Fair warning to those who are tired of reading about my feminine hygiene opinions: you might want to pass on this one.
Anyone still with me?
As you may know, I love the Divacup. I started using it just before we began the Clean Bin Project to avoid waste from tampons. It’s generally pretty great, but occasionally I have some sort of technical error where I just can’t get it to work properly.
I had one such day a little while ago, and I had actually given up on my beloved Diva for the day and used (gasp) a tampon, when a package arrived. It was a sampler pack of Lunapads (yes, I knew they were coming, but I’m not exaggerating – the timing was impeccable).
Before you wrinkle your nose at reusable cloth pads, let me assure you that I, myself, am not generally a fan of any pads. I stopped using them sometime in high school and never went back. The bulky packaging, the waste, the feeling of wearing a diaper all weren’t for me.
But, if anything, this project has taught me to keep an open mind. (Heck, I never thought I’d be brushing my teeth with baking soda, but look at me now). So when I was offered a sampler pack of Lunapads, I said I’d give it a go. I tried the pack pictured above: 1 pantyliner, 1 pad, and 2 liners that fit inside the pad and can be switched out.
Surprisingly, I liked them. They’re not nearly as bulky as I remembered pads being “back in the day”, and it’s really no big deal to throw the pads in the washer. I know that when I was younger, the thought of washing pads would have made me think “ick”, but the older I get, the more accepting of my body I get, and the more I think “what’s the big deal?”.
Personally, I liked the liners better because they are thinner and smaller. I actually went and bought a couple more, so I can have 3 on rotation. They snap together under your underwear, so they are a little uncomfortable when riding a bicycle, but unless you’re a bike courier, I don’t think it would be a problem. And let me tell you; not a single leak.
Most importantly, I feel way better about my environmental impact using Lunapads than using traditional pads or liners. Once you realize that the average North American woman spends up to $2,500 on approx. 11,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime, you realize that were are collectively having a pretty big impact in terms of waste. And I’m thinking that it’s an impact that is pretty darn easy to avoid.
My only question is why aren’t alternatives like the Divacup or Lunapads talked about in schools? Growing up, I thought I had two choices: tampon or pad. If girls were given more options, I think they’d be more inclined to choose reusables in their teens instead of waiting (like me) until adulthood.
The Clean Bin Project Blog 
http://www.topix.net/world/north-america/2010/08/luna-pads-the-clean-bin-project-blog-heads-to-peterborough-ontario-this-week-across-canada
Yeah these are awesome! I don’t feel that you need to preface your post with a warning that you’re going to talk about things to do with bleeding though, it’s an important part of human life, and it’s cool if menstruation can just be talked about openly and not be a taboo subject. I think it’s great you’re posting about these :).
I heard an interview with you guys on the radio the other day, your project sounds amazing!
I’ve been using a combinaison of Diva cup and luna pad for more than a year now, and I will never go back to the traditional products. I would recommend it to anyone, it’s life changing, especially the freedom that the diva cup provides. I’ve been talking to all the woman I know about these products, and it’s amazing how no one seems to know about them. I got a few of them to switch, and they say they would never go back either.
I’ve been wanting to try the Diva cup for a few months now, but just got around to pricing them a couple of days ago. Yes they’re expensive but when you consider the cost of all those tampons (both financially and environmentally) it’s not expensive at all.
I may try the luna pads for night time as well.
thanks for the reviews!
Carolyn
http://www.project21days.blogspot.com
“My only question is why aren’t alternatives like the Divacup or Lunapads talked about in schools?”
I don’t know about now but when I was in school those “talks” they had with us about “the wonderful changes” we were all going through were sponsored by Tambrands and Kimberly Clark. They have no interest in promoting reusables, obviously 😛
Hi Jen! We’re so glad you finally gave Lunapads a try and that they worked well for you. Good luck with your ongoing Clean Bin Project and film tour. You guys rock!
PS: any one with teen girls in their lives? Send them a copy of our Teen Booklet
http://lunapads.com/extras/teen-booklet.html
I’m a big fan of the diva cup and lunapads too and haven’t used disposable products for a few years now.
I was camping recently and was lucky enough to have “Aunt Flo” along (she arrived the first day of camping and stayed till the last day). I brought my stash of lunapads along – I have enough to last for one period – and a bucket with a lid to store the used ones in till we got home. No problem!
I have used luna pads for over 5 years. I love them, as I can’t use tampons or the diva for comfort/medical reasons. Luna has alternatives for bike riders:
1. Underwear that have the elastic for holding inserts built into them (no uncomfy buttons) – though the elastic stretches over time.
2. Liners that only have one button (I ride with them ALL the time and find them comfortable)…many of their larger pads have three buttons.
Of course, the pads I have are 5 years old, so they have likely come out with even better stuff recently.
My fun Luna story:
Last year I was in a medium sized Ontario town visiting a friend at the tail end of a long trip, and was not expecting my period. So when it decided to arrive (earlier than I thought), I had to scrounge. I had brought one emergency pad with me, and a friend had given me another a day before. However, I wanted at least one other for rotation…especially since I was going to be on the road skipping from town to town over the next few days. So I looked in all the local health type stores, then saw a small health food store and thought for sure I had lucked out. But unfortunatly, they had the diva but no pads. I inquired and the women said that just yesterday a sample package of luna pads had arrived. She didn’t think anyone would buy them and was not planning on using or selling any. I proceeded on a 5-10 minute commentary about how wonderful they were and how great the company was (when I have dealt with them anyway). Not sure I convinced her to order any for her store, but she did give me her sample for free. Problem solved.
