs via Giphy

The post 23 Thoughts Every Woman Has During Her Period appeared first on EcoSalon.

Recently, a friend and I were sitting around discussing how our periods are like prison time.

I have an IUD that causes my periods to last for two weeks every month. On my heaviest days, I need to visit the restroom about every 45 minutes to prevent my underpants from turning out like a battle scene from “Game of Thrones”(both gory and tedious to make sense of).

I also have two small children, so I can’t go anywhere without decent bathrooms. Why, you ask? Well. I need to safely corral them but leave them outside of the stall. I want them outside because I’m just not ready to answer questions about what mommy’s doing with her “ba-gina”. I want the bathroom to be reasonably clean because there’s an excellent chance they’re going to lick something while unattended. So forget all playgrounds, walks, stores, parks, libraries…basically anywhere except a nice hotel that comes with a nanny service. So, I tend to feel trapped at home.

Any-who, I was whining about my heavy flow and the expense and waste of all those tampons when my friend suggested the Diva Cup. The what-a-cup? It sounded like horrible soup. She explained it was a kind of flexible cup you stashed in your business that collected all of the blood instead of absorbing it. So, maybe I could wear it all day. Even on the days when every trip to the bathroom felt like the equivalent of a Civil War amputation.

Coincidentally, I also stumbled upon this hilarious rant in the Huffington Post, An Ode of Hatred To My Diva Cup, by Alex Logan. Logan despises the cup for being messy, inconvenient, non-functional, and uncomfortable. Like someone asking you to smell something nasty, I felt drawn to the Diva Cup. It was possible the universe was speaking to me. I ordered one that very day.

One of Logan’s gripes about the DC was its cost. She paid $40 for hers at Whole Foods. Amazon only made me shell out $27.78 with free shipping, so already I was totally winning! I had to decide if I wanted Model 1 (Pre Childbirth or under 30) or Model 2 (Post Childbirth or over 30). So I either had a normal sized vagina or an enormous one. I’m not sure why on the last night of your 20s the vagina fairy bestows a cavernous birth canal upon you, but whatever. Since I have the aforementioned offspring, I went for Model 2 (huge vag).

As fate would have it, the DC arrived on the very first day of my period. I was pretty excited to try it! But when it tumbled out its box, I was really taken aback at its largeness. Logan had a similar complaint. The thing looks really intimidating. I mean, it’s a silicone cup that can hold two ounces of liquid (a little less than the amount in a shot glass), so buyer beware. However, having pushed two babies the size of medicine balls through my vagina, I smugly felt I could handle it.

There’s a pamphlet included that tells you how to get it up there. Before you can do anything though, you need clean hands and a clean cup. The instructions advise you to wash your DC in “warm water and a mild, unscented, water-based (oil-free) soap”. So if you’re one of those anti-bac people, line up your plain soap before it’s deep sea diving time. Tip No. 1: When you wash it, always use warm water. It makes the cup softer and easier to mess with.

Next you fold it in half, then fold it in half again. This is not difficult. After it’s in they want you to rotate the cup to make sure it’s in the right place and fully opened. I rotated the shit out of that thing. I turned it like I was winding a goddamn clock. Tip No. 2: Zealous rotating is not helpful. Coupla turns should do it.

Then, done! I was pretty comfortable. Like a tampon, I could faintly detect something up there, but it didn’t bother me at all. After a while, I totally forgot all about it.

Then, it was time to take it out. That was a little funky. The DC has a ribbed stem at the bottom to help you grasp the cup and pull it out. But I didn’t feel like it was that simple.

First off, you gotta have a little bit of fingernail to pinch the stem and pull the fucker out. But not TOO much nail. Please God, keep ’em trimmed down somewhat. You really have to fish around sometimes. Thinking of those long, sharp acrylics is giving me the horrors. Secondly, it kept traveling pretty far up there while I was wearing it. It took some bearing down to get it to where I could grab the stem. (Maybe I DO have a huge vag…?) Finally, pulling it out is vaguely uncomfortable. Like I said before, the thing is somewhat sizeable. Taking it out feels like a very tiny birth. I wouldn’t call it painful, but it’s something. I would maybe liken it to birthing the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Small-ish and soft, but not really a good thing. However, I didn’t find it a deal breaker. Tip No. 3: Relax as much as possible and the removal is more comfortable.

