Eeeerrrr, awkward silence.
But I mean if I don’t go here, who will?
Sometimes ya gotta take one for the team guys. So today I’m talking about organic tampons x vaginas.
If you’re reading this & you’re a guy…BYYYYYEEE!! NOT FOR YOU!! LATERS.
When my friend, Erica told me about organic ( YES THERE’S SUCH A THING ) tampons, I was very, very intrigued.
WHY?
BECAUSE…well if I’m putting something where the sun don’t shine, I’d certainly prefer it as clean/pure as possible.
Anyone with me?
When I asked Erica why she likes organic tampons she told me verbatim to give you guys this quote: “non-organic cotton contains pesticides, do you want to put pesticides up your vag ( the vag absorbs things straight into the blood stream )? Nope, didn’t think so. There is my tip, loves it.”
( Let’s hope she won’t be mad I quoted her…HA! ).
But let’s be real, I definitely don’t want pesticides up my vajayjay, k thanks.
So here’s the deal:
- Most tampons and pads are bleached with chlorine which leads to a toxic byproduct called dioxin, which is linked to endometriosis and cancer, as it’s a known carcinogen.
- You often see “Elemental chlorine-free bleaching” on a label (also referred to as chlorine-free). This bleaching process is NOT free of chlorine at all but means that it is not a chlorine gas bleaching process! This does not exclude the use of other types of chlorine in the bleaching process.
- Recycled cotton any better? Nope. Again… tricky marketing at play. Recycled still cannot be chlorine or pesticide free because there’s no way to ensure that the cotton products recycled were clean.
- Pesticide-residue getting into your lady parts? 26% of the world’s pesticide is sprayed on cotton. These pesticides have been shown to affect the health of wildlife and humans in a devastating way from infertility, hormonal imbalance, even cancer. In third world countries, up to 70% of farm workers are children aged 5-15, many of which are involved in spraying these potentially cancer-causing chemicals onto the cotton that your tampons are made from. This is just so wrong because these children are being exposed at such a young age.
- If the cord of your tampon has been dyed, then it’s a possible source of toxic heavy metals, thanks to azo dyes.
** all of the above benefits are from this site & written by Candice Schreiber.
Ok, just so we’re being transparent ( LOL ), these are the exact ones I use & I found them on Amazon. The brand states ( << not sponsored, just realness ) that “Natracare tampons are all made from only certified organic 100% cotton and were the world’s first fully certified organic cotton tampons. They are non-chlorine bleached and women can be reassured that they do not contain synthetic materials, such as rayon, or chemical additives such as binders or surfactants.”
Anyone else have any other organic recie-roos?!
If you’re a pad/pantry liner user, no judgement, but go organic too! For anyone who’s curious, all the dangers of non-organic tampons can be found here.
What are your thoughts? Pro organic? No organic? Spill ( …ironic word for this particular post, but whatevs ).
– Lauryn xx
{ another post on Aunt Flow AKA AUNT NO found here }
have you tried a diva cup? I’ve been curious about trying it but a little hesitant.
Never tried it! Just ordered it! We will see ; ) x
I bought myself the diva cup last month and it’s awesome!!
I still need to work on getting it in correctly, but it’s great!
Need to try this ASAP!
I switched to the Diva Cup a few months ago and definitely recommend it!
Need to try this as soon as possible.
Hah! Something I’ve NEVER thought about! Wow and GROSS…all those chemicals just hanging out right…THERE
Try the Diva cup. It’s convenient e.g. you never have to run out to the store again. You can sleep in because they can be worn longer than 8 hours. They’re better for the environment because there’s nothing to throw out. Takes some getting used to, but totally worth it.
oh dear, this is very alarming.
How are they only 8 bucks on Amazon?!?! A regular box of tampons costs the same as that!
Fully with you on this one lady! my philosophy is that if you’re putting anything that close to your body (ie. INSIDE) it better be organic! Same goes for body lotion, you smother it over exery inch of surface area so it better be paraben free!!
xx Jill
I love the the Diva Cup. I made the switch five years ago and it has made life so much easier. After I had my baby in May, I switched Diva cup size and it still works great.
How have I never thought about this before? Makes sense! Making the switch!
Cynthia
Sensibly Sharp
Lol hell no am I ever wearing tampons! But I’m glad that these things exist!
You should do a post on the diva cup 🙂 I’ve never tried it but I think about how our tampons and pads are filling damn landfills so maybe there needs to be a push for this
When I used tampons, they had to be organic. Not only do pesticide ridden tampons put unnecessary chemicals in your body, they can make periods longer and give you worse cramps.
