Lunapads Blog

To say that we were blown away by the response to our LunaRevolution Video Festival & Contest is a seismic understatement – it was literally one “WOW” after another at yesterday’s staff viewing. Thank you so much to all of you who participated; we are deeply honored by your efforts.

The overall experience has been more complex than “WOW” suggests, however, and I want to address that it was not as easy as sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and basking in the Luna-love. I cannot go any further without first acknowledging the efforts of Nancee, our Video Intern (here for her second summer, woot!) and our IT wonder Lisa. Nancee is a fabulous tech-geek workaholic super-smart/nice person who is constantly seeking more ways to be helpful (if you can’t think of them, she will!) and then executing them with dizzying speed and efficiency. With equal dedication the perennially brilliant Lisa waded through the maze of technical issues with her consistently calm and sensible demeanor.

Clever Lunagals and all, were there flaws? Oh yeah! We have not had a video contest in years, and naturally technology has advanced a notch or two. We decided to go with a Facebook application called Wildfire, which involved a bit of a learning curve and proved to have its shortcomings. Thank you to all of you who were smart enough to point out the not-totally-clear bits and have been patient enough to bear with us while we worked it out.

We received 21 (TWENTY ONE!!!) submissions, which we considered to be totally amazing. Twenty-one Lunagals felt inspired enough to take the time to tell us how our products have changed your lives: how incredible is that?!?

It was a massive challenge to choose the top picks, and if we have any regrets it’s that we didn’t create more categories and/or Honorable Mention spots in the first place (it would have looked pretty silly if we had created a dozen categories and only had three submissions, for example). Finally, we didn’t all agree about, for example, what made a video particularly “creative”, and so I want to highlight what we felt was uniquely awesome about the videos that may not have fit into a particular category.

Our 5 Honorable Mention Prizes:
another drum roll, please…

(more…)

We have been absolutely ecstatic with the entry turn out for this year’s video contest! Lets give a round of applause for all those brave souls who took out their video cameras and shared their LunaRevolution stories with all of us. The videos were unique, creative and simply awesome. We can’t believe how talented you all are. Thank you from all of us at Lunapads!

Although the submission period is over, the excitement ain’t over yet! We are very pleased to announce the beginning of our voting period! Here’s a great opportunity for all those who did not submit a video to participate. Come check out the ridiculously fun videos your fellow Lunapads lovers have come up with. Show your support by voting! To view entries click here.

I’m sure you’re all itching to find out the details on how to vote so:

The voting period officially starts from now and ends by 11:59 pacific time on Wednesday, August 17th 2011. You may vote for up to 3 submissions per day. To clarify, that’s 1 vote for 3 different submissions per day. Vote by clicking on the vote now button next to each video entry. If you really want your favorite video to win, select the “Share on my wall” option to get other friends on Facebook to vote. Get everyone in on the action!

To keep our contest as fair as possible, please do not:

1) Swap votes

2) Vote on your own entry

3) Create dummy e-mail accounts to vote

We ask that everyone have fun and be fair during the voting process :).

So…what are you waiting for, get some popcorn out and get ready to be entertained! Vote, vote, vote, vote! These contestants are competing to win a total of $1000 worth of Lunapads gift certificates, so your support really matters!

Along with the big office move, we’ve been receiving some more really great entries for the LunaRevolution Video Festival and Contest. We just have to say: how creative and tech savvy are our customers?!

For me, the best part is watching new video submissions. I never know what to expect. In the middle of moving, we received notification for a new submission featuring a talking…Lunapad! Following this, we received another notification for a new video where a contestant mimes her LunaRevolution. After that, another video about the savings that Lunapads bring. Today in the morning? A creatively edited teen LunaRevolution.

Its been really neat to see the diversity among our contest participants. These videos really communicate how many different women have benefited from switching from disposable to reusable menstrual products. This is definitely something our entire office can be very proud of!

(more…)

SEND US YOUR VIDEO AND YOU COULD WIN!
1 OF 3 $200 OR 5 $80 GIFT CERTIFICATES

We love making videos here at Lunapads and thought this summer would be the perfect time to ask you to join the party. As part of the fun, we will be giving away $1000 worth of Lunapads prizes!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LUNAREVOLUTION!
We’re looking for creative expressions of what the LunaRevolution means to you. Your video doesn’t have to be fancy in terms of production quality: the whole point is authenticity. Just grab your camcorder, digital camera or webcam and have fun!

Not only are there great prizes to be won, everyone who submits a video will receive a discount code for 20% off their next purchase from Lunapads.com.

(more…)

We received a tonne of great name suggestions for our new fabric print. We’ve managed to narrow it down to the top 6 and now we want you to tell us your favourite! Head on over to our Facebook page and cast your ballot! Here’s a reminder in case your forgot what it looks like:

We’re working on sewing up Pads and Pantyliners in this new print as we speak. Watch out for it in our July newsletter! Sign up here if you’re not already on our mailing list.

Name: Melissa

Age: 20

How did you hear about reusable menstrual products?
Searching the web.

Please describe your monthly needs:
4 days heavy flow, 3 days medium flow, 3 days light flow.

If you are currently using disposable products, which ones do you use, and for what needs?
Super tampons for 4 days, regular tampons 3 days, light tampons 2 days, pantyliners for backup.

Why do you want to switch to reusable menstrual products?
I want to switch because I hate using both disposable tampons and pads. The tampons hurt me and the pads always smell. Because of this I always hate it when I get my period and its so expensive to keep re-buying, and now that I have a baby I need to find a way to save money, and I feel that the tampons and pads are to much of a waste.

Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?
Im a full time mom with 1 baby, love arts&crafts

Based on your own experience, what message do you have for other women who might be thinking about reusable menstrual products?
I support them all the way!

Recommendations for this crafty mom!

(more…)

Now that I’ve noticed a change in comfort and attitude from switching to Lunapads, I figured I’d share some deets about wearing Lunapads, Liner Inserts and Lunapanties:

1. I was a little nervous to take my Lunapad to the public washroom for the first time – how do you carry them discretely? I couldn’t lug my entire schoolbag. Then I realized that my purple little moon pad bag looked just like a makeup bag!
2. To put the pad on, you