And then there’s the mess. As long as you’re in the shower or a private bathroom, it’s really no problem. Watch your pants for dripping, though. I kept dripping one tiny, infuriatingly bright red drop on the waist band of my jeans. Every. Freaking. Time. Anyway, you empty it into the toilet and then wash it with your special soap before reinsertion. You’ll need a little clean up at this point. Baby wipes are helpful. Tip No. 4: The very easiest way to change the DC is in the shower. If you can time it that way (in the morning, after the gym, etc.) that’s your best bet.

Tip No. 5: Wear a panty liner with the DC when your flow is heavy. There’s a little leakage but not much. I would call it a light dusting. Not enough to soak through your pants, but enough to ruin your underwear. I would wear a liner with a tampon on a heavy day anyway, so this is no inconvenience to me.

Experiments

Here are some trials I did on a THF (Triple Heavy Flow) day. You could maybe compare it to the scene in “The Shining” when the elevator doors open and the ocean of blood surges forth:

1. Dancing. I put on The Weeknd and danced. I danced like, dirty. And…fine! No big leaks.

2. Water. On THF days I can’t go swimming because my tampon becomes water logged and blood starts to seep out. Very embarrassing and super grody. So, I checked out a hot tub. No leaks at all and I felt confident. I might have done some more dirty dancing in the tub just for fun. Just to double check! All went well, although my friends were a little alarmed at the dancing. Everyone else was just sitting and chatting quietly.

3. Vigorous Exercise. I got sweaty, girls!!! I worked it wicked hard. I’m a group exercise instructor and on THF days I have to run to the bathroom at least once during an hour long class. No more!!! I jumped, kicked, squatted, strained, and burpeed. Not one drop sullied my Lorna Janes!

4. Sleeping. Normally on THF days I have to stick three pads together to keep my overnight tampon overflow from ruining my sheets. My husband affectionately calls it, “The Diaper”. It sounds like a bag of cats ‘n candy wrappers when I walk. I wore the DC to bed (it’s safe to wear it for up to 12 hours) and for the first time in years, I tore off The Diaper in the morning and threw it’s pristine white triple thickness into the garbage. I’m freeeeeeeee! Never again! See you in hell, Diaper!!!

The Takeaway:

People who should not buy the Diva Cup:

-Women who regularly need to use public or shared bathrooms where the sinks are separate from the stalls.

People who should buy the Diva Cup:

-Everyone else.

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The post The Happiest Vagina on the Block OR Why You Should MAYBE Get A Diva Cup appeared first on EcoSalon.

We all get our period, so what’s with the 007 top secret missions to the bathroom?

Okay, I’ll admit: When I get my period, I’m not one to broadcast it. Not because I’m uncomfortable with it – you know, aside from the cramps, bloating, and the murderous amount of blood that could stain my jeans at any second – but because I’m uncomfortable with other people’s discomfort.

First, there’s the whole speaking in code thing: Aunt Flo’s in town, on the rag, riding the cotton pony, surfing the crimson tide, that time of the month, smoking a lady cigar, massacre at the Y, and my favorite: Rusty pipes. Meanwhile, the code words are worse than just saying you’re on your period.

Then there are the traumatizing tampon commercials we’ve been subjected to since the beginning of time: The white pants, the jumping off diving boards, the yoga, the woman at the party with the big, “I’m totally ovulating right now,” grin on her face. Yeah, okay society. Because that’s what it’s really like. The commercials are almost as patronizing as those vintage magazine ads where the woman’s vacuuming and basting a turkey. Vom. It.

We all get our period – so why don’t we start acting like it? I mean, it’s not like we need to walk around wearing an “I Heart Periods” sandwich board while throwing tampons around like confetti, but we do need to stop being so second grade about it in our everyday lives. Naamo Bloom, founder of HelloFlo, a subscription service aimed at making our periods a little less dreadful, has launched a new campaign to help us along.

