I am currently at the stage of my life, when I am trying to change everything for better. Better means healthier, economical and ecological.
I was concerned about the amount of waste I am producing every month during my least favourite time - period time. You know, we need a lot of products and most of them are not degradable at all and this was the reason, why I started searching, what other options (except) pregnancy do I have :)
I was very nicely surprised with all the products which I found on my mision. Moon cup, special period underwear, biodegradable tampons and pads...
I decided to start slowly, with something, what I know. I am not ready for trying Moon cup and underwear, it sounds little bit scary for me, but I believe, one day I will be brave enough and give them a try :) They are on the end of the day the most ecological and economical products, which you can get for your period time.
So I did some research and ordered tampons and pads made by Natracare, from my very favourite shop Abel&Cole. They are made from organic and unbleached cotton and are almost 100% biodegradable.
Tampons which I picked were in size Super, I read some reviews and most of the customers recommended to get size up from your usual, which worked very well for me. I was very happy with a price I paid - £2.70 for 16 tampons, not bad at all.
Tampons are 100% biodegradable and are coming with cardboard applicators, which sounded very weird for me and I was very curious to try it. Applicators look pretty much the same than the standard ones, just made of different material. At first, I found using them a bit tricky, but after practicing I found the best way how to make it work.
Tampons by themselves do have standard shape, nothing strange about them, so on the end of the day I was very happy with this experience and I am going to switch my usual brand, which I used to use and start with Natracare, until a Moon cup time will come.
I like using pads together with tampons during first couple of days of my period, I like to be safe, so double protection is my way, how to feel more comfortable. That is why I picked a Natracare ultra pads - regular, which are coming in box of 14 and price is £2.20, so nothing crazy, very affordable. They are 95% biodegradable, made of unbleached cotton, no perfumes or plastic, which is great for your comfort and wellbeing. They are not 100% biodegradable, but I guess, that is impossible task to achieve, they contain some synthetic rubber as a glue, but this one is BPA free, which is much better for your body too.
I did use them overnight as well and they were great.
If you will want to use them on their own, during the days, without tampons, you will probably need to change them more often, their absorption is not as great, but nothing catastrophic. You will probably need to use 1 or 2 more, than usuall. But I still think it’s worth it, better for you and for environment.
When I was buying all the Natracare stuff, I’ve seen that they are making a panty liners as well, so I am going to give them a go and see. I am a bit fussy about panty liners, my everyday comfort is very important to me, and I was disappointed many times already, but I do have a high expectation, so fingers cross.
After trying Natracare period stuff, I can definitely recommend them to anyone, they are much more gentle fo you and your private area and you can do something good for Earth.
When I will finally get over my fear from Moon cup, I will let you know, what my experiences were, but until then I will carry on using organic period products from Natracare.
If you do have some experiences with using it, positive or negative, share it with us, it might help me and maybe somebody else too, to be braver or it will scare me to the point I will never try them :)