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.

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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Image: Sarah Olive Bergeson

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

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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Image via Dear Kate

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

HelloFlo unleashes the best tampon commercial in the world.

Everything is right about this commercial from HelloFlo, the monthly subscription service for girls.

There’s the girl desperate to grow up and fit in with her friends, the mom’s inspired First Moon party as punishment for daughter faking her period, the guy who shows up with coffee filters—it’s all just amazing.

If there were Emmy Awards for best actor in a commercial, I would nominate both mom and daughter.

However, as some of us inch away from the “new to the whole period thing” phase of life and closer to menopause, I suggest that HelloFlo introduce a new care package to its family: Farewell Flo!

Users can sign up to receive shipments of tampons, lube, chocolate, pads specifically designed for those hearty coughs and laughs that lead to pee leaks, herbal supplements and soothing teas. The starter kit also will also include a portable fan and a calendar that you can throw away immediately upon receipt.

Shipments will arrive sporadically at the most inopportune moments (just like your period will).

I first fell in love with HelloFlo last summer when the company released its ad, “The Camp Gyno.” In it, the first girl to get her period rules her summer camp and awesomely refers to her period as, “The Red Badge of Courage,” and to HelloFlo’s care packages as, “Santa for your vagina.”

What’s amazing about both of these ads is that they turn periods from something gross or scary into a brag-worthy rite of passage. The girls are owning their bodies from a young age, which is incredibly powerful.

More than that, we see girls talking to one another about their bodies using real words for their body parts—but still sounding and looking like real adolescents, eye rolls and all.

Note to the genius team handling marketing for HelloFlo, I’m serious. Tweet me: @LibbyLowe

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The post HelloFlo: The Best Tampon Commercial Ever appeared first on EcoSalon.

A round-up of what we’re reading right now.

Really? Conspiracy theorists aren’t really skeptics…the fascinating psychology of people who know the real truth about JFK, UFOs, and 9/11. [Via Slate]

Modern farms are struggling to keep a secret. Most of the animals used for food in the United States are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the countryside. Speciesism: The Movie director Mark Devries set out to investigate. [Via GirlieGirl Army]

Ikea stylists are at it again, showing us common folk how to style our homes in inspirational ways for the holidays. You don’t need to shop at the Swedish giant in order to have a festive and fun household this season. [Via Apartment Therapy]

Raw, cold-pressed coconut oil right out of the jar has become the most obsessed about natural beauty item. [Via Well + Good]

Why do feminine hygiene products that go you-know-where contain so many toxins? [ Via Naturally Savvy]

Image: ikea

The post Link Love: Conspiracy Theorists, Speciesism + Ikea Hacking for the Holidays appeared first on EcoSalon.