She hopes that by using the hashtag #TamponLiberation, women everywhere will stop hiding their tampons up their sleeve, down their shirt, or in their back pocket when they have to use the bathroom at work or out on the town.

“While we don’t think that we’ll actually get women to start walking to the bathroom with their head held high and their tampon held higher,” Bloom wrote in an essay, “We do want to encourage women to think about why tampons, pads, menstrual cups, sponges, etc. are shrouded in such secrecy. What if we just treated them as the tools they are?”

Plus, if you take a picture of yourself with a tampon (or other menstrual product) and post it to social media using the hashtag #TamponLiberation, you’ll score this adorable uterus sticker:

Image: HelloFlo

Those of us steering clear of the more “traditional” products – which are taking up an unthinkable amount of space in North American landfills and may contain illness-causing chemicals – have an even greater responsibility to talk proudly about our Diva Cups and Dear Kate underwear and banish the stigma of ickiness that surrounds the (gasp!) reusable options available in the marketplace.

Will you be joining the #TamponLiberation?

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A slew of new viral ads celebrate girls and get creative about sending important messages.

Call it the tampon that launched a thousand ads, but it seems like since HelloFlo’s period party took over the internet in June, more and more ads that are genuinely worth watching have gone viral.

#LikeAGirl

We’ve all heard the taunt, “You throw like a girl,” and we all understand it to mean we’re bad at throwing things. Always (are periods having a moment?) recently released this ad along with the #LikeAGirl campaign to much applause.

The most effective part about this ad is seeing older girls and boys acting out commands to run and throw “like a girl” in stark contrast to the young girls acting out the same movements. These are girls that society has yet to suck the life out of. It’s refreshing to see them and easy to forget that we were all that self-confident back in the day.

Yes, it’s an ad for environmentally crappy feminine hygiene products—and let’s not forget the message inherent to many period-related items: We smell bad and need to cover up that lady stench with scented pink products.

But with the world seemingly out to destroy women at every turn this week, I’ll put this one in the win column.

Toy Story: The Vibrator Ad

Personally, I love this PSA about gun control. Check it out:

Great, right? Yes, but as Keli Goff writes in The Daily Beast, of course I love it. She makes a great point that this appeals to those of us who probably already support gun control—as it turns out, most right wing conservatives don’t think vibrators are funny. Who knew?

Regardless, I still like this one and I do think it makes an important point in a unique an interesting way.

Inspire Her Mind: Girls in STEM

The winning girl-power ad of the year so far? “Inspire Her Mind” from Sheryl Sandberg and the Makers team along with Verizon.

Say what you will about the polarizing work of Makers—and I have said some stuff myself— but this ad brilliantly combines statistics, powerful imagery, messages to parents and hits all of the right notes.

That Happened is Libby Lowe’s weekly column for EcoSalon analyzing media, news and pop culture through a feminist lens. Keep in touch with Libby @LibbyLowe.

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Being a girl isn’t all oversized sunglasses and crop tops. Each month we’re blessed with the “period woes” and all their inconvenient glory. Pads, panty-liners, and tampons… so much waste! What if there was a way to treat our planet better while also making our monthly visit a bit more bearable? That’s where environmentally conscious Dear Kate underwear comes in with its anti-leak undies that can help minimize the abundant use of feminine hygiene products.

Most of us have “those” pairs of underwear that we shamefully shove to the deep, dark corners of our undie drawer, reserved for that week where any sudden movement can spur some extra flow …if you know what I mean. (Too cringe-worthy to even think about, I know.) Luckily, Dear Kate has come to save us from the stained-undie wreckage and overflow of environmentally hazardous feminine products.

Founder Julie Sygiel, a chemical engineer by trade, empathized with women and set out to relieve us of those embarrassing surprises and relieve us of those wretched “period undies.”

