Feminine Hygiene Moneysaving Alternatives

bargainqueen_2

sabbykins wrote:

That was SO funny to read, i laughed out loud a few times :rotfl:
I would urge everyone to read it

As for the 'marshmallows', i think i'll give them a miss. Not good for the purse or the environment i think!

Same here Sue thanks for that, what a laugh.

sabbykins

Ley30 wrote:

I don't know whether these have been mentioned already but I use Natural Sea Sponge Tampons, they are so comfortable... feels a bit strange at first washing them out but I find them better than tampons. I think you should change them every 3 months if you use for every period. Definitely saves money and apparently reduces chances of toxic shock syndrome.

Website address is http://www.seapearls.co.uk/

I've never used washable sanitary towels but I know you can buy them.

Why does feminine hygiene have to cost so much!

Caroline

Hi there Ley30 Welcome to the thread!
Sea pearls sound good, i'm using a mooncup and LOVE it but i'm interested in all the other reusable products too.

Just a couple of questions about the sea pearls, how do you wash them and dry them, are they comfy, and how effective are they against leaking?

Thanks.

Ley30

Thank you..
You rinse them when you need to use them straight away, when they need to be cleaned you can use a drop tea tree oil or bicarbonate of soda and I think vinegar (haven't tried this one.. don't want to smell like the local fish & chip shop!!! sorry!). When you use them they have to be damp.. like any sea spong (and they are just pieces of sea sponge) they are hard until they are wet. To dry you just leave them out (doesn't look suspicious in bathroom). You normally get one bigger than the other for heavy days and I think you can wear two. I have never leaked whilst using them although at first I did worry about this.. They are very absorbant but I think you should rinse every few hours...Tricky when in public loo but packs come in twos so you have spare. As for being comfy.. I think they are much more comfortable than conventional tampons which i find often give a dragging feeling. When these tampons are in you cannot feel them at all. I really like them but I will admit I'm not a HUGE tampon user.. I only use when I go out/swimming that kind of thing.

I've just found the link to the washable sanitary towels... Never used but it makes sense. http://www.lunapads.com/

Caroline

Ley30

http://www.natural-woman.com/p_lunapads.htm

This is a UK link.

Gingham_Ribbon

Sea sponges are described in the link as 'plant like creatures' because they're not plants. They're actually simple animals. As such they're not suitable for vegetarians. I also would be concerned about harvesting them and what potential damage it's doing to the sea bed. (Like taking coral or tropical fish from their natural habitat.)

They used to sell them in the body shop for applying make up but I guess there were complaints because they stopped selling them.

Petal_3

I was thinking that there would be some eco issues there.

chucklingbunny

Greenbaby.co.uk also do washable pads - they're really comfy and are reasonably priced too.

http://greenbabyco.com/acatalog/Green_Baby_Maternity_Clothing__Bras___Sanitary_Wear_8.html

black-saturn

I've just ordered some of the Snazzypants pads. Luckily they take orders by cheque as I hate credit card only sites. I'll let you know how I get on with them.

loobs40

Re the Mooncup, does anyone have experience of using it with a Mirena coil ?

My coil has been in for three years and after 2.5 years of no periods unfortunately they are slowly returning. The last few cycles I was using pantie liners, but now I have had to go back to full blown pads

black-saturn

I havn't used a mooncup with a coil but about 3 months ago I got stabbing stomach cramps and really heavy periods and it turned out that using tampons had dislodged it. So I had to have it taken out. Now I'm contraceptive free for a while until I make my mind up what to use next.

I'm surprised your periods almost vanished, mine were unbearably heavy when I had the coil.