Companies such as Lunapads and Eco Femme have Pad for Pad and One For Her programs. New Moon Pads donates a pad for every order over 99 dollars as well as offering a discounted option to donate to Days for Girls. I believe it is 3 pads for 9.99 or 10 for 29.99. You can check out the Days for Girls website here. These programs help women who otherwise may not be able to afford any form of menstrual product to help them through their cycle, which would result in them missing school and work. Imagine not being able to go to school because you have no way of dealing with your period.
I haven’t bought any Eco Femme pads, but they look really well made if you check out their website and the few reviews out there. I love that I know who is making my pads, where they are coming from, and the fabrics being used. I have quite a stash of New Moon Pads, she’s fairly local to me and gives amazing customer service. From what I understand, she runs her business herself out of her home and her products are amazing and durable. Lunapads is a small business in Vancouver, which again is somewhat local to me, and while I don’t know how many people are employed, I do know that they are very willing to answer any questions and I feel very confident buying from them.
Those are just a few reasons I support companies such as those listed above. Lunapads is by far my favorite. The quality and customer service is outstanding. Their passion to change the lives of those of us who menstruate is inspiring. They are inclusive, in that they acknowledge that it isn’t just cis women who menstruate, and they offer such a variety of options from internal to external protection. I will always always always promote their business and support them myself. I gotta say, their teeny pantyliners has made my life a lot more comfortable, and I don’t feel guilty changing it several times a day cuz I know I am just gonna rinse it out later and toss it in the washer with my clothes. Easy peasy.
So it is the experience of supporting and buying from people who are making these products, from small businesses to the work at home etsy seller who is single handedly making all their products themselves that has led me to wonder about businesses I’m seeing more and more of such as Precious Stars Pads. I decided recently to try sewing some of my own reusable pantyliners and so of course I started watching hours upon hours of youtube videos. I’m a very visual learner and I like to have a solid idea of what I’m doing before I venture into a new project, and so I stumbled across the Precious Stars Youtube channel.
The channel is run by a young woman named Bree and she has tons of great information and reviews on her vlog. She shares her experiences and struggles with reusable menstrual products (also referred to as rumps by many users) and she even started her own cloth pad business at a fairly young age. How awesome to see a young person succeeding at doing something they are so passionate about, yet I have one major issue with her company. Her pads are all produced in factories in China. She refuses to answer questions about why these are the exact same pads one can find on Ebay or Aliexpress. She has yet to address questions regarding the conditions of these factories and the workers. After watching her videos and looking at her website, I have decided I won’t be buying from or supporting her in any way. I would urge others to question the ethics of her company as well.
One of the main reasons so many of us do switch is for environmental reasons, and buying from small businesses or making our own gives us the chance to know where these products are coming from and who is making them. I don’t want mass produced products and I certainly don’t want to unknowingly buy a product that may have been produced in a sweatshop or by workers who endure long hours, sub-par work conditions, and low wages.
I like to know where the food I eat comes from, I will go out of my way to buy local food and I will email companies and ask questions and research research research. I feel that if I can make something myself, then I will. I grow a garden, it’s not huge, but we get a lot of food out of it. I buy a lot of second hand and ‘sustainable’ clothing. So while I love to support small business, I only like to support ethical business.
I also want to address the issue of bloggers and vloggers who open with ‘hi ladies’ or post things about how men may not want to view/watch. All genders need to be educated about the reproductive system and periods are a huge part of that. Also keep in mind that there are trans men out there who do get periods, and it may be a very delicate subject for some as it is a very unwanted process their bodies forces them to endure. I just really like inclusion, and I know we have all been somewhat programmed to think a certain way, but the world is a vastly growing and changing place and one must educate themselves about these things.
Now, it has been several years, four or five, since I have purchased anything from etsy, so I have been perusing the pad makers shops and I am loving what I am seeing. It’s like there is this huge community of supporters, makers, buyers, reviewers…and I feel really inspired by it. Inspired to buy, to make my own, and to add my voice.
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