Made in NYC, Dear Kate underwear is constructed of three breathable layers of patent-pending microfiber material that feels as soft as silk. One layer wicks away liquid, while the second encompasses stain-releasing powers. The third layer, or outer layer, is leak resistant so you can relax & wear a pair of white pants if you so desire!

The best part about Dear Kate is that you don’t have to sacrifice being (or feeling) sexy because the undies are actually really cute. Plus, the eco advantage is that we can cut way down on the use of feminine products! That means fewer panty liners loitering around in landfills. Seriously, isn’t that amazing?

This brand has done its research too. Dear Kate concluded that about 730 panty liners could be prevented from going into landfills per year per woman if she wears Dear Kate instead of using two liners a day. While it is still smart to protect yourself with a tampon or pad, these are a perfect back-up, especially on heavier days. On light days, let’s just say you can remain worry-free. Another fantastic tidbit is that the undies are machine-washable, so you can reuse, reuse, reuse!

Dear Kate underwear comes in all sizes from extra small to 3x and also offer a variety of cuts such as bikini, cheeky, hipster, and even thong (gasp!). Not too harsh on your wallet either–prices range from $32 for one pair to $164 for a set of six undies.

Eco-friendly, but also eco-sexy, us gals can take back our periods and still feel amazing while we give back to Mother Earth. Dear Kate has given us the girl-power to keep the feminine revolution going strong month after month with some pretty freaking awesome underwear.

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The post No More Disposable Feminine Products! Dear Kate Underwear is Kinder to You, the Planet and Your Wallet appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIt’s reader letter time again! Today’s topics: period sex, shame and (the glories of) female masturbation.

I Don’t Want to Have Sex on My Period

Dear Stefanie,

I am in my mid-twenties and in a somewhat new relationship (five months). We have a great sex life, mostly – he’s a good lover and has helped me to relax in bed. I don’t mind how high his sex drive is most of the time – it makes me feel wanted. However, he wants to have sex when I’m on my period! GROSS. I’m not even ready to burp in front of this guy, and he wants to us to just put a towel on the bed and go to town. He even told me he wants to get his “red wings.” I feel like certain things should be private, especially in a new relationship. Won’t all the mystery be gone if our bodily functions are on display like that? How do I tell him that I don’t want him anywhere near me when I’m on the rag? Seriously – all I want to do is eat ice cream and watch Netflix – sexy time is not on my mind. Is he going to dump me because I’m not as sexually voracious as he is?

Sincerely,

My Bloody Valentine

Dear Bloody,

Before we talk about how miraculous your bloody vagina truly is, let’s talk about why you’re so worried about being dumped. That feels like the heart of your letter – so let’s tease apart where the insecurity comes from. You say that your boyfriend, bless his horny little heart, has helped you relax in bed – a tacit admission that you needed some relaxin’. At the same time, as in everything related to sexuality, consent is at the heart. If something makes you uncomfortable, you should NEVER feel any pressure to perform. On the lifelong journey that is sexual discovery, you’re right at the beginning, and there is no shame in that. Your boyfriend clearly wants you – he wants you all the time. But remember that his desire for you shouldn’t be the arbiter of whether or not you feel desirable. At some point you’ll discover that you are always desirable, despite your partner’s predilections. If he should ever get the proverbial “not now honey” headache, it doesn’t mean you’re any less sexy.

Now on to the bloody bits. We women are unfortunately trained to believe that our periods are gross, shameful, and should be banished to the metaphorical menstrual hut. The Western version of this is the tampon commercial with a smiling young woman in white stretch jeans riding a horse, erasing the evidence of the natural bodily process taking place. We’re told to pretend we’re pure and clean, and to hide the fact that our uterus must shed its lining approximately every twenty-eight days. But life is dirty, bodies are messy, and there’s no reason to be ashamed. Menstruation is a normal fact of life during our reproductive years, and there is nothing gross about it. In fact, it’s fairly magical. The ancients certainly thought so. Make it your business to figure out why you associate words like “gross” with your magical, mystical, life-giving period.

