Allow me to introduce you to an amazing company that has drastically improved my monthly visit from Aunt Flo. ? LOLA offers women 100% organic cotton feminine care products that come in customized assortments and are delivered straight to your door each month! (Get $5 off your subscription through this link – it will also earn me $5 which is awesome!)
Okay so you may be thinking, what’s the big deal? Aren’t all tampons and pads the same? My answer is no, definitely not! Let me explain…
One day, I decided to reorganize my bathroom vanity since I had just finished purging all my old conventional non-cruelty-free products. I felt so proud looking at my vanity and knowing everything in it was natural and free from animal testing! However, I came to my feminine products drawer and paused. I had never thought about what was in my tampons and pads. I decided to do some research…
What I Learned About Conventional Feminine Products
To my surprise, there are no laws requiring companies to publish the ingredients used in their feminine care products. The FDA merely “recommends” companies disclose what their products are made of. Therefore, if a company does not believe in complete transparency, there is no way to know what your tampon or pad is made of. Is it just me or is that extremely concerning?! To make matters worse, there are no laws requiring companies to test the long-term effects of their products.
Materials: From what I could find, most companies make feminine care products from a mixture of cotton, rayon, and various plastics (although it’s unclear what other undisclosed additives may be in there). There have been countless debates over the safety of these materials and the answer is still unclear. Due to the controversy, most reputable brands address peoples’ concerns and claim their ingredients are the same as their competitors and therefore safe for use. However, in 2014, Women’s Voices for the Earth tested four types of Always menstrual pads and found the pads emitted several toxic chemicals and carcinogens. Unfortunately, until adequate research is conducted on this topic, we have no way of knowing how these ingredients affect our bodies in the long term.
Infographic via mylola.com/about
Why I Switched to 100% Organic Cotton Products
If you are like me, you do whatever you can to limit the number of potentially hazardous products from your life. That means choosing nontoxic makeup, deodorant, laundry detergent, households cleaners, and so on (see a list of my favorite products here). If I make such an effort to clean up all the other products in my life, why wouldn’t I want to choose the cleanest option for my feminine care products? Especially taking into consideration that a woman uses around 10,000 feminine products in her lifetime! It was a no-brainer for me to find a cleaner option.
Allow Me to Introduce You to LOLA!
LOLA is an amazing feminine products brand made by women for women. They offer both applicator and non-applicator tampons, pads, and liners, all made from 100% organic cotton! LOLA was the first natural pad/tampon company I found that held the same values as I do. After my first delivery, I immediately fell in love!
Why I Love LOLA!
Transparency
LOLA goes out of their way to disclose the ingredients in all of their products. They even provide information on the materials used in their packaging!
Organic Cotton
The major difference between organic and nonorganic cotton is the use of pesticides. Despite purification processes, tampons and pads made from nonorganic cotton may contain traces of these hazardous chemicals. Considering a woman’s private area is one of the most absorbent parts of her body, it is important to make wise decisions about what goes in, near, and around that area!
Environmentally Conscious
Since LOLA‘s products are made from biodegradable cotton and other plant-based materials, your environmental footprint will be much smaller than it was with conventional feminine care products! I love that they offer their tampons without the plastic applicators (what I use – the thin plastic wrap on each tampon is also recyclable)!
Customizable Subscription
I cannot stress how nice it is to not have to think about buying pads/tampons anymore (no more emergency trips to the store)! LOLA offers day/night pads, liners, and applicator/non-applicator tampons in light, regular, super, and super plus. I love the various tampon absorbencies and the fact that LOLA sells liners and pads (when I first signed up, they only had tampons).
When you subscribe, you get to pick the exact quantity of each product you want based on your individual needs. You can also change these preferences each month as you figure out what works best for you. Have leftover product and want to skip a month? No problem! You can also choose to get deliveries every other month. These features are what really set LOLA apart from their competitors.
Performance
I am proud to say LOLA‘s products work just as well, if not better, than my old big-name brand pads and tampons! Even on my heaviest days, my tampons (using super or super plus) and pads have not leaked. It goes to show you the controversial ingredients the other guys put in their products are not necessary.
Let’s Take a Closer Look
The following pictures are from my own personal subscription. I currently receive my subscription every other month and that works perfectly for me!
What I order:
- 1 Box of Non-Applicator Tampons: (4) Super Plus, (8) Super, (6) Regular
- 1 Box of Ultra Thin Pads: (7) day, (5) night
- 1 Box of Liners
Non-Applicator Tampons
Here is how my custom assortment of non-applicator tampons came boxed. Each tampon is individually packaged and labeled with a recyclable plastic wrapper.
Both their applicator and non-applicator tampons come in a box of 18.
It is safest to use the lowest absorbency tampon whenever possible. Tampons should be changed at least every 4-8 hours.
Toxic Shock Syndrome is a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection (usually Staphylococcus aureus). It is associated with superabsorbent tampons and extended use (+8 hours). Working as an ER nurse, I have sadly seen the deadliness of TSS and urge all women to be careful when using tampons and alternate between tampons and pads.
Ultra Thin Pads with Wings
Pictured is how the pads come boxed. I choose an assortment of both day and night pads!
Composition: LOLA ‘s pads are made of a 100% organic cotton top sheet/core with a plant-based leak-proof backing. Their non-toxic adhesive is made of an aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon resin, SIS rubber, and mineral oil.
Both the day and night pad are made of the same material but the night pad is structurally longer and a bit wider.
Liners
Liners come boxed in a pack of 28. They are made from the exact same materials as LOLA‘s pads.
LOLA‘s liners are perfect for your light-flow days or for daily use. They are breathable to help prevent excess moisture and bacteria growth.
Subscription Service
Your subscription will arrive at your doorstep in a discreet package. To learn more about their subscription service, click here!
LOLA Gives Back
Imagine it being your time of the month and having to choose between buying yourself menstrual products and feeding your family. For millions of women in the United States, this is a reality. Do you know feminine products are among the highest requested products at homeless shelters but are also the least likely to be donated? #TamponsAreNotALuxury … they are a necessity!
LOLA uses part of the proceeds from every purchase to donate menstrual products to low-income women in the United States. Since their launch in 2015, LOLA has donated over 100,000 tampons!
First Period Kit
LOLA just launched this adorable kit designed for young ladies to make their first period experience easier! I wish this kit existed back when I first got mine! If you are a caregiver of a pre-menarche girl, I recommend purchasing this kit and having it ready for when mother nature arrives!
What’s in the kit:
- (6) Day pads for medium to heavy days
- (6) Night pads for overnight coverage
- (10) Liners for light days or backup
- (10) Light tampons for slim-fit protection
- Instructional card for each period product
- (1) Canvas pouch for days on the go
- (1) Sheet of stickers for period tracking
- (1) Keepsake box for at-home storage
- $5 LOLA credit towards a new subscription
They even created a free, downloadable, e-book which outlines everything a young lady needs to know about her period! Check it out here.
Try LOLA for Yourself!
Interested in trying LOLA ‘s subscription service for yourself? New customers get 1 box free on their first order of a 2+ box subscription!
If you use my any of the links in this post, you will get $5 off your first order (and help me earn $5 off my next subscription). Plus, shipping is always free so it’s totally a win-win.
SIGN UP HERE
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new! This post is in no way sponsored by LOLA – I wrote it as a real fan of their products!
You didn’t mention if LOLA is or is not cruelty free. Nothing on their website says that they are, and they will not answer me when I email customer support.
Hi Reanna,
The products offered by LOLA would and do not require animal testing. Their products are solely composed of 100% organic cotton which is already deemed safe for human use. Let me know if you have further questions 🙂