I stink

So in the last few years I have slowly worked to green up my life. We used cloth diapers and cloth trainers. I make my own laundry detergent. We try to eat organic food as much as possible. The one change I've made that I am not too sure on is switching to natural deodorant instead of an anti-perspirant.

I have heard for years that stopping your perspiration was not natural and could be linked to cancer and such. My parents both use liquid deodorant from Avon and many of my friends have made the switch to non-aluminum deodorants. I knew that it would be a a hard switch for me. I hate feeling sweaty.

So how can this hate to sweat girl switch to something that will not stop her sweat? I have slowly been putting my anti-perspirant on only every other day. Then once I ran out I headed to the natural grocery store in town and found a lavender deodorant with no aluminum or much of anything really. Honestly I am not liking it. I hate feeling so wet under my arms. I am struggling with getting use to my natural smell. I know or maybe I think I don't stink but I am thinking it is time to switch to something else. I've heard some people use baking soda, coconut oil and a few drops of essential oils as deodorant. I need to go buy the coconut oil. I am not liking the change. I don't like it one bit. Sometimes being green stinks :)

Diva Cup for me

So I started the project to green my period about 7 months ago.  I had a two part reason for it. 

One, I was sick of the accidents.  I'm 31 years old and I'm still having accidents like a 15 year old.  I mean seriously, it's embarrassing.

Two, I was a bit jealous of Audrey's cloth diapers.  I was sitting on a plastic pad five days a month and she was on comfy on soft cotton.  Surely I can get that comfy feeling too.

My first step was the Instead Cup.  I could buy it at the store and go.  I liked it okay.  You can read my full review here.

My next step was to bite the bullet and buy a Diva Cup.  I say bite the bullet because I had to go online and order it.  I decided to order from Luna pads so that I can support a small business and to get a package deal of a Diva Cup and a couple of Luna pantyliners.  I wanted to slowly wade into the land of mama cloth (cloth pads). 

I have been using the Diva Cup for about 5 months now.  I love it!  When I first opened the package, I thought wow this is so small!  Then I tried to use it and then I was like wow this thing is huge!  In truth with a bit of practice, I've mastered the Diva Cup.  It did take a bit of practice but after one cycle I would say I had it down; unlike with the Instead cup where I have yet to get it in the right place.  I will say if you want to have sex during Aunt Flow's visit, you'll want to go with an Instead since you can insert it up high.  The Diva Cup sits in the vagina so there is no room for other visitors unless you remove it.  My only real complaint about the Diva cup is that it doesn't have an easy way for me to tell when I have rotated it.  I would love if it had just a couple of numbs so that I can tell if I have rotated or not.  For the most part, I can tell but still it would be nice.

The only accidents I've had since my switch are when I don't listen to my body.  It sounds strange but I can tell when I need to empty my cup.  On my heavy day, I have to empty three times.  I actually only use the Diva Cup for the first three days of my cycle.  With the Diva cup, my day 4 is next to nothing so I just use a cloth pad.  My cramps are gone.  I've cut a day off my period from 5 to 4. 

For me there has been no down side to switching.  I can't image going back to plastic pads.  I also recently got a stash of mama cloth from a WAHM so I'm set with my green period.  I'm so glad I switched.  I can't believe it took me so long to go green.

I have not been paid for this review.  The folks at Diva Cup, Luna Pads, and Instead Cup have no clue who I am.  I'm going green and sharing. 

My greener period

So I've been slowly trying to green up my life.  I figured that it didn't make sense to cloth diaper but use disposable pads myself.  Besides I was getting so sick of missing my pad all together so I decided to try to Instead Soft Cup. 

Why the Instead?
Reason 1:  I could buy it right off the store shelf.  I had just missed my pad again and I was not going to take it laying down.  I had to do something now!  I headed to CVS and bought a box.  About $7 for 14 cups.
Reason 2: I had used them before.  Way back in my Hollins days, I had heard some girls talk about the cup and I tried.  After leaving my bathroom looking like a murder scene I gave up.

Findings:
Well this time around I tried for two periods.  I did use back up, a pad, but didn't need it, mostly.  I did struggle to put it in place properly.  I think with more practice I"ll get it down.  My second month I got it in place twice!  Now the placement is very important but I found that even if I didn't place it just right I still didn't get the horrible bloody butt of shame that comes from an accident.  I would just pour/empty directly into the toilet.  It was much easier.  The times I got it in place just right where wonderful.  Nothing on my pad.  Nothing in the toilet.  It was like not having a period at all!

