Natural Menstrual Products

Conventional menstrual products can contain a lot of toxic ingredients and they also create a lot of waste. Natural menstrual products are the safer bet.

There are a lot of reasons to use natural menstrual products. You may be trying to reduce your environmental impact and want options that are reusable or at least contain less waste, or you may want to reduce the number of possibly toxic chemicals you are using on your body.

Both are great reasons to make the switch to natural menstrual products. Conventional menstrual products can phthalates and other possibly harmful chemicals. And they do create a lot of plastic waste.

There are now so many natural options both disposable and reusable options and all are better for you and the environment.

Natural Menstrual Products

Natural Disposable Menstrual Products

Maxim makes menstrual products that use natural fibers like 100% certified organic and natural cotton. The products are free of chlorine/dioxin, hypoallergenic, and more eco-friendly.

They carry tampons with cardboard applicators or without applicators and there are several size options. They also have several different pads and panty liners. They even carry organic cotton swabs, cotton balls, and cotton rounds. All are better alternatives to options you find in most stores which are full of pesticides and often other toxins.

I have tried several of Maxim’s products and they are all high quality and very comfortable. They are a good option if you want to stick to more tradition disposable products. Even if you use reusable products it can be nice to have some disposables around for emergencies or in case a friend is over and needs something.

Natracare is another great brand. They have been around since 1989 and make a wide range of products. They offer several styles of pads and tampons. They use certified organic and natural, plant-derived materials. They don’t use toxic chemical and additives. They also only use products that are certified free from animal testing. Many Gynecologists agree that natural menstrual products like Natracare are the way to go.

“Many gynecologists have advised women with sensitive skin to use Natracare in order to reduce their contact with chlorine bleached materials, and also products containing synthetics, latex and super absorbents made from petrochemicals.”

I have used some of the Natracare products for a long time and also had the chance to try more of their products. I have always been happy with them and I’m happy to know they aren’t harming my body and are more gentle on the environment.

Reusable Menstrual Cups

The DivaCup is one popular menstrual cup. It’s made of silicone. And it’s BPA and latex free. It can safely be worn for up to 12 hours without the risks of TSS. Menstrual cups are a great alternative to tampons. They save you a lot of money of the course of your life as they only need to be replaced around once a year or every few years, depending on a lot of factors. The DivaCup also doesn’t dry you out as tampons can.

The Lunette menstrual cup is another great option. They are made in Finland and also use silicon. Like the DivaCup they can last years, easy to clean, and can be worn for up to 12 hours. Lunette menstrual cups come in several colors. The colors in the cups are safe and free of heavy metals.

Reusable Menstrual Pads

Lunapads are one great option for reusable pads. They have a ton of different colors and sizes. They also offer organic cotton options, which I like. Reusable pads are very comfortable and I have used several different Lunapads and I love all of them. I haven’t ever been a fan of pads because they are often loud, uncomfortable and just gross. However, Lunapads are so soft and since they are made from cotton and don’t have those nasty plastic backs they aren’t noisy!

The pads simply snap on to your panties so no sticky glue to mess with. Several of the pad styles have removable (still reusable) liners you can use in the pads if you change them before they soak through you can use one pad all day and just change the liners which attach via ricrac.

Lunapads also carries wet bags which make caring for your pads easier. Just rinse out your pads and stick them in your wet bag until you can throw them in the washer with your other laundry.

Glad Rags are another great brand of reusable menstrual pads. They also have several options and even have organic cotton options. With Glad Rags, you stuff them with a liner or two for heavy days. They are also very easy to use and very soft. They also snap around your panties. One of the great things about cloth pads is how breathable they are. It’s important for your sensitive skin to be able to breathe. This is something you will very much appreciate during the hot summer months.

I got the chance to try a Glad Rags and they are a great product. I’m very sensitive and I find them to be comfortable and soft. They are so much better than conventional pads. I can’t even imagine going back to disposables.

Menstrual Panties

THINX has created panties that can be worn without other protect and it will absorb your flow in a comfortable way. If your flow is heavier you can use it as a backup for other methods.

They come in a lot of styles to help you find the most comfortable option for you. You wash them like normal laundry and use them over and over.

I recommend trying these products until you find the one that works best for you. Every woman is different and that’s why it’s so great to have this many options. Don’t lose hope if one or more options aren’t right for you, just keep trying.