We’ve all apparent the pictures on the internet: abundance of debris accumulated aerial into the sky, patches of the ocean covered in rubbish, and sea creatures circuitous up in plastic. With the advancing altitude crisis on our minds, association has been attractive at means to abate application throwaway items like artificial straws, bags, and utensils. But what about the artificial decay that comes about during “that time of the month?”
One of the better culprits of artificial decay is menstrual products, accurately from tampons and pads. According to one National Geographic article, a distinct menstruating being will use amid bristles and 15 thousand pads and tampons in their lifetime—and these plastic-containing articles will actual acceptable end up in a landfill. Isn’t there a bigger way?
Old habits die hard, and we apperceive that switching to a new accepted isn’t consistently easy. That’s abnormally accurate if you’re a animal of addiction like castigation absolutely (why try a new card account back you could adjustment the aforementioned affair every distinct time, am I right?). We’re actuality to acquaint you that switching to an eco-friendly aeon accepted isn’t aloof bigger for the planet––it’s bigger for all of us menstruators.
Don’t accept us? Adapt to be enlightened, baby reader. We’ve appear far back the canicule of beefy germ-free pads and sea sponges. Let’s analyze two of the best avant-garde eco-friendly aeon articles that may aloof accommodate your periods: the menstrual cup and aeon underwear.
Menstrual cups vs aeon undies: Which eco-friendly aeon artefact is appropriate for you?
The menstrual cup
Although the menstrual cup was patented way aback in the 1930s, it didn’t accretion absorption until much, abundant later. It wasn’t until 1987 that the Babysitter became the aboriginal acrylic elastic cup bogus and awash in the Affiliated States.
Unlike the Babysitter which was fabricated out of rubber, best cups today, including accepted brands Mooncup and Diva Cup, are fabricated out of medical-grade silicone, authoritative them awfully abiding and hypoallergenic.
Okay, but what the heck is it, and how does it work, you ask? A menstrual cup is absolutely actually a small, squishy, cone-shaped cup with a abbreviate axis on the basal for removal. Actually, you could anticipate of it as a beaker of sorts, except this little basin is for blood, not wine. Like a tampon, the cup sits anon central the vaginal walls, but instead uses assimilation to actualize a seal, befitting it in abode and preventing leaks.
To change the cup, all you accept to do is dump the claret out into the toilet or ablution it out with a sink. If there’s not a bore closeby (like in a accessible bathroom stall), use a bit of toilet cardboard to apple-pie it out. Et voila! It’s accessible for you to use again. Be abiding to accord the cup a able apple-pie amid cycles if you appetite to accumulate application it in the continued run (boiling it with hot baptize is a abundant way).
Usually, menstrual cups appear in at atomic two sizes, with a hardly abate one recommended for those who’ve never accustomed birth, and a somewhat beyond one for those who have. Some newer brands additionally action cups in several sizes, including for altered types of cervical positions (yay, inclusion!).
Pros
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It’s durable. Some companies advance replacing your menstrual cup every one or two years, but as continued as you booty acceptable affliction of yours, it can aftermost alike longer, alike up to a decade.
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You can’t feel it. Unless you amid the cup incorrectly, you shouldn’t be able to feel the cup at all.
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It rarely leaks. So continued as you abandoned the cup as its guidelines suggest, you can attending advanced to a abounding banal chargeless of leaks.
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You can abrasion it for up to 12 hours. Yep, you heard right. Aloof think, in 12 hours, you would already accept befuddled abroad two tampons or pads!
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You’re accomplishing your allotment for the environment. Seriously, accede aloof how abounding pads and tampons you go through a year. Brainstorm never accepting to bandy acclimated menstrual articles in the debris again!
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It’s absolute for the pool. Pond with a menstrual cup is, artlessly put, amazing. Acknowledgment to the ablaze suction, there’s actual little adventitious annihilation will aperture into the water. Apologetic sharks, you’ll accept to assignment a little harder to acquisition this gal!
Craving sweets while on your period? We outline why that is in our commodity about aliment cravings during that time of the month.
Cons
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There’s a little bit of a acquirements ambit to get acclimated to putting the cup in, but already you amount it out, it’s bland sailing from again on.
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The antecedent acquirement may be pricey. On average, cups amount amid 20 and 40 dollars. However, simple algebraic shows that with the cup, you’ll save so abundant added money in the continued run—just anticipate about how generally you buy a new amalgamation of tampons or pads in a year.
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It can feel a little blowzy at first. For those who’d rather not blow annihilation bottomward there, the diva cup can feel really, well, hands-on. But hey, accepting in blow with your anatomy is never a bad thing!
Photo by Good Body Shop on Unsplash
Period panties
It’s cool agitative to see the avant-garde new aeon articles on the bazaar today, abnormally the aeon underwear brands that accept afresh access assimilate the scene. While reusable pads accept been about for a while, aeon panties are rather new in comparison. Like bolt pads, aeon panties are washable and reusable. The aberration is that they accommodate abounding advantage and are bogus application new absorptive abstracts that anticipate leakage.
Some of the best acclaimed brands accommodate Thinx from the US and ModiBodi from Australia, but added and added abate brands are beginning up about the world. Time for a afterpiece look!
Pros
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You don’t charge to anguish about antibacterial your accepted underwear. No added stains! With aeon panties, you’ll accept appropriate underwear that you can save for the occasion.
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Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow… Ah, the abandon of not accepting to use any appropriate product! Aloof blooper on the undies and go on with your day.
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Less artificial to bandy away. No added artificial blockade applicators or disposable pads—reusable aeon underwear is assuredly abundant added environmentally affable than the accepted stuff.
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They attending and feel like approved underwear. Although you ability apprehend them to be bulky, aeon panties aren’t that altered from the approved kind. And, you can alike abrasion them back you’re off your period, so what’s not to adulation about that?
Cons
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You accept to bathe them out afore abrasion them. Afterwards application aeon underwear, you’re declared to bathe out the underwear with algid baptize afore abrasion them in the machine. For some folks, that’s not a botheration at all. For others, it’s an added footfall they’d rather not have. Or, maybe the afterimage of the claret rinsing out is an issue. Like we said before: accepting in blow with your anatomy and its accustomed functions is a acceptable thing!
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They booty a little testing. Some bodies accept appear that they can accomplish it through the banal after leaks, while others charge to change. If you accept a abundant flow, you may charge to analysis the panties out a brace of times afore chief to abrasion them at assignment or school.
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You may end up defective to use tampons (or addition product) alongside the panties. Depending on your flow, you may acquisition that the aeon panties don’t accommodate abundant coverage. If that’s the case, you ability accept to supplement with added methods, which may beggarly the ancient way: with throwaway products.
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They’re pricey. Best aeon underwear starts at about 30 dollars a pair. Back abrasion amid every abrasion during your aeon seems appealing unlikely, you’d apparently charge to get at atomic bristles pairs or added if you appetite to await on the underwear alone.
Exercise aeon = good? Apprehend our tips for exercising during your aeon here!
Some final thoughts
Here’s an idea: Accord both of the eco-friendly aeon articles aloft a try to see what works for you. It’s a win-win—use the menstrual cup for swimming, abrasion the underwear on light-flow days, and on heavy-flow nights, amalgamate the menstrual articles to ensure a cool defended slumber.
We’re aflame for what’s to appear in this beginning industry. Accumulate your eyes peeled!