Day 105- Radical Hygiene Part 2

Day 105-Radical Hygiene part 2

This week, I will be devoting Road Toward Competency to Radical Hygiene—using traditional practices to make your hygiene regimen more healthy for you, the environment, and your budget.

If you have a woman oriented body and are between the ages of 13 and 45, odds are you ovulate and menstruate. I don’t. So, I recognize that what I am writing here today may seems like a strange choice, tinged with breaking social mores and problematic power dynamics. I and I would like to keep that first and foremost.

However, the whole radical hygiene movement at Earlham began here, so I think it is best if I go in this direction today.

Lets face it, I don’t get a period. However, many people in my life do. It is a natural bodily function that society has shied away from. They have diagnosed it as something that is dirty and needs to be “treated”. Tampon ads talk about secrecy. Crinkle proof wrappers that look like sugar packs and smell like flowers or things. And you get all sorts of great ads.

Like this classic one-

But, lets face it, tampons and pads are not good for the environment, your body, or your budget.

Tampons are cotton--the least organically grown material in the global agriculture market. They are packaged in plastic--often with plastic applicators. Sometimes, they have all sorts of chemicals and artificial fragrances. On top of that, they can make you sick. There is a chance of Toxic Shock Syndrome or TSS. Essentially, TSS is a Staph Infection in the vagina. And nobody wants that.

This is where radical hygiene steps in. There are all sorts of products women use for their periods.

The most popular, among the women I know, are the Keeper/Diva Cup.Each are rubber cups that hold the menses back until you are ready to empty it. Each are reusable, so there is no waste and they practically pay for themselves as you no longer need to pay for pads or tampons. They are made from polyurethane so they are hypoallergenic and there is no chance for TSS.

But if you really love your tampons, you can get one made out of sea sponges. At $4.50 each a year, they are much more economical as compared to cotton tampons. And they are environmental since they are not made with cotton (pesticide filled) or bleached (bleaching process gives off toxic dioxins). And the average sea sponge lasts about 6 to 7 months. Compare that to the dozens of tampons or pads you use a year.

Finally, if you use a pad instead of a tampon, there are reusable pads. The company Glad Rags offers a whole line of reusable pads. Pads have many of the same problems tampons do--bad for the environment and costly. So, a reusable pad is cost efficient and healthier for you and the earth.

While I have heard great things about these products from women I trust, I cannot officially endorse any of these products. But I encourage you to go out and try some radical hygiene this month.