sustainable advice

If you recall, I started off 2018 with a post all about hypocrisy and being honest about what I could be doing better sustainability-wise. I admitted that even though I advocate for using less single-use plastic, I was still using single-use plastic period products every month even though I knew of other alternatives. Fortunately for those of you looking to make the switch, I have since explored the realm of sustainable period products and I’m ready to review some of our options…

~ LET’S TALK ABOUT PERIODS ~

Firstly though, I want to begin by talking about period poverty. I don’t want to jump straight into talking about sustainable alternatives for something that some people struggle to afford regularly, especially in the UK.

According to research by Plan International, 1 in 10 girls in the UK have been unable to afford sanitary products and according to a study completed by Always, we now know that over 137,700 children have missed school due to period poverty, specifically.

Period poverty is a huge issue globally and it becomes even more complicated to face when you add the taboo of periods into the picture. So, before I talk about sustainable alternatives which ultimately, can be more expensive to invest in initially, I want to highlight campaigns and charities which are helping aid women, girls and period-having people who can’t afford even the most basic sanitary products because all of us deserve to experience our periods in a comfortable and hygienic manner…

Free Periods // Bloody Good Period // Always #EndPeriodPoverty

~ FACTS & FIGURES ~

For those of you who are fortunate enough to afford more sustainable alternatives or are interested in making the change in the future, I’m here to help! It’s important to understand why making the change is all so important though, so, let’s start with some facts and figures.

Over 3.9 million sanitary products are flushed down the toilet every day in the UK and that’s not including what is left to go to landfill. That figure is scary enough in itself without taking into account that most of these sanitary products are made from either plastic or harmfully bleached and treated cotton, which as we all know, is neither beneficial to the planet or our bodies. Click here to read more about the harmful materials often found in period products – it might shock you.

As we should all know by now, the phrase ‘throw away’ is essentially meaningless seeing as there is no ‘away’; everything always ends up somewhere and that somewhere is our planet.

For me, with just about everything now, I would rather know that I’m doing my part to avoid the negative impact of that at all costs, especially if it helps me avoid any affects to my health at the same time.

That’s why I made the switch and why I believe, if you are able to, you should too. There are many different options to choose from and below, I’m going to highlight my three personal favourites…

You may notice that I haven’t included any internal-use sanitary products within this guide – that’s simply because I don’t personally use them and I wouldn’t be able to provide an honest review. However, I have linked some products which some of you may be interested in, at the end of the post.

~ COTTON PERIOD BRIEFS* – THINX UNDERWEAR ~

Trust me, I was a sceptic over reusable period underwear. Ever since I started having periods, I’d always used sanitary towels (and dabbled in tampons but never quite found they worked for me) and relied on the ability to strip away what I was wearing and refresh when it felt fit, so, the idea of not doing that throughout the day made me feel a little uncertain and honestly, a little uncomfortable.

However, I am now a changed woman. Admittedly whilst writing this, I am only half-way into my first day of wearing the Thinx Cotton Briefs (funnily enough, reviewing period products means waiting a few weeks even though you already own them; who would have thought?) but it’s safe to say, I am happily surprised by how good they make me feel.

With sanitary pads, I find myself readjusting and fidgeting all day because I’m concerned about where my flow is really going (we’ve all been there, right?), so, this makes a care-free change.

Thinx is one of the leading brands for this sustainable option and I’m really happy that they recently introduced organic cotton underwear not only because I want to avoid plastic materials as much as possible but also because breathability is a big Must when it comes to ‘down there’.

Although unfortunately there isn’t too much information about their ethics and factory, I believe that it’s important to embrace an option of sustainable sanitary wear that avoids throw-away plastics and unnecessary waste, especially in such a comfortable way. I’m already contemplating adding more to my underwear drawer…

~ REUSABLE SANITARY TOWELS – BLOOM & NORA ~

Before I tried out reusable period underwear, I was starting to balance out my single-use period products with reusable versions and once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were to adjust to.

If you’re used to ‘ordinary’ pads and sanitary towels, then I would think turning to a reusable option would be a fairly smooth transition.

I own the Bloom & Nora reusable sanitary towels but there are many different options on the market. What makes their sanitary towels slightly different though is that they’re partly composed of bamboo fleece.

