Health, Taken Seriously

For over a decade, I’ve used Kotex tampons.  They were comfortable and I just got in the habit of always picking up that purple box without really thinking twice about my decision.  But the tampons are bleached white, have a plastic applicator, and come wrapped in plastic.  About two years ago, I decided it was time for a change.

There are a couple brands of tampons made from unbleached, organic cotton that contain no rayon or synthetic materials.  It seems like a good idea to choose pesticide and dioxin free tampons when they come into contact with your mucus membranes for days each month.  Seventh Generation makes tampons with no applicator, which is nice for the environment, and come in a recycled cardboard container.  But I personally prefer an applicator.  I recently tried Natracare, which makes tampons with or without a cardboard applicator.  I’m really happy with them.  They are a little pricey but do you really want something unnatural and carcinogenic (dioxin, the byproduct of bleaching cotton white, is a known carcinogen) inside your body?  Natracare’s website claims that the average woman will use 11,000 tampons in her lifetime so in addition to the implications for your health, there are also environmental issues to take into consideration.  If you end up liking them, Amazon.com sells them in bulk.