I did also notice that my period was shortened by a day.  Instead of my five day cycle, using the Instead soft cup I only had four days.  I have no clue why.  I know that other women have reported the same thing.  Maybe it just because you are catching it at the source instead of just running out of you so you have one day less of mess.  Whatever the reason I was super happy.

I didn't have any issue with putting my fingers in there or touching my period.  That is so high school!  I've given birth at home in my livingroom.  No point in getting grossed out now! :)  I know it would bother some people but I was cool.  

I feel like it was worth my time and money.  I will have to buy more before my next cycle since I don't have enough to last me but they are at my local CVS and Walmart so I don't really have to plan ahead.

I am hoping to buy a Diva Cup.  I hear it sits lower in the vagina so the placement is easier.  We'll see.  Unfortunately, the Dive Cup does require some preplanning since you have to order it.  I am also hoping for kit from LunaPads.  I really want to ditch the disposable pads.  If Audrey gets cloth then I want some too!

We'll see how my greening efforts go. 

PS This is totally my opinion.  Instead did not pay me :( to say anything for them.  I bought the box and just wanted to report my findings.  On to the Diva Cup!

EcoNuts Soap Nuts

So a few weeks back I won at giveaway from Naturalmente Mama.  I won some EcoNuts Soap Nuts.  I was excited.  The first time I had heard of soap nuts was at a Triad Tot Toter meeting and some of the moms swore by them.  They just raved about how easy it was to wash with them and how easy they were to use.  Needless to say, easy is what caught my attention.  So when Maybelline at Naturalmente Mama had the giveaway I had to sign up.

I got the soap nuts and at first I was scared.  It was literally a box of berries!  How in the world do I use these things!?  Lucky for me they came with instructions.  You put five in a cloth baggy (which was included) and toss in the wash.  It was that simple.  I gave them a real challenge, period stained underwear!  They came out spotless.  First time I've ever had that happen.  I'm in love!  I highly recommend soap nuts!

Just as a note.  Maybelline nor EcoNuts paid me to blog about them nor was that a condition of winning.  But since I liked them I thought I would share.

Cloth diapering on the cheap

I hear it all the time how can anyone afford to cloth diaper! Now that we've been cloth diapering for 8 months or so, I don't know how people afford not to! Of course, if you have to go to the laundramat cloth diapering might be too hard and expensive, once I got my own washer and dryer I started CDing.

Okay so yes CD can be expensive and starting the stash is the hard part. My stash is probably valued at around $500 or so but I have never bought a new diaper! That is the secret; buy used. Part of the power of CD is belief in the power of soap. I believe soap can clean poop therefore I can buy used and just wash the previous baby out!

Also start small. My stash started the three used CDs on which I spent $24 including shipping. No you won't be able to drop the disposibles right away but the point is to make the transition. I was able to make a good deal on three more CDs and then a friend gave me three more and that was the start is my CDs during the day and disposables at night. With such a small stash I has to wash everyday. But at that point I had spent $50 and I was CDing almost full-time. From there it was a matter of buying/lucking into a good deal on 6 more CDs and I kissed disposables good bye.

Yes it will take time and money but it can be done. I also used Tide Free and Clear to wash. I did finally break down and buy some Rocking Green detergent and I love it but again not necessary. You are going to buy detergent anyways just buy the Free and Clear stuff and dry in the sun.

Wet bags are another nice thing but I don't have one. I toss my dirty CDs in a box. Yep, just a plain cardboard box. I am cheap. Don't need the fancy bag. I also don't have a diaper sprayer. I just shake the diaper over the toilet and wash. If it is really bad I just scrape with some toilet paper. It's not glamourous; I'm cheap.

As to washing, with my current stash I can wash about twice a week. As your stash grows you can wash less. As your baby grows you use less. I still wash about every two days because my mom (who watches Audrey) prefers my GroBabies, which are the newest members of the stash and I only have four shells and six inserts. But I can handle it.

So in conclusion, I am cheap and even lazy and I cloth diaper. It won't happen overnight but you can do it. Diaperswapper.com and thebabywearer.com are excellent sites for find good used diapers on the cheap. Play with it, you will find that some diapers will work better than others. I have 7 different brands in my stash and use about two. Ask your friends that CD if you can borrow to see what fits your baby best. You are not alone and you can do this. It's just poop and you'll have to wipe it either way.