I would say that reusable sanitary towels of the clip-on variety are a nice way to bridge the gap between wearable period underwear and traditional options and they are, fortunately, really quite easy to wash and maintain (I own two and have managed my period fairly easily by hand washing them in turn).

Now that I’ve had a taste of what Thinx has to offer, the movement and fidgeting that I experience with these is now even more noticeable but that may just be caused by the size of my underwear and the size of the pad.

If you’re looking for a quick fix and want to dip your toes into the reusable, washable and all round, far more sustainable period product water, then I highly suggest reusable sanitary towels if you can’t quite make the leap into a fully wearable option.

~ ORGANIC BIODEGRADABLE SANITARY PRODUCTS – NATRACARE* ~

Trust me, if the idea of reusable sanitary products doesn’t quite float your boat, I understand. Fortunately, there are single-use options out there which aren’t quite as toxic and damaging as the rest. Before I purchased any reusable items, I was trying out organic options where I could. I am actually really surprised by the growing selection found in supermarkets these days!

In all honesty, I still have a big selection of plastic based period products stocked up and in my opinion, it’s best to use them up rather than ‘throw them away’ wastefully. But when I’m through with them and I am still in need of products for in-between days and for when all of my reusable sanitary towels and pants are in the wash, brands like Natracare are what I will look to.

For a lot of us, the week or few days of bleeding that we experience aren’t the only days when we need some added underwear protection and luckily, Natracare offer products for those days too.

Natracare is great as all of their products are completely plastic free, from the actual products – whether they be sanitary towels, tampons or liners – to the packaging.

The organic element means you’re avoiding any nasty chemicals coming into contact with your skin or entering your body (as well as avoiding harmful pollution further down the line).

~ SEARCH “@tollydollyposh” UNDER GIFS TO ADD THIS STICKER TO YOUR INSTAGRAM STORY ~

Fun GIF right? If your period is becoming more sustainable each month, then feel free to proudly embrace that all over social media. It’s time we break the taboo around periods and talk about them more openly. We all need to become more comfortable with them, whether we experience them or not.

Other options for sustainable period products include the likes of menstrual cups, which are a perfect option for those of you who prefer internal sanitary products to keep your period neat, tidy and manageable.

There are also new products on the market such as the DAME, which is a reusable tampon applicator so you can avoid using throw-away plastic but continue to use tampons comfortably. I’ve linked some options below…

DAME Reusable Tampon Applicator // OrganiCup // OHNE Organic Tampons 

What do you use to make your period more sustainable? Suggest your favourite products in the comments!

(This post is not sponsored or paid for but it does include gifted products from THINX and Natracare. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read my full PR disclaimer here.)

Let’s be honest here – caring about the planet, whether you are a content creator or an everyday citizen, can be massively overwhelming…

WHAT I WORE: Dress (Jumble sale) // Neven Low Sneakers (YATAY)* // Snake Necklaces (DIY) // Double Pandan Hair Sticks (SAYA)* 

Becoming more familiar with the harsh realities of the world, has at times, taken its toll on me. It’s especially overpowering when you realise almost every part of your life has a sustainable impact and that the only ways of combatting that could be going off the grid, becoming a naturist and only ever eating the food you grow yourself. Ideal for some; unrealistic for a lot of us.

Even if you aren’t massively into sustainability or learning about the environment or how your clothes are made, I would expect you have at some point sensed impending doom simply from watching the news or scrolling through your Twitter feed.

In my opinion, it’s not that we necessarily live in the worst era of existence, it’s just that we are more able to be involved and within the conversation surrounding all the negative issues at hand. If it wasn’t for social media or the internet, most of us would have a far poorer understanding of what is going on around the world and how little is being done to change it.

Libraries, books and even newspapers are of course still an incredible offline resource but sadly, unless we’re looking for an extremely specific piece of information from years gone by, scouring through physical pages isn’t always efficient or as up-to-speed enough in this day and age.

However, as I say, digital-learning comes with a downside. I can be hard to switch off from the world and not become intensely emotionally involved with the stories and the information we read. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be – I thrive off of having access to such important educational materials (and I’m very grateful for that) – but, I can’t deny that it can be upsetting and stressful at times.

