Eco Menstruation

A little bit about reusable menstrual items

2009-09-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

Ok so this will be a lengthy informative blog post on the reasons there are to use reusable menstrual products! I keep getting messages telling me its gross, and it is something I think needs to be talked about.
Let's start out simple...

*Although most women think pads and tampons have been sterilized, they have not. In fact, no feminine hygiene product has been sterilized.

Yep thats right, those cute bleached white little buggers arent even sterile, who knows who has handled them...let alone what the bleaching process leaves behind. Your vagina is ultra sensitive, and ultra prone to absorbing whatever it comes in contact with. Dioxins are a super dangerous...and since there is no regulation stating that tampons need a listing of "ingredients" these things are passed along to us and our beautiful flowers!

*FDA does not require that the ingredients in tampons and pads be listed anywhere in or on the package.

Scary huh? So next time you get done checking to see how many calories are in a Newman O, think about checking tampons and pads to see what are put in those

*Over 12 BILLION pads and tampons are USED ONCE and disposed of annually, adding to environmental pollution.
Well how about I use organic cotton? Well that is much better on your body, but still filling up the landfills at a disgusting rate!

*A March-April 2001 E Magazine article states that, according to the Center for Marine Conservation, over 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999.
Yuck

*There are 85 million women of menstruating age in North America.

There are so many options for those of us who want to try something new.

Reusable Pads...I offer cutesy ones in my etsy shop, or organic hemp fair trade ones for those of you who wanna take it one step further with your tampaction!
http://www.auntflospads.etsy.com

They are really soft, and coming from someone who used to use throw away pads, they are much more comfy, I barely notice them!
There is also an entire team on etsy dedicated to reusables
eco menstruation team
here is our ning
please feel free to swing by, sign up and ask any questions or share any information you might have!!!

So you dont like pads? They arent comfortable for you and you want something more tampon like?
check out the diva cup.......http://www.divacup.com/

I also have a diva cup, which I use during the day when I am menstruating. It is very comfortable and I barely notice it! It is perfect for those of you who like tampons! When I get ready for bed I clean my cup and use a reusable pad for while I am sleeping...it is the perfect combination for me...What is right for you?

There is one more product that I have tried, which it was pretty comfortable but didnt last as long as the diva cup and the pads
its the sea sponge
http://www.seapearls.co.uk/
It is also not vegan, and therefore I wouldnt consider it a sustainable choice. Also harder to clean and keep clean!

I have a lot of resources I would be more than happy to share with you, and I am currently working on a zine about tampons and sustainable alternatives that I will be selling on my etsy site in no time!
Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask me any questions!

Aunt Flos Pads my brand spankin new etsy handmade shop!

2009-08-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

My reusable menstrual items were taking over Holistically Heather, and we are in the process of selling my pads at a few co-op groceries in the area. So we figured, no better time than now to start a seperate website for our reusables!

Never tried reusables? Here are a few things people have said about my pads:

So soft and comfortable

I forgot I had a the hemp fleece pad on, it is like sitting on a pillow

Thank you so much for the exceptional service! The pads are perfect & very well made. I couldn't be happier! Shipping was fast, I got all of the information I needed for using & cleaning them and all of my questions were quickly answered. Thank you so much!!!

Just a few responses to give you an idea!

What do I offer in my new shop? Where can you find it?
In my new shop you will find a variety of reusable menstrual items: pantyliners, all in one pads, envelope style pads (where you can adjust the thickness based upon flow, and pull apart all sections to wash individually), cramp pillows you can heat up or keep in the freezer, and coming next week organic cramp massage oil!!

Aunt Flos Pads

Mention Eco Menstruation Team in notes to seller, wait for a revised invoice and receive 10% off your entire order!!!!

Please Join Our NING

2009-08-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

Our Eco Menstruation Ning!

Holistically Heather's Monthly Blog Giveaways!!!

2009-08-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

Come by my blog giveaway blog to enter and win a free reusable menstrual pad!!!

Giveaway!

Monthly Blog Giveaway

2009-06-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

swing on over to my personal blog to enter my monthly giveaway, you can win a $25 gift certificate to my etsy shop! I have a handfull of reusable menstrual pad listings, and more to come in the near future!
Good luck, and dont forget to enter before june 30th!!!

Vegan Craft Samples August 2009

2009-05-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

We have sold all but 5 of our vegan craft sample bags, raising over $100 for For The Animals Sanctuary! If you havnt ordered your bag, now is the time, we only have a few left.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
VeganSamples.etsy.com

Now it is time to start getting crafters/artists together who would like to be in the second bag! The second round of vegan craft samples will go on sale August 16th, and all samples are due to me by July 30th. If you are interested in being in the next bag, please email me at ecosampler@yahoo.com. Many people who dont have small items, or items they can make into sample sizes send in business cards and coupons or gift certificates as well. If you need help coming up with ideas for samples, I am sure we can brainstorm!

Voting has begun for the next sanctuary to receive our donation, please check out our blog and vote!

We recently added a project wonderful ad section to our blog, if you are interested in advertising on the vegan samples blog, it is cheap and easy! We are always willing to trade ad space with people as well, as long as your blog or website is vegan oriented!

Check us out online:

Myspace

Blog

Vegan Samples Website

Twitter

Forums

Facebook

A big huge vegan thank you to all of the vegan etsy members who sent in items, blogged about us, spread the word, and helped us raise money for animals!

Holistically Heather

2009-05-04T07:19:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, my name is Heather and I run a few shops on etsy (vegan samples and holistically heather), and a shop on artfire
I sell reusable menstrual pads in many varieties
panty liners, postpardum pads, all organic hemp fleece and cotton pads (fair trade), all in one pads, pads with pul liner, pads without pul
I also make wet bags for carrying your reusables around, which have a leakproof layer and are easily wiped down.
I started this etsy team because I was honestly shocked when I looked that there wasnt already an etsy menstruation team! I hope many people join us here, and please feel free to contact me if you want to be a part of the ecomenstruation etsy team!

Etsy
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HolisticallyHeather