In an attempt to live a greener life, I’ve been trying to replace disposable products like paper plates and plastic bags with reusable alternatives like real dishes and cloth bags. Now that I’ve tackled making my kitchen greener, it’s time to address my personal care products and see how I can exchange those for greener options.
Disposable menstrual pads are usually made from a combination of paper and plastic materials. They are generally not biodegradable, contain chemicals that may be harmful to our health and are manufactured in ways that have a negative effect on the environment. Cloth menstrual pads are an excellent alternative, although other green options also exist, such as the menstrual cup and sea sponges used as tampons.
I decided to order cloth pads from a couple different places so I could see which style I liked best. One shop from which I ordered was Lola’s Loft, found on Etsy.com. The shop owner, Lola, offers pads in several different sizes ranging from panty liners to postpartum pads. I selected the 9 ½ inch long maxi, listed as being suitable for regular flow days. The pads were offered in a wide variety of colors and prints and I selected a red paisley design.
The pads from Lola’s loft are made of multiple layers of flannel, along with layer of some sort of water resistant fabric and a layer of fleece. The pads have wings, which wrap around beneath the crotch of your panties and then snap together to hold the pad in place.
The first thing I thought when I put on the pad was how comfortable it was. It was soft. The softness was comforting. Later, though, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t feeling the pad at all. It was so comfortable it was barely noticeable. That’s definitely better than the disposable pads I used to use.
The pad was not bulky and was similar in thickness to some of the ultra thin pads on the market today. It seemed like it kept me drier, though, than the disposable pads I normally used. I think the soft flannel was more absorbent than the plastic-like top layer of most disposable pads. I had no leaks, not even when wearing the cloth pad on heavy flow days or overnight. I cannot say the same for one of the other cloth pads I tried from another shop.
I was very pleased with the pad from Lola’s Loft and plan to order enough to allow me to use them exclusively during my menstrual periods. I will not be going back to disposable pads, and the pad from Lola’s Loft was the best of all the cloth pads I tried.
Sources:
Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/lolasloft. Lola’s Loft.