While the environment is choking under the burden of landfills and carbon footprints, we are already lagging behind in our initiative to usher in a sustainable, zero-waste lifestyle. However, there are some Indie brands that are taking a conscious step toward saving Mother Nature from the vicious clutches of non-biodegradable products.
This Independence Day, let’s turn our attention towards 5 revolutionary menstrual hygiene products from Indian brands that give you the freedom to you to edge closer to your dream even on those not-so-comfortable days as much as it enables the environment to breathe free.
1. Saukhyam Reusable Pads For Starters
Saukhyam is an award-winning NGO working to make reusable menstrual hygiene mainstream, affordable, and accessible to all. The USP of reusable pads from Saukhyam is that they are made from banana fibre and cotton cloth, ensuring that they are biodegradable and devoid of carbon footprints. Over 500,000 Saukhyam pads sold are helping prevent the emission of 2000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. This, in turn, rids the environment of 43,750 tons of non-biodegradable menstrual waste. No wonder, they have been recognised by NITI Aayog as a “strong root for tomorrow’s India” since earlier this year.
These eco-friendly pads not only reduce the burden on our natural resources but on our pockets as well. On average, they cost only about one-tenth the amount that you generally end up paying for your disposable sanitary napkins every month.
Not just curated for adults, these reusable pads are available in special sizes for starters and teens, keeping in mind their unique needs. That apart, there are day pads and night pads to cater to your menstrual requirements during different parts of the day. For days when you experience heavy flow, inserts are woven into the bases of these pads to ensure double protection, saving you from period leaks. For your pre and post-period days, the brand offers panty liners that prevent vaginal discharges from soiling your panties.
Apart from being available in India, these pads are also exported to countries like Germany, the UK, the US, Nepal, Spain, the Netherlands, and Kuwait through online platforms. The reusable pads are readily available in urban India as much as they are accessible in remote, rural areas of our country. The pads are made in rural India, providing employment to hundreds of rural women.
Price: Rs 330
Read: Menstrual Hygiene Tips Period Days Ke Liye
2. Cambio 100% Organic Cotton Pads
Cambio 100% Organic Cotton Pads are ultra-thin and super-absorbent. They’ve 100% rash-free guarantee that ensures a smooth experience on those harsh days. Their Leak Locker Technology traps fluids and eliminates leaks through unique channels on the 100% organic cotton top layer. The pads are available in four different sizes based on your flow – light, medium, heavy, and combo. You can choose from packs of 12, 36 or 72.
Going organic has become a way of life for many. Some choose organic clothing, while others swear by sustainable beauty products and food – all for the environment to heal gradually. It was only a matter of time until organic alternatives to feminine hygiene items became accessible to the entire menstruating population. That’s where Cambio is committed to battling taboos, bringing about good health, and manufacturing feminine hygiene products to help provide holistic well-being.
Price: Rs 299 (for a pack of 12 for any size)
3. Evolve Essentials Sustainable Sanitary Pads
Ah, period rashes are a reality for so many menstruators out there! The menstrual product, soaked in blood, remains stuck to your skin throughout the day for four to five consecutive days on an average. And that results in angry red rashes in and around your private area and often leaves ugly marks there. Whether they be painful or just the painless variety, they are unwanted nonetheless. But, iska koi hal hai kya? The answer is an astounding yes.
Evolve Essentials Sustainable Sanitary Pads bring you just what you need to keep the ugly period rashes at bay – rash-free period products. The super absorbent nature of the acrobat premium cotton sanitary pads soak in all the blood flushed out from your body, eliminating the scope of spillage and keeping you free of rashes. Being fragrance-free is yet another reason being the pads not causing rashes, especially if your skin is ultra-sensitive to fragrances. A pack of 15 that comes in 2 sizes (7 for Heavy Flow and 8 for Medium Flow). You can customise your pack of sanitary pads as per your needs – for a duration of 3, 6 or 12 months and you can choose to get hold of them once a month or all at once.
But the list of the USPs does not end at being rash-free, and that’s precisely what sets the brand apart from the host of other brands specialising in feminine hygiene. The products are eco-friendly and toxic-free as well. These qualities ensure that they don’t end up in a landfill and take hundreds of years to decompose, which contributes to causing irreparable harm to Mother Earth.
Price: Rs 897 Rs 762
Read: Does Your Periods Sync Up With Your BFF’s?
4. Pee Safe Feminine Cramp Relief Roll On – 10ml (Pack Of 3)
No, if you have been wondering why this brand has found a mention under the category of menstrual hygiene products since they are known for their toilet hygiene products, you cannot be further away from the truth. Pee Safe is also synonymous with everything that you might need during your period days – everything to keep you comfortable during those days of the month and ensure dard se mukti.
Period cramps are such a mood spoiler. But what if there is a roll-on product that gives you mukti from unbearable period cramps. Pee Safe Feminine Cramp Relief Roll On is made for just that. Empowered with 100% herbal ingredients like satva pudina and eucalyptus oil extracts, it is meant to be applied on your lower abdomen, lower back, and thighs whenever you experience period pain. Applying it in the form of gentle strokes just for a few minutes is enough to alleviate the pain. The oil extracts are such that they get absorbed immediately into your skin, without leaving any stains on your skin or clothes.
Apart from sanitary pads, menstrual cups, and tampons, they specialise in a wide range of feminine hygiene products as well. Right from cramp relief roll on, menstrual cup foam wash, and menstrual cup sterilising container to herbal pain relief patches – they have it all! They take the cause of saving the environment very seriously, as apparent from the biodegradable products in their product mix – biodegradable sanitary pads and biodegradable panty liners. So that you too can join hands with them on the sustainable drive to free nature from the shackles of carbon footprints.
Price: Rs 399
5. My Cara Organic Cotton Ultra-Thin Sanitary Pad
My Cara is driven by the three pillars of comfort, health, and environment. Their products are designed in a way that your period does not act as a barrier for you to inch closer towards your goals. These products are devoid of chemicals, freeing you from allergens and protecting your health. Not just that, the eco-safe period products help nature to breathe freely, saving her from the load of non-biodegradable items.
The raw materials used to make the period products are as breathable for the environment as it is for your skin. A major dual benefit, indeed! The sanitary pads are crafted from GOTS certified Organic cotton with Japanese SAP that make way for superior absorption, controlling spillage and giving you the comfort that you deserve. What’s more, the soft top surface of the pads prevents the accumulation of heat and moisture, brushing away the scope of bacteria-induced rashes and other infections. A pack of My Cara Organic Cotton Ultra-Thin Sanitary Pad can be customised as per your flow – low, medium, or heavy.
Price: Rs 258 Rs 198
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