But three years ago, I switched to the diva cup and honestly it was life changing. I could never go back to tampons. It is so much better for the environment and you can honestly forget you even have your period.
Thanks for bringing light to a topic that is so often ignored.
Totally agree, Diva Cup for the win. Amazing. Life changing even!! You should definitely try it, and then do a post on it.
Hey Lauryn!
Love the blog 🙂
I was just curious your thoughts on Midol for pain relief during that time of the month? Do you use a healthier option, or stick to Midol? Best xo
OMG I never even thought about what tampons were actually made of! Yikes. I definitely will be more careful from now on when purchasing tampons at the store! xx
http://modernensemble.com
get a diva cup…. LITERALLY life-changing, no joke.
Check out the Diva cup for sure!!! I’ve had mine for 10 years– you never have to buy tampons or any of that stuff again.
LOVE THIS POST! We’ve been considering whether it’s worth it to go organic for something like tamps. SOLD!!
Gotta try these!
http://www.FashionSnag.com
I use the schkoon cup (similar to the diva cup) and have for about a year now. It requires a little bit more handwashing but is COMPLETELY worth it for a lot of reasons (some already mentioned above by other ladies). 1. Buy it for $40 on amazon one time-it lasts for years, and save money every month that you don’t buy pads and tampons. 2. They are made of 100% medical grade silicone and dyed with safe materials. 3. They are made in the USA and schkoon as a company is very straightforward about the (organic) materials they use. 3. Better for the environment because no trash at that time of the month!
I have never even heard of these, but I will now be switching over! Plus they are SO cheap on Amazon ($8?! hello friend!)
Thanks so much for sharing!
Team Diva-Cup! I bought mine just before a Trip by Train across Russia, and Mongolia. And it was a life saver. No Panic during hiking in the mountains or at crowed Public toilets without disposal bags. Plus I don’t mind visitting my Male Friends during ‘the days’. 😉
I have purchased organic ones from Whole Foods, but was not crazy about them, however after reading this post, I think it might be wise to just deal with it. I will have to try this brand!
Stephanie
http://ishowedupinboots.com
Never thought about ordering tampons off of Amazon, but I haven’t found ones I like in the store. Good to know!
I have been trying to switch to an “Organic” lifestyle and NEVER thought about my tampons! Thank you for this post and for bringing awareness. Looks like a lot of TSC readers are big fans of This Diva Cup, maybe you should try one and then post on it. Talk about taking one for the team, eh? 😉
DIVA CUP!!!!
scary! I have never thought to buy organic tampons, yet I always buy organic fruit and veggies.
I’ve been weirdly looking forward to this post.. I think you mentioned you were going to write one up about organic tampons on Twitter. I’m trying to be more natural and organic these days so this post really resonated with me! As always, thanks for sharing!!
I switched to the Diva Cup 2 months ago and love it. I’ve recommended it to all my GFs; I’m actually kind of annoying about it. There was a small learning curve, but now I can put it in with one hand easy peasy. No nasty chemicals, better for the environment, and cheaper than buying tampons every month. What’s not to love?
It makes me really sad that the facts that you listed about regular tampons & pads are not common knowledge to many, many girls and women out there. I switched to organic tampons/pads a couple of years ago, and just recently have been trying out the Lunette cup. The Lunette is virtually the same as the Diva Cup. For both, you have to fold the cup in half, and then insert, and then make sure that the cup has popped back open, or you have to work it open yourself. You can probably guess how messy that can get, so when a lot of reviewers remarked that the Lunette is made from a different material and tends to pop open on it’s own, I opted for that option. Right now, as I get used to it, I’m only using it on my lighter days. I still use tampons when I’m at work because our bathroom is shared, and on a heavier flow day when you have to change & wash the cup every couple of hours, it’s awkward to walk out of the stall looking like you just committed a murder. I also use pads on my heaviest nights (tampons overnight freak me out). Whole Foods has a few great options, but I generally use Natracare. FYI ladies, the “super” is not enough to handle a truly heavy flow! I found that out the hard way during a switch from Tampax. The Natracare “super” is more like a Tampax “regular”, and the Natracare “regular” more like a Tampax “teen”.
Oh and side note, my friend swears that switching to organic tampons has completely changed her cramps. I’ve always had absolutely debilitating cramps that put me in bed hating life for 2-3 days. While they definitely haven’t been “cured”, the truly awful ones seem to have cut down to about 1 day. Organic tampons or Lunette, perhaps?