Feeling like you want to mainline Chubby Hubby and binge-watch “House of Cards” is perfectly normal, but feeling like you are “gross” is not. You do not have to ride a horse in white stretch jeans, because you may feel like crap. But did you know that orgasm is one of the best treatments for menstrual cramps? You can always give yourself one, but eventually you may feel ready to let your boyfriend help you with that process. Go slow, communicate, and explore your boundaries, always keeping a pint of Ben and Jerry’s at arm’s reach.

I Don’t Know How to Masturbate. Really. 

Dear Stefanie,

I came late to masturbation – LOL. But seriously, I didn’t start until I was 18, and I’m 23 now. I shared a bedroom with my older sister growing up, and there was no privacy in there. I must have been about 12 the one time I tried to do it under the covers while I thought she was sleeping, but she said “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” and that nipped it in the bud. We only had one bathroom, and I was forever being pressured to hurry the hell up, so it was a miracle if I got my contact lenses in – there was no time for self-pleasure. Since then, I’ve tried using my hand, a sex toy someone gifted me in college, and the faucet in the shower, but something seems to be wrong. It takes a really long time to bring myself to orgasm, and sometimes I can’t get there at all. I don’t have a crazy sex life, but when I do hook up, I probably come 2 out of every 10 times, and just barely. Is there something wrong with my clitoris, vagina, or brain? I am not a dummy – I have read everything there is to read about the way these body parts are connected, yet still – I believe masturbation/orgasms could be so much better, more efficient, and satisfying in general.

I Touch Myself (and nothing happens)

Dear Touch,

You are a smart cookie, and I like your sass – you know that self-pleasure is just as important as partner-pleasure. Good on you. First, it doesn’t sound like there is anything physically wrong with you, as you can orgasm – it’s just harder to get there and it doesn’t happen as often as you want it to. However, if you haven’t talked to your friendly neighborhood gynecologist about this – I would encourage you to take advantage of Obamacare and get your feet in some stirrups. My suspicion is that this all goes back to sharing a room with your sister and being rushed out of the bathroom by your family. Experiences like this can imprint our young brains with a major shame tattoo, and lasering that sucker off can take some work. Every time you considered pleasuring yourself, you didn’t even have a safe space in which to contemplate doing so. Most people experience shame associated with masturbation, thanks to culture and family. You had that typical shame, and then your sister yelled at you for touching yourself when you were young and impressionable. The extreme lack of privacy in your house made you feel like you’d be found out at any moment, and stopped you from experiencing a normal, healthy relationship with your body.

What’s your living situation now? Do you have a roommate? Are you still feeling privacy pressure? If you live with other people but have your own room, make sure there’s a robust lock on your door, to start. Worried about making too much noise? That’s what SoundCloud is for – crank it up. Could it be a time of day thing? Many people masturbate right before bed, but you might be exhausted and your body just isn’t in the mood to respond. Try changing up your timing – first thing in the morning, perhaps? You didn’t mention fantasies in your letter – that’s an important part of the masturbation matrix. Are you letting your mind wander where it wants to? Explore that, because it could be stymieing you. If your fantasy life seems to be functioning fine, it may be a matter of finding the sweet spot, so to speak. For many women, there is a very sensitive part of the clitoris – the upper left quadrant. See if you can locate this spot, and apply different kinds of pressure there – either with your finger or a toy. This might feel clinical at first, but it’s worth it. There are some excellent clitoral stimulators on the market – don’t be afraid to visit your local sex shop to find out what’s best for your needs. If you haven’t already come across (LOL) her work, Betty Dodson is the queen of all things masturbation — she is the pioneer on this subject and she’s still going.

Finally, and this might feel like a brave leap – might you consider Orgasmic Meditation? It’s a liberating tool that can help you bypass a lot of the stress and shame of “finding your orgasm.”

In closing, some wisdom from Lydia Lunch: “Pleasure is the ultimate rebellion.”

Love,

Stefanie

Got a question for Stefanie? Email stefanie@ecosalon.com and she’ll answer it in the next Sexual Healing column.

