Content warning - menstruation and blood.

 Instagram: rupikaur

Yep, you've guessed it - it's that time of the month again. AND, the lack of conversation surrounding periods is still frustrating me. I mentioned how much I love to discuss my period to my dad (yep, my cisgender father who winced at the thought) and my sister, whilst out for a meal (yep, publicly in a restaurant) this week. It dawned upon me that if I have to suffer for at least 5 days each month because of my uterus walls breaking down inside of me then the world has no choice but to endure my ramblings. 

Fortunately for you, I plan for this blogpost to be more informative than whiny. This week I have been wearing my Eco Femme cloth pads along with my beloved Mooncup*. Eco Femme are a company that produce washable pads; their aim to prevent non-biodegradable sanitary waste. The pads are made by women in India and each purchase goes toward their Pad for Pad project which ensures their pads are available to economically disadvantaged individuals. 

Instagram: bifuriousem

The Eco Femme cloth pad range come in 4 different styles: panty liner, day pad, day pad+ and night pad. I bought the panty liners which came in a pack of three unlike the other styles which only come in single packs.

My initial thought upon using the cloth pads were how much more comfortable they are to wear compared to disposable pads. They even felt softer than my underwear. I found that the Eco Femme range are all made from conventional cotton (an organic cotton range is anticipated). I wanted to know what could possibly be in other forms of sanitary protection and why they all weren't made as comfortable as this. My research led me to some alarming conclusions about the materials used in disposable sanitary items. Manufacturers aren't allowed to disclose the ingredients because sanitary protection is classed as a "medical device". However, investigators have said that sanitary items such as towels and tampons contain plastic, fragrances and bleach - disgusting, I know!

Not only are disposable sanitary products awfully uncomfortable, their impact on the environment is excessive. In fact, this was the main reason I wanted to use cloth pads. Acquiring the Mooncup was the initial step toward reducing my impact on the environment but I was in need of extra protection. Luckily, I stumbled upon the Eco Femme range in a local health food store and as soon as I did, I flung them in my basket. 

I will definitely be purchasing more of these. I paid under a tenner for 3! For an investment that can sustain 75 washes, potentially more (depending on how carefully you maintain them), they are definitely worth their price**. I can gladly announce, with relief, that I will never be using disposable sanitary protection again. 

* a Mooncup is a sanitary product in the form of a silicone cup. My review on the Mooncup can be found here. 

** prices may vary depending on where you buy them from. I paid slightly more purchasing them from my local health food store compared to their pricing online.