Intimate question - natural feminine hygiene
The history of feminine hygiene goes back thousands of years. Women showed miracles of ingenuity, in order to facilitate their "critical days". Wealthy women of of Egypt, Syria and Babylon, preferred the first tampons, which were soft rolls of papyrus. Those who were poorer had to settle for a hard reed. Ancient Greek women used a homemade tampons made from either rolled-up cloth, or of a round wooden rod covered with an absorbent material. Ancient Roman women used more benign, in terms of tactile sensation, precursors of tampons - rolls of soft wool, lightly greased. On the African continent soft parts of the young bamboo were popular. In medieval Japan, China, India, women's hygiene was set very high. In Asia one-time pads have appeared for the first time. Asians used the disposable paper napkins put by an envelope. Such envelope was kept by a scarf fixed on a belt.
But European women preferred the prototype of the modern pads, and wore during menstruation normal tissue bandage folded several times and pinned to the waist skirt.
In the Soviet Union until the late 80s industrial tampons did not exist at all, industrial pads production was rarely sold in pharmacies under the name "sanitizer But in each book for schoolgirls it was explained in detail how to do the pads of cotton wool wrapped in gauze. All the Soviet women were maser of this “know-how”.
The emergence of disposable pads and tampons was a real breakthrough in the history of mankind. Comfortable, hygienic and soft - they are firmly entrenched in the modern home. However, a lot of gynecologists associate irritation, thrush and other violations of the vaginal flora with using pads of mass production. The adverse impact of modern synthetic linings is caused by the materials from which they are made.
Plastic wrappings
On the average, each woman for life has 450 menstruations which are most often accompanied by use of one-time pads and tampons of mass production. Feminine hygiene products of mass production contain chemicals that carry harm to the environment and our bodies:
-Byproducts of chlorine bleach. To achieve pure white color the surface of pads and tampons is bleached with chlorine, a byproduct of which is dioxin. As a carcinogen, dioxin also occurs naturally as a result of the use of pesticides. It was proved that dioxin can be accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals and humans. According to scientific studies, even low levels of dioxin link to cancer, endometriosis, decreased sperm count and suppression of the immune system. For the whole life of a woman can use up to 11,000 tampons, that increases the risk of exposure of dioxin. In addition, the chlorine bleaching process is environmentally unfriendly because it pollutes water.
-Synthetic material that is in contact with the body. Even those pads that are positioning themselves as "natural" contain "soft as cotton" artificial fibers, for example viscose, that not natural at all. Viscose is usually bleached by chlorine and is extremely soaking up fiber. All the leading brands of feminine hygiene produce tampons from viscose. In addition, this synthetic material does not decompose (think tampons floating on the banks of water bodies).
-A plastic layer provides the development of bacteria, promotes penetration of pathological microflora of the intestine and the genitals. Plastic produced by refining cannot be decomposed, so it harms the environment.
-Polyacrylate gel absorbent. This clear (or tinted) absorbing gel used for pads causes irritation and can be harmful. It is synthetic material received from petroleum.
-Other artificial additives: synthetic flavors, colorants, surface-active binders, lubricants. When interacting with synthetic liners excretions acquire a strong smell that producers are trying to disguise with help of artificial flavors.
Natural alternative
The simple way to avoid dioxine, chemicals and decrease the amount of non-decomposed waste is to choose natural means of hygiene from the organic cotton bleached without chlorine. Try to use natural pads and tampons and you won't want to come back to synthetic analogs any more.
Tampons are a certified organic product made from 100% organic cotton. Feminine hygiene pads are made of only natural materials, do not contain fragrances, plastics, and other additives are not bleached with chlorine.
The composition of organic cotton pads includes organic cotton (not bleached with chlorine, without the use of pesticides when cultivating), cellulose (not bleached with chlorine, prepared from wood pulp, certified FSC), corn starch (waterproof breathable material obtained from non-genetically modified corn, biodegradable).
Despite the fact that the pad does not contain a polyacrylate, absorbing ability is high: it is necessary to change laying each 3-4 hours, tampons of 4-6 hours. Organic products are biodegradable and do not harm the environment.
Many British gynecologists recommend women with sensitive skin to use natural laying for reduction of contact with materials bleached by chlorine, as well as with products containing synthetic additives and superabsorbents of a petrochemical origin.
Use of natural laying and tampons is:
- prevention of female dermatitis
- protection from allergic reactions
- cessation of contact with harmful chemicals
- making a positive contribution to the health and the environment
In general, natural and organic means of female hygiene are irreplaceable products for women with the sensitive skin, inclined to an allergy and irritations, as well as for all other women who care about their health and the environment.