Keep in touch with Stefanie on Twitter: @ecosexuality

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The post Reader Questions Answered on Period Sex and (Gasp) Female Masturbation: Sexual Healing appeared first on EcoSalon.

For most women, that time of the month isn’t a favorite, but this hilarious video might just convince you that it’s not so bad. 

Why make a funny music video (below) about periods? Lena D, who put this project together, writes on her YouTube page, “The goal of this song is to reduce shame and embarrassment that women feel regarding their time of month.” I dare you not to get the catchy tune stuck in your head. 

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It’s time we learn to take care of our period properly. Goodbye tampons. Ladies, meet the Diva Cup.

Do you know what’s in your tampon? Neither do we. By law, the FDA doesn’t require the ingredients of tampons to be listed anywhere on the package, inside or out. And, although it seems like a no-brainer, no feminine product is required to be sterilized.

Not only do we not know what is actually in our tampons, they don’t even work well. Sixty percent of women experience leaks regularly when using tampons or pads during their period. Gross! Turns out the leaky side effect isn’t us doing something wrong, it’s the unreliable products we’re using. Thankfully, there is another reliable, clean and effective option, and it’s called the Diva Cup.

What The Heck Is A Diva Cup?

The Diva Cup is a bell shaped cup designed to fit inside your vagina and catch your menstrual waste. You might be thinking “that’s gross” and initially I agreed with you. The Diva Cup sounded a little too hippie at first, but I was fed up with dreading the cumbersome period maintenance while balancing my everyday activities–so I gave it a try.

The Diva Cup is made with medical grade silicon and it’s latex-free–so you don’t have to worry about any weird chemical leaching or getting the dreaded toxic shock syndrome. It isn’t clunky or uncomfortable because the soft silicon material softens from your body heat and forms perfectly to your inner alls. And above all, it really works! The Diva Cup promises (and delivers) 12 hours of leak free protection. Just take it out 2-3 times daily, rinse, and reinsert–and that’s it!

By using the Diva Cup you also significantly reduce waste. In the United States alone, 12 billion disposable pads and tampons are thrown out each year! The Diva Cup will probably save you about $150 a year by not using disposable products.  Also, it’s safe: The Diva Cup is the only reusable menstrual cup approved for sale by Canada’s governmental health department, Health Canada.

Shopping For A Diva Cup

Since the first time I used it, I’ve been completely hooked. All the discomfort from a tampon or pad is gone, replaced with the feeling of nothing. The Diva Cup is truly invisible and unnoticeable.  You can keep it in for a full day of work or activity and clean it ever 8-12 hours. And when you are done, you just boil the cup to sanitize.

Shopping for a Diva Cup is simple: there are two sizes 1, pre-childbirth and 2 post-childbirth. That’s it–no gimmicky marketing tactics, simple and to the point. You can pick them up at your local Whole Foods, or order one online.

As a culture, we should be able to talk and teach women about our period–it’s something we all go through. And the Diva Cup has literally changed my, and all girlfriends, lives.

Do you use the Diva Cup? Tell us in the comments below!

Related on EcoSalon:

4 Things I’ve Learned From My Period

7 Tips To Soothe Menstrual Cramps

The post Dread Getting Your Period? Ladies, Meet The Diva Cup appeared first on EcoSalon.

I like life’s special little surprises: a dozen roses mysteriously appearing at the doorstep, some birds nesting right outside the living room window or a phone call from an old friend I’ve been thinking about all week.

But there’s one thing I don’t like to be surprised by: my period. This is something I want to have planned out with the right, comfortable clothes and all my supplies at hand in the secret pocket of my purse. A camping trip, the third date, that beach vacation – not exactly welcome times for that time.

Thanks to My Monthly Cycles, I’ve been keeping track using an online calendar that averages out the lengths of my previous cycles and gives me approximate dates for both my next period and my next ovulation.

And best of all for busy gals like us, you can adjust your account settings to send you email alerts a few days before your next period or ovulation is about to start. It’s like the Google Alert of periods! Now if they just had an iPhone app…

Image: ePublicist

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