So I’ve been writing a lot about the lady things lately. I mean, as women, our bodies are pretty complicated (and awesome)— so I feel like we could chat endlessly about these things together. Since writing about lady contraptions for the time of the month I’ve got a lot of feed back from you guys and friends and family too. Different things work for different people. I learned that those prone to UTI’s should maybe avoid cups. I’ve also researched and asked a lot more about tampons and other things. For me personally, I know that if I couldn’t use a cup (like, if my body hated it, or if I worked outside my home without a private bathroom) my only real option would be tampons. Right now, as mentioned, I use a combo of different things depending on my flow, what I’m doing, and how I’m feeling. I think it’s about 50/50 cup and tampons– but again, my body lets me and my job lets me too. #periodblessed. That’s not a thing, right? That should be a thing.
Shortly after writing my round up of lady contraptions, I learned about LOLA. So, the FDA definitely doesn’t require tampon brands to disclose the list of ingredients in their tampons. Which means that a lot of companies simply won’t list their entire ingredient list. I’ve read A LOT about this lately (though theres always more to read). There’s a been a few activist doctors out there that have been pushing to get more of the ingredients tested. No surprise that the FDA is in no rush to do so. (womp). LOLA chooses to list their ingredients: they’re 100% cotton, no additives within the tampons AT ALL— which also means there are no synthetic materials like rayon or polyester. Most tampons are heavily treated post production— which I’ve also talked about— things like fragrance? Gross. There are no harsh chemicals sprayed on the tampons— no cleansing agents, bleach, dyes, or chemical filled perfumes to stick up your lady parts. Also, they use a BPA-free plastic applicator. And because I like to double check everything– I asked about the cotton used and pre-processing stage. LOLA’s cotton is completely NON-GMO. And for those who are concerned about glyphosate— I totally asked and their (european grown) cotton crops are completely glyphosate free. I figured (and hoped) for that much when I learned the cotton was grown in Europe and the tampons were made here. But I wanted to be sure (duh). Yes, GMO crap is primarily an issue here in the states– but the reality is that it’s problem almost everywhere. So I doubled checked. This is the response I received in email:
Yeah, I mean, in a perfect and modern world, we wouldn’t bleed all over the place and need anything to protect our clothes and our rugs and the eyes of friends and family during our time of the month— but that’s not how mother nature works. We bleed. Once a month (typically anyway) and need to use things. Are tampons the perfect solution? Debatable. But they are a realistic one of so many people (myself included). LOLA is also pretty cool in that it’s a completely customizable subscription service, making your lady monthly time just a tad bit easier (chocolate helps too). You can choose exactly how many tampons of what variety you want sent to you. So like, for me, loads of super industrial strength and just a couple light ones. But maybe for someone else, mostly lights and a few regular ones does the trick. You can also skip, cancel, or charge your plan anytime— cause life is already filled with too many commitments, and your lady time should be easy, flexible, and uncomplicated. Or as easy, flexible, and uncomplicated as you can make it….
Wanna try LOLA out? The first 100 readers to use the code OHDEARDREA get 50% off their order* 🙂
*new customers only. continental US only. (sorry Hawaii and Alaksa).
9 Comments
Hello there,
I just want to thank you for talking about all of this stuff because you are really the only blogger that I read that is talking about this issue. It is a "taboo" topic for whatever reason, but it is something that needs to be discussed. Heck yes for you!!!
An interesting post. I was just reading about the cotton used in some tampons the other day – gin trash that is not useable in anything else. The levels of chemicals are quite horrific. Cotton is the dirtiest crop on the planet, using 16% of the world's pesticides. A sobering thought. CJ xx
Noice. I would use if they sold applicator-free, esp if wrapped in something other than plastic.
Thanks for the code, Drea! Just ordered 2 boxes for $9 (with fewer "lights" because I almost never need them). I'm pumped to use a more natural alternative when I do need tampons – whenever I can be home for the day I wear reusable pads that I sewed myself, but that is um not so much fun to deal with at work 🙂
I can't believe you haven't mentioned Thinx yet! I am completely obsessed and a total convert and just ordered three more pairs. They are period proof undies that you can wear on their own (or with a tampon if you want), you just rinse them at the end of the day and wash them, and let them air dry! They are a wonderful company that gives back to women in the developing world with every pair you buy. They're super comfortable and actually make me (almost) look forward to that time of the month!
Drea, the GMOs issue is very complex. I'm a scientist, not working in GMOs but having studied them extensively during my education. Whilst I agree that genetically engineering plants in order to increase their ability to survive when applying a ton of pesticides is not ok, it's bad for our health and for the environment, genetically engineering plants can have amazing outcomes. Did you know that GMOs are being used to grow plants in droughts (where nothing would grow if not for this technology) and nutritionally superior plants are being produced (golden rice)? These are just two examples I can think about right now. GMOs are a very very complex issue, not everything is black or white, and I think they have a really bad reputation because nobody is talking about the great things the technology also does. xx
Argh I wish South Africa would get on the damn boat with stuff like this! Annoys me shitless!
this is awesome. i just ordered two boxes for 9 dollars…whaatttt. so cheap.
i've been looking for a good alternative, but sadly convenience has won out and i've been using non-organic…bleached…bleh. BUT this is SO convenient. i dont even have to make awkward eye contact with the teenage boy behind the counter at walgreens ever again if i dont want to. thanks for posting! definitely think i'll be sticking with this for many lovely periods to come. i also love that you can customize how many of each you want. what a brilliant idea.
This looks so cool! I will check them out. Have you heard of Thinx? I ordered a few pairs of them 2 months ago and have been loving them!