Lunapads

WARNING: Blatant Advertising of Feminine Products!

Here goes...

After deliberating for 2 years, i have finally decided to go ahead and purchase Lunapads. These are reusable menstrual products. They are really really comfortable! My greatest hurdle was the washing. We have been influenced to think of menstruation as something disgusting and something we conceal and hide. When i first asked my mum about it – she gave a standard reply – washing the blood and all? It does sound a little icky – but seriously, it ain’t that difficult or disgusting at all.

Get a bottle of earth friendly liquid detergent and a pail. I use the ‘earth’ brand although i should be buying the ‘seventh generation’ one after i finish with this. Wash the pads under warm water and just rub/scrub it with your hands. This ought to get rid of most of the blood/discharge. Place a little detergent over the pad and rub it in again. Without washing the soap away, soak the pad overnight in the pail filled with water and the appropriate amount of liquid detergent. That’s all. Hang to dry.

You can use washing machine to wash, but try to dry it naturally. My sis placed it in the dryer and it shrunk quite a bit. So, drying it naturally is the way to go. 

Shown above is a maxi cloth pad. It can be used as it is, or if you have a heavier flow, you are able to insert more liners under the ric-rac bands. I bought these but i have so far only used it once. The length of it is quite long as compared to commercial disposable ones.

This is the 7 day mini pantyliner kit that i bought. I use pantyliners on a daily basis and i felt it was such a waste. The amount of used pantyliners, pads and tampons being thrown into landfills each year is enormous! Disposable pads and tampons also pose potential health risk due to the chemicals in them. Also, since they are really easy to wash and dry, i actually don’t use all 7 of them. My sis has 2 of her own, i gave her one of mine and i still have one which i have not used at all. They are also really compact to keep and bring around. When not in use, you can fold them up and clip them together (if you can see the clip in the picture – the white square thing).

From forums, there are so many concerns regarding the wearing of pantyliners on a daily basis as it is not good for the body and of course, your vagina. So this would be a very very good alternative to disposable ones.

This is called the DivaCup. It is a wonderful tampon alternative. Tampons have a serious health risk – Toxic Death Syndrome. This does not exist with the DivaCup. The divacup does not absorb your natural vaginal fluid (self-cleansing) as opposed to tampons. The cup is inserted low in the canal instead of high up like a tampon. There are no strings attached. As icky as it might seems, it is made of medical grade silicon which is way way way safer. If you are interested in the intricate details, let me know… Supposedly, it doesn’t leak. There might be occasional leaking but it’s usually if you have not create a proper seal or if the cup is nearly full. You can wear it overnight, else in the day, depending on your flow, some can last the whole day, some empty it every 4-5hrs.

The pads are really comfy and there are many different fabrics and colours to choose from. My personal favourite has to be bubble mosaic – but it seems to be running low on stock for that fabric.

Price! On the offset, it seems expensive – which is also a reason why i put off buying it. The 7 day pantyliner kit costs USD$72 (SGD$110) w/o shipping fee. Seems really expensive eh? However, the pad can last up to 5-10 years. Lets do a little calculation here shall we?

I took from NTUC’s website: A pack of Whisper Breathable Pantyliners (40’s) costs $3.67: 1 pantyliner costs $0.09

Let’s say you use 1 a day, a month would costs: $0.09 x 30 = $2.70
a year would costs: $2.70 x 12 = $32.40
5 years: $32.40 x 5 = $162 ( This amount is more than the amount you pay @ lunapads)

The costs above is based on if you only use 1 pantyliner a day without changing (some ppl might use more a day). This is also compared to the 7 day kit – but you might not need that much. I currently am using 5 of the 7 and have 3 always kept in my wardrobe. I just like to use them for their cute patterns depending on the mood i am in. But i think effectively, practically speaking, you might only need 3 or 2 minimum.

Okay, i think i have rattled off enough. They have many other products on their website as well. Take a look, ask me if you have any questions. I don’t sell their products (duh) but i am a really satisfied customer.