With today being Menstrual Hygiene Day, my favorite holiday, I felt the need to share how travel influenced my journey to using sustainable menstrual products and highlight a company that is changing the game for both people with periods and the environment.
It was May of 2017 and I was embarking on a two week long bike tour with an organization devoted to sustainability, both environmentally (hence the bikes) and in reproductive health by way of hosting workshops about reusable menstrual products in each city along the bike route. I met the women of Sustainable Cycles at a donation drive and bike race event in November 2016 where I, as the NYC chapter lead for #HappyPeriod, was facilitating the finish line, which was also the site of the menstrual product drop-off at one of Manhattan’s homeless shelters. It was there that I was invited to participate in a bike tour all the way from Brooklyn to the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference in Atlanta the following summer. I neither owned a bike nor had ridden one in awhile. And of course I said yes.
We sped down the hills of Delaware into Maryland, cruised next to cars along highways where the bike path went unfinished, and peddled through puddles after a storm that turned Virginia’s landscape into the most beautiful greenery. We talked about periods at a radical bookstore in Baltimore, sex toy shops in Philadelphia, D.C., and Richmond, and a coffeeshop in Trenton where we crashed on the couches of an illegitimate co-op created by a community of cyclists and wanderers. It was the best adventure made even better by the welcoming invitations to have open, honest conversations about reproductive health with strangers along the east coast.
That bike tour is also the reason I now primarily wear menstrual cups. One, you save so much money on menstrual products by only having to worry about cleaning a cup. Two, they allow for longer wear time than pads or tampons. And three, they’re so much better for the environment. I was sold on the menstrual cup almost immediately. It wasn’t long before I was introduced to more and more companies making menstrual products that are not only environmentally conscious, but are also entirely safer for our bodies and rid of all the toxins found in commercialized products. I specifically remember one company in particular hosting a crowdfunding campaign that I didn’t hesitate to support.
Tampon Tribe is a company I can assuredly say is doing good for the menstruating community and Mother Earth simultaneously. Their products are made with 100% certified organic cotton, are toxin free (most commercial products use bleached wood pulp which is horrible for our bodies), plastic free, hypoallergenic, and compostable. Plus, they are all packaged with up-cycled and recyclable materials. You can subscribe to have the products of your preference delivered free to your door each month, or pause the subscription if you have what you need. They’ve also made reusable products like silicon-free menstrual cups, period panties, and reusable pads. They have everything you’ll ever need to manage your period each month so you’ll feel truly taken care of with a simple subscription or one-time purchase to try it out. And of course, they’re women-owned, so they know what they’re talking about when it comes to periods.
I personally tried their pads and tampons and can say with confidence that I loved them. They’re so comfortable I hardly noticed I was wearing them. Plus, for me personally, products that are made with organic cotton and are toxin-free always allow for greater relief from any cramps, so it’s worth trying it out to see if it helps with any period pain you may have. You can even personalize your order to a certain amount of each product with the My Body subscription option. I’m also very loyal to menstrual cups and period panties and Tampon Tribe specifically makes these products for active bodies, so if you’re a hiker, runner, cyclist, or yogi, they have you covered.
When products are made by a company that actually cares about and understands people with periods, it genuinely makes having your period that much more comfortable and enjoyable. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up on a bike tour talking about your newfound love for menstrual cups.
