I recently discussed with my friend and blogger extraordinaire Sara Steele the first products I changed when I got onto the green bandwagon. I mentioned why deodorant was my first big thing to go, even finding that aluminium-free ones weren’t good enough due to the synthetic chemicals they contained. What I failed to mention, is my period products changed too.
This is something I’m not afraid to talk about here on Curiously Conscious; generally, periods shouldn’t be something women are ashamed to acknowledge and discuss. The vast majority of us do it once a month, and will do – or have been doing – for years. So why aren’t we caring so much for our nether regions as we are for our faces, hair, and diet?
Here are the four key reasons I switched over to organic cotton tampons, pads, etc. from TOTM when I went green – and why I urge you to do the same:
1. Better for your body
Did you know that since the 1930s the bulk majority of tampons and sanitary towels have been made from rayon and viscose? These are synthetic fibres treated in harsh chemicals that you put against your skin for hours on end, leaving you dry, sore, and even with reproductive issues.
The beauty of organic cotton tampons and sanitary towels is that they are naturally hypoallergenic, the same pH as your body, and have not been treated in chlorine, perfume, viscose, rayon, pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
2. Better for the planet
As a natural product, cotton is completely biodegradable and compostable. This means whether you chuck it in your composter or throw it in the bin, it is guaranteed to break down and support a natural ecosystem. Plastic, viscose, and rayon don’t afford this benefit. TOTM is also good on the front that it does not use chemically treated wood pulp in its products, which prevents felling trees.
3. Better for the worker
You might remember my first post mentioning TOTM, where I cover the general field of organic cotton and why it’s so important to make the change. A large part of that was driven by an article I had read about a family in Burkina Faso, whose son had died after eating food contaminated with cotton pesticides. Burkina Faso is one of the largest producers of cotton in the world, and while business for chemical-ridden cotton is booming (it’s the number one crop to be sprayed with pesticides and be genetically modified), the workers are not benefiting from this. Barely equipped with safety equipment, they come up close and personal with the sprays and poisons that are applied to their farmlands, and don’t have the protection they need.
Organic cotton stops all of this illogical nonsense. While it may give them an initial reduction in cotton yield, the certification (earned after three years of farming organically) enables them to be paid more for their crops and thus cut out the danger and reliance on man-made materials.
4. Better for peace of mind
I’ve been using TOTM for over a year now, and one thing I love about their service is that it’s tailored to you and your period. Their site is designed to let you set up an order each month, or for however regular you are – you simply tell them how often you want them, and your tampons etc. will be delivered direct to your door. It takes out the hassle of having spares stored for those ‘just in case I forget’ moments, and also means you don’t need to awkwardly run out to the shop when it does get to your time of the month. Plus, if you’re not the average monthly regular, you can stick to ordering as and when you need to.
This post is sponsored by TOTM.
