Natural Feminine Hygiene

When you start making the change to green living you start small. The best way to start making changes is to evaluate everything you do and how it affects the world around you.

When it comes to menstrual products, there are two things to consider. The first is how tampons and pads affect your health and the second is how they affect the environment.

Tampons have been linked to "toxic shock syndrome" which is said to be caused by the high levels of asbestos and dioxin used in the manufacture of tampons. Because they are in such close proximity to soft tissue, these harmful substances can cause the symptoms associated with the syndrome. Signs of the early phase of this are headaches, nausea, light headedness, severe cramps followed by fever.

There is also speculation that the use of tampons cause cervical cancer due to the same issue of close proximity of the tampon to soft tissue.

Another problem associated with the use of tampons is vaginal thrush.

On the other hand, pads, while they are not as invasive as tampons, create a lot of waste. Not only does the packaging create waste but the used menstrual pads take many years to break down and as they do the chemicals in them leech into the soil.

So what alternatives do we have for natural feminine hygiene products?

There are two simple ways to deal with the menstrual issue in a green eco friendly frugal way.

1. Menstrual cups

Menstrual cups work simply buy being inserted into the cervix during menstruation. After a couple of hours you remove the cup, rinse and reinsert. A once off purchase lasts many years and creates NO waste.

2. Homemade cloth pads

These have been around for many many years and are not new in anyway. However the recent move to green thinking world wide has spawned a host of websites where you can download patterns and make your own. Of course if you do not have the time or skill to make your own, then you can purchase reusable clothe menstrual pads from a variety of suppliers.

Other feminine hygiene products that we use in our home are supplied by Nature Fresh.