One for the ladies only: Make your own pads/mooncup alternative

traciekan

missk_ensington wrote: »

I don't wish to sound rude, this is my first time on the Old Style board and was horrified to see DIY pads/tampons! Surely nobody is that poor that they can't afford tampons? Think you can get a whole load for about 80p in Lidl, or better still, if you're not planning any children soon, have the contraceptive ijection. Not had a period for 2 years!


nothing to do with cost? stuffing a wad up cotton up your vagina is not natural. it dries out your secretions, causes you to clench even if you dont realise it and jams blood in your cervix which should be flowing out!!! a mooncup or washable towel allows your flow to flow. have you ever been to a tampon facory? are they clean? hygienic safe? wheres the cotton from?
mooncups are the best cheapest alternative had mine for 7 yrs after 5 yrs of washable pads and wouldnt shove some overpriced cotton up myself for quids.

MissM_5

Softstuff wrote: »

Wouldn't try the mooncup since when I tried tampons I found them uncomfortable no matter what, but had been thinking of making my own reusable pads.

I and my sister both never were comfortable with using tampons, but we both love the mooncup.

Tampons are a solid matter - therefore you are more likely to feel it in you - because it provides solid friction. Mooncups, on the other hand are hollow and made of flexible material - therefore you are very unlikely to feel it much at all.

With regards to the Baby Sock as re-usable tampon - that is a JOKE - please don't take it seriously.

Also, home made cloth pads are more secure than they were in your mother's / grandmother's day. For the same reason that disposable pads are thinner and more absorbant than when they first came on the market - because of advances in cloth manufacturing techniques.

Hemp for example is a super absorbant cloth commonly used for reusable cloth pads and nappies.

Sharra

I've had my mooncup for 3 months now and its great, although I still feel a little weird emptying it at work. My period pains are definitely better too.
My next step is some reusable pads for use at home.

dannahaz

I've been using a mooncup for months now, and it's brilliant.

It's much more comfortable than tampons and towels, and it's so much more hygienic.

I wouldn't (personally) consider using reuseable pads or homemade anything. Well done to those that do, it's just not for me.

If you haven't tried it, I would definitely recommend the Mooncup.

Robothell

At the risk of being the only bloke posting on this thread and causing all scale war against myself I'd just like to offer a friendly reminder to ayone reading these posts......

From an infection point of view I would be very careful with homemade sanitary products of any kind. The risk of improperly stitched material becoming retained and infected COULD be much higher than those manufactured to the safety standards that the industry must adhere to (fibres come off regular tampons and I'd be fairly sure they come off baby socks too!). Even the mooncup could be an infectious risk if IMPROPERLY CLEANED - just because they say it hasn't happened does not mean it can't.

Apologies to anyone who feels that I need to have a uterus to have an opinion but I feel that people should be aware of the risks of infection and possible toxic shock syndrome that can occur with ANY sanitary product. Bear in mind that "in the olden days", when homemade STs and tampons were the norm, these conditions happened more frequently and with higher morbidity and mortality. More info can be got at Toxic Shock Syndrome Information Service.

If this post is considered offensive or inappropriate in any way please accept my apologies and PM me, I'll edit or remove any part mentioned as soon as I see the message.

lightisfading

I'll raise my hand as another person who LOVES the mooncup. I got mine about 6 months ago, and have never looked back.

For me it wasn't a matter of cost, it was due to health aspects (I don't really want bleach-treated products inside my most sensitive area for 6 days a month, thankyouverymuch), environmental concerns (for both tampons and pads), and comfort (pads are hot and itchy, tampons 'dry me out'). Then there's the added bonus of no risk of tampons/pads falling out of my bag on the bus The cost is way at the bottom of the reasons to switch list for me

I find the cup incredibly easy to use - if I'm at home it gets washed out in the sink, if I'm at work it gets wiped out with toilet paper. At least every couple of days I soak it in sterilising solution (milton). I actually find it more convenient than tampons as it lasts far longer without 'changing' and I very rarely need to sort it out at work or during a day out.

By the way, if anyone is interested and wants to ask any questions about the cup, personal or not, I'd be happy to advise via PM

keelykat

I'm fed up of being made to feel bad, because i use tampons and towels that i have brought. I keep hearing about mooncups (which i cant use) and i dont like the idea of washing out towels etc-getting them clean enough worries me. I doubt ill drop dead from carrying on with the shop brought towels/tampons, but i wont be flushing anything down the loo (dont usually anyway) so they wont be turning up on beaches. Im not saying this to annoy anyone, but it's making me feel like crap when people keep going on about things like this.

Rant over, sorry.

keely.

lightisfading

Keely it's just different points of view, you're fed up of being made to feel bad for using disposables, well we're fed up of being made to feel bad for using reusables! Look how many 'eww yuck' comments there have been on this thread alone.

By the way you can get eco friendly, unbleached, biodegradeable towels and tampons ('Natracare' brand) in healthfood shops and online, might be worth a try, better for you and less landfill, and I couldn't tell the difference

Ytaya

I actually found the Natracare ones to be much softer on my bits! The tampons were more comfy than other brands, too.

keelykat

Hi again-yeah i ve tried the natural ones after my mom gave me some to try. they were quite expensive though, compared to other ones i can get hold of. oh well.

keely.