In a piece by The Daily Campus, this issue is discussed in more detail, highlighting the impact activism (whether it be online or offline) can have on your mental health. Although the piece is specifically targetted towards those fighting the good fight after the 2016 US election, the advice within the piece still rings true for other matters, too.

Below, I’ve compiled a list of my own advice, in order to soften the blow of issues which might be as close to your heart as they are to mine, whether it be climate change, pollution, exploitation, capitalism or everything else in-between. You might even want to bookmark and revisit this page when you’ve had a good read of the rest of my blog. I’d understand…

~ WHO MADE MY HAIR STICKS? ~
SHOP SAYA

Wayan and Yudi who are two young men originally from Java (East Indonesia) and came to Bali for work as wood carvers. They take SAYA‘s drawings to create prototypes by hand using simple tools and techniques. SAYA pre-selects recycled root wood material from suppliers in Bali and have it delivered to Wayan and Yudi’s family houses and workspaces which is where they continue the detailed process of carving, sanding and polishing our pieces to a high-quality standard.

Have an online escape platform…

I use most of my social media platforms as ways to communicate with like-minded, intelligent and informative people. I unfollow people who don’t engage me how I’d like to be engaged with and I follow accounts that post about relevant topics or from perspectives I might not be as familiar with. I’ll always promote the idea of using your platforms and your audiences for good but I would highly recommend also having an escape from that.

For me, my digital escape-road is Tumblr. I use it for what might be classed as my ‘guilty pleasures’, such as my favourite TV shows, aesthetically pleasing imagery and for talking to people who are detached from the world of sustainable activism. It’s refreshing and allows me to have that slice of the internet that, for the most part, will keep my stress levels (or even levels of fear) to a minimum.

Read books…

With social media, I’d say there is fast-becoming this pressure to respond to absolutely every piece of news that enters our content stream. I know that I can feel guilty for not covering every topic or cause for concern but it’s important to understand that we all have our own battles to fight and we don’t have to be a spokesperson 24/7. We don’t have to tweet our condolences or our thoughts of concern if we know that there is a much larger issue at hand that cannot be solved in 280 characters.

That’s when books come in to play because it allows me to continue educating myself without that pressure or feeling of needing to join in the conversation publicly. There are no reply or share buttons on book pages (at least not physical paper books) which means we can keep our thoughts to ourselves or save them for later when we feel we might want to share them. It can help you digest the information in your own time rather than rush to try and process it for everybody else.

The book featured in this post is a collection of consumption-themed poems by Wilson Oryema, which I originally featured in my illustrated wishlist. I highly recommend this, especially for anyone on a gift hunt for a consciously-minded friend!

Don’t be too hard on yourself…

I always take a big sigh of relief when I see somebody who I presumed was almost perfect (whether that be in terms of living sustainably or having an Instagrammable life), being honest and open about how they’re not. I’d like to say that my blog is a space for embracing that; I’m nowhere near being the best example of a sustainable activist (plastic and waste feel impossible to avoid) and hopefully, you all know that.

Evolving and adapting takes time, in no matter what context. So, remind yourself that even when somebody looks like they’ve got it down, they’re probably still working on it and improving as each day goes on.

Share the burden…

I’m not going to go back on what I said about digesting information on our own terms but I will say that sometimes we need to share and discuss things in order to make an issue seem less daunting to face. It’s one reason why I love Instagram Stories because I find my audience easily engages with questions and discussions I raise.

It’s like sharing a burden; often talking about what’s on your mind is the best medicine and hearing other people understand where you’re coming from can help you move forward. And who knows? Maybe you’ll learn something that will aid you in tackling the problem at hand more easily.

Try hands-on experience…

This year, I attended my first in-person activist event in the form of a Women’s March in Florence, Italy. Taking into account your mental state and giving yourself a break is vital, however, after experiencing group activism first hand, I realised that there is a huge difference between typing and doing. 

Proudly walking the streets with hundreds of other people, chanting and singing, can make you feel a lot less alone and a lot more empowered than creating and engaging in content online. It’s reenergizing in itself and it opens your eyes to how many other people are truly behind the issue, as well. If you have the opportunity to get out and contribute to a cause in person, I can’t recommend it enough.

How do you put your activist mind to rest? Let me know in the comments…

(This post is sponsored by and in collaboration with SAYA. All opinions are mine. Read my full PR disclaimer here.)