Love love Luna pads and the Diva cup. Have even made a few of my own pads with great success. In regards to discussing appropriate options for young women I really think it’s up to us as parents and “older” role models to let young women know about their options. I’m not from this province, so have no idea how menarche is approached in schools here, but perhaps the bigger questions is why are we letting the schools teach our daughters about their bodies? Why are we as parents and educators not making a conscious effort to create to crate an open discussion (one that teens will actually listen to!) Anyway- sorry to get all heavy- but something I’ve been thinking about how to handle with my own daughter. Probably about 10 years away still, but still!
I’m 28. Ironically, I first heard about the DivaCup when I was looking at the website for the new colorful u by Kotex stuff. I thought, “ew!” but I’ve always hated pads and tampons, and the more I read about it online the more I realized I would love it. Clean! Contained! No need to change it more than every 12 hours! I started using the DivaCup in April, with Lunapads pantiliners at all times (replacing the disposable pantiliners and pads I used to use). Cloth is so much softer than plastic (duh) and I don’t have to worry about chafing down there, which was the REAL “ew” part.
I love my new lifestyle, and I actually look forward to that time of month. But the real moment when I knew I had turned a corner and would never go back was last week, when a coworker in her late 30’s to early 40’s asked me to check her butt to see if her leaked period had stained her LIGHT PURPLE pants… it had, she had to wear those pants and worry about that stain for several hours before she could go home (like, at least 5), and I was just so happy to know I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Ever. 🙂
I use the Diva Cup and the Luna Panties as my backup. I highly recommend the panties! The Hipster style are my favorite. I have a bunch of the pads+liners and pantyliners as well, although they don’t get used very much. The panties weren’t available when I purchased my stash of pads and pantyliners.
Hi,
I’m post menopause now (and, I tell you, I welcomed menopause and an end to all the mess and worry) but, in the 90’s, I used cloth pads. The casings wore out before the folded napkin inserts did, so I began to stuff the insert into a clean, old sock and pinned it inside my panties. This worked like a hot damn (same principle as baby’s soakers). A lot of us have flooding in the years prior to menopause and tampons, cups or luna pads (they look pretty skinny to me) can be inadequate to the amount of flow–I really recommend the socks–plus you get to re-use them this way.
Anne- that is a hilarious, but great, sock reuse idea! I haven’t had any leak problems with the lunapads, but then again, I don’t have super heavy flow. Here’s to reuse efforts!
Been using cloth pads for about twenty years, same ones and diva cup since about 2003. Very occasionally i will use a disposable something or other but I do not find them to be as absorbent. My question, what do others use for soaking the blood out? I have been using Amaze and cold water but it does not feel the most environmentally friendly, yet I need something effective. Also one thing I used to tell young girls when I worked in a health food store was the Diva Cup is a little hard to use (pinchy) if you keep your fingernails really long. Small concession if you ask me. Thnx in advance for feedback.
Try Oxyclean or a hydrogen peroxide product.
I use Oxyclean powder and the spray stain- remover. Try soaking with the Oxyclean powder, instead of Amaze. You’ll need to dissolve the Oxyclean powder in a small amount of hot water, before you top up your bucket. It won’t remove old stains, but it does deal with fresh blood stains amazingly. (no pun intended, regarding your current brand of choice!)
Hydrogen peroxide is safe for the environment and it bubbles away the stain right before your eyes. Amazing! Just read the product warnings, as it is chemically hazardous to mix with any products containing bleach. I also only use Oxyclean as my sole laundry detergent. 2 scoops for every load and nothing else but the colour safe stain remover, when needed. Good luck. 🙂
Thank you SO MUCH for blogging about this! I’ve been using the Diva cup for a few years but still resort to disposable pantyliners as back-up. You (and your followers!) have sold me. I’m going to switch to Lunapads for my next period. I’m so glad to have found out about them!
Yay Andrea! The lunapads are equally as convenient as disposable liners and way more ethical.
I agree that more younger women should be taught this info in schools. Always used to offer a sample pack (probably still do) with examples of all their products. I remember my mom ordering one and us laughing hysterically when it came complete with a giant super ultra maxi pad. I started using the Diva 5 months ago and will never go back.
I use the keeper – it’s exactly the same as the Diva Cup, but has been around a little longer actually. The price is the same too. The benefit to the Keeper is that it is made from natural rubber, not silicone like the Diva Cup, which means that after its life span runs out (i.e. in ten years) it will biodegrade. I’m on Keeper #2 now, having started with #1 in 1997 and I can’t imagine going back to tampons or pads. I do want to buy some resuable pads though, because I am about to have an IUD inserted and I am told that using tampons is not advised immediately after insertion. I am assuming that that means that I shouldn’t be putting anything up there for at least a couple of days. So, yeah, thanks for the review.
I love my cloth pads. I don’t use luna pads, but I buy them from a seller on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/MomsCrafts4U i also use the instead cup for right now, but do plan on getting the diva for next month.
I feel like i’ve just emerged from the dark ages! I won Lunapads in a raffle- which promoted me to look up a bunch of other brands online. Etsy is chock full of different ideas. I ordered several from various sellers so I can see which I like the best. The fabrics are so pretty- I can’t wait til my next cycle! I also went to the fabric store and picked up some flannel, cotton and fleece in prints I love. I hope I’m able to make some decent ones myself!
I wholeheartedly agree on the lunapanties (hipsters are great) for cycling. They are comfortable, durable (which can’t be said for the rest of my panties), and generally excellent.
I had an idea some years a go of making tampons out of some kind of sponge on a string that could be rinsed and reused immediately. I never followed it through but I’m just putting the suggestion out there in case anyone wants to try or take it further.