With April being Earth Day, we usually think about natural household cleansers as a great way to reduce the toxins in your household. This month, however, I wanted to write about natural feminine hygiene products, since it’s something most women don’t think about, but is something that can make a big difference in reducing the toxins in our lives and helping with overall health.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and is extremely permeable to toxins- especially the vaginal area which is lined with mucous membranes that can easily absorb chemicals and pesticides. There are no long term studies on the safety of using conventional tampons and the chemicals they contain on the human body.
Also with conventional tampons, fiber shedding is an issue, where bits of rayon and other fibers are left in the vagina, which can cause bacterial infections or worse. See this page for more information. Organic tampons like those from Naturacare and Emerita do not have that issue since they are not made from rayon and other man-made materials.
It is best to choose organic, 100% cotton, chlorine free feminine products, not only for the health of the environment, but for the sake of our own bodies as well! The average woman will use 11,000 tampons and pads in their lifetime- that’s a lot of exposure to toxins that can be easily avoided by switching to natural feminine care products.