OMG seriously can’t believe I’ve never thought about this before! HOLY COW literally ordering them as we speak.
xx, Lindsey
http://www.thecurlydiaries.com
I got a Mooncup (I believe the equivalent of the DivaCup in the UK) last year and I’m so glad I did. It took me a while to get the hang of it but I am so happy I never have to worry about absorbancies and whether I’ve stocked enough tampons for a holiday. Would really recommend it 🙂
Saba
Yikes! Definitely freaked to use Playtex now. haha. Gonna be switching to organic! Thanks for keepin’ it real. 🙂
Do you use an organic deodorant? All this talk about toxins has got me thinking…..!!! 🙂 Thanks for all you do, love your blog.
Fully recommend menstrual cups- they are life changing. But diva isn’t the only brand out there. I have been using the Keeper brand for 18 years- they make a natural rubber (keeper) and a silicone (moon cup) for those with latex allergy. My daughter has just started and she has ordered the MeLuna. All brands offer at least two sizes but MeLuna comes in tons of different colours (if cute colours are important to you), different firmness and 3 different stem styles.
All women are different, so options are good.
My daughter found a YouTuber who reviews different menstrual cups. She found it helpful to decide which brand she wanted to order. This young woman makes and sells washable cotton pads (may be an option for others as well) Her channel is- Precious Star Pads
Thanks for bringing up the subject of menstruation- menstrual cups have been around for decades and see how few people know about them.
I use sponge tampons from Jade and Pearl. They are THE BEST. Super comfy, safe and nontoxic and much less wasteful than traditional tampons. I use it for 6 months. Downsides are rinsing it out in a public bathroom because it is kind of awkward to do unless you have a private bathroom. Now that I have these sponges I’d never use anything else. I’ve heard the Diva Cup is awkward to do yoga in and there may be spillage. I like sponges for that reason – they conform to the body in a more natural way.
http://jadeandpearl.com/sea-pearls-reusable-sea-sponges/
Yep I definitely buy organic tampons and liners now-a-days. It freaked me out to think of all the nasties that could be going up my vajajay! Not the way forward.
I’ve been looking into diva and moon cups, but never really took the plunge yet. But they do sound pretty interesting and also not bad for the lady bits!
{Teffy’s Perks} X
Great post and thank you for getting the word out about toxic tampons. Let’s also not forget about the large population of women that prefer pads. for a 100% chlorine free cotton alternative in the pad category, may we recommend Maxim Hygiene pads – the first brand of 100% cotton pads through and through, making them oh so soft and hypoallergenic for that growing population of women with skin sensitivities – http://www.maximhy.com/maxim-shopping-cart/maxxion-cotton-sanitary-pads-panty-liners.html
Interesting! I recently shadowed and OBGYN and she said there was a correlation between uterine fibroids and the toxins in your body, specially in relation to the toxins in tampons. She also said hat women who don’t use tampons bleed less and have lighter, shorter periods.
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Why not just use menstrual cups and forgot this whole organic tampon thing? It’s way cheaper and better for the environment too!
I think menstrual cups are the best option of them all. No more chemicals, plus it’s way better for the environment.
Why not just use a menstrual cup? They’re way cheaper and also way better for the environment than organic pads or tampons.
You’ll really feel the difference between wearing the conventional tampons and the organic ones because with the latter-mentioned, there are no discomfort feelings. However, I highly recommend that you try another great alternative–the menstrual cups! I guarantee you’ll switch to it once you feel how totally comfortable and safe it is!
This is an awesome post! Thank you for spreading awareness about the important of using organic tampons and feminine hygiene products! We would love to work with you on continuing to spread the word!
Yes! E-mail me lauryn@theskinnyconfidential.com. x
I noticed this week that’s Target is actually carrying several brands of organic tampons! Definitely intriguing and I’m looking forward to trying them out.
Well said. I loved your article. In Australia we have a number of ideal 100% organic cotton tampons that any woman can choose from. Like you have pointed out these tampons are made from 100% natural raw material usually cotton grown without any forms of insecticides or pesticides. They are also free of any forms of bleachers especially chlorine. The process of manufacturing organic tampons is eco friendly. My advice for women today is to embrace the use of natural options that are safe to the environment and also to our future generations to come in order to keep them safe.
I seriously recommend organic cotton tampons and pads! I’ve suffered with bad cramps for years and years and had to take days off school and work and then i found these natural beauties! They really help reduce the cramps!!! Admittedly my cramps aren’t fully gone but are so much less!!! Please recommend to anyone who has cramps and spread the word ladies!!
I switched to menstrual cups and it was one of the best decisions. Little uncomfortable at first use but I definitely recommend it. Tampons are big NO for me… cancer, TSS, menstrual waste.. what else?