You might not realise it, but there's a quiet revolution going on right now around menstrual hygiene. And its about time! Tampons and pads came to the market in the 1930s - since then, no improvement or innovation in these products! Imagine if we drove around in cars from 80 years ago...
TAMPONS (...AND MANSPLAINING) WERE BIG IN THE 1930S... ISN'T IT TIME TO MOVE ON?
The status quo is very convenient for the US$ 20 billion menstrual hygiene industry. Their advertising involves strange blue liquids and happy young women cycling in white shorts. They send sales representatives to high schools to teach them about disposable period products. This conveys a not-so-subtle message: Girls, let's not talk about periods! We can pretend they don't happen and discreetly deal with period blood using single-use products. The result?
On average, a woman uses 11,000 disposable tampons or pads in a lifetime, which end up in landfill or the sea.
Guess what? It's 2020, and a totally normal biological process affecting half the world's population is no longer a taboo. Through digital word-of-mouth, alternatives are rapidly gaining popularity, and this is awesome news for your health, lifestyle and the environment.
MENSTRUAL CUP
When women first hear about the menstrual cup, reactions range form curiosity to gross-out. When women actually try it, the reaction is always the same - Why the $%^& did I not know about this?! Compared to traditional methods, they are more convenient, comfortable, hygienic, healthy, safe, environmentally-friendly, AND save you loads of money. We’re pretty sure menstrual cups will be the go-to in the near future. So why not be an early adopter?
ABOVE: A CANADIAN STUDY SHOWED THAT OVER 90% OF WOMEN WHO TRY A MENSTRUAL CUP WILL NEVER GO BACK
REUSABLE PADS
If you’re not ready to take the step with the menstrual cup, there are plenty of reusable pads available, with funky designs and colours. They’re comfortable and easy to use - just rinse in cold water when you’re done, then throw them in the machine with your next load of washing.
ABOVE: REUSABLE PADS SAVE THOUSANDS OF DISPOSABLES FROM LANDFILL
PERIOD-PROOF UNDERWEAR
Another awesome new product is period-proof underwear. Don't panic, we're not talking pull-up nappies here - with the latest technology in absorbent materials, period-proof underwear actually keeps you dry and smell-free (thanks to anti-bacterial properties), all day. Best of all, they look and feel just like a pair of sports underwear.
