✈️ Travel Essentials – Female Hygiene – The ESL Teacher C

*Disclaimer: this post contains an affiliate link, clicking it may result in a small commission for me. All reviews are my own honest opinion.*

☞ There are some realities of biology that affect females and that just can’t be escaped, lest we get a hysterectomy. Since this is a tad extreme a measure to deal with our monthly bloodletting, let me discuss some alternatives to the regular pads and tampons most of us know.

Menstrual cups

☞ These are true game changers.

You can wear them up to 12 hours safely.
No toxic chock risks.
It’s made of medical grade silicone.
It has different sizes (for teens and moms)
It can last a couple years if you take care of it (AKA: you’ll save so much money)
It is way more sustainable than pads and tampons.
It’s more compact to carry around.
Once you get a hang of it, it’s leak proof (but if you’re worried, pair it with light flow period panties)
You can dispose of it in certain ways that help degrade it more easily.

☞ A brand I recommend

The DivaCup (no affiliate links)
- I’ve been using this brand for nearly a decade
- It’s a Canadian brand, so it’s both reassuring (in terms of norms respected) and it’s local (for me) so I keep going back to it.

☞ I’ve also heard good reviews about the Moon cup. Personally I like a transparent cup, but there is a world out there of options that might suit your needs better, YouTube is a treasure trove for this.

☞ Cons you should consider:

using it has its learning curve;
it can get very messy taking it out and inserting it (you have to get in there);
- many chose to use their shower time to make empty it;
because it is so messy, when you travel, you’d have to ensure having some water, hand sanitizer and toilet paper on you (often a reality when you find yourself on the road regardless of region)

Menstrual discs

☞ This is essentially the same as the menstrual cup, but it fits differently and holds slightly more content.

☞ I learned while writing this post that the DivaCup company now sells the menstrual disc and it looks significantly easier to handle than the cup:

It has a handle to remove it.
It has a membrane to reduce leakage.
It folds thinner so it’s easier to insert.

☞ Same pros a cons to consider as with the cup.

Period panties

☞ Thanks to these brilliant items, you can let your flow out naturally and sustainably .

☞ You wear them then wash them.

☞ I’ve been using mine for over 6 years and I slowly but surely built my period underwear wardrobe.

☞ I typically use the less absorbent options paired with my DivaCup, but these are made to build a kit geared towards your needs.

☞ The brand I recommend

Thinx:
- Multiple absorbency panties 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
- Sporty, breathable options 😌
- Cute and sexy options❗️❤️‍🔥
- If you’re not sold yet, use my affiliate link to browse through 👀
- I’ve had an issue with the quality in the past, but their client service response was immediate. They replaced the defective items quickly and at no extra charge for me. Highly recommend.
- Bonus: they are highly involved in improving female and general hygiene in the world, and they are inclusive ★

☞ Other brands exist and I tried getting a hold of them, but shipping was always too much, or they didn’t have very good reviews, or they weren’t very sexy 😳

☞ I still want you to know that there are other options out there, but I’ve settled for the sexy looks and breathable options of the reliable Thinx.

☞ Also, tutorials exist to make your own, you might be interested in this.

Other alternative menstrual hygiene products

☞ I never tried the following, but I do want to bring awareness to them. I’m attaching the YouTube videos of an OBGYN that talks about safe alternatives and the playlist of this lady’s reviews of many alternatives with detailed feedback. Here’s a quick overview:

reusable pads
reusable cotton tampons
tampons with no applicator
a reusable tampon applicator
tampons with a cardboard applicator (biodegradable)

Questions/Comments 😄💬 Let’s chat

☞ Were any of these products a news to you?

☞ Are you converted to the use of the menstrual cup? (I swear I felt cheated of years of comfort in my life when I learned about them.)

☞ Do you have a menstrual hack that we should all know about?

The ESL Teacher C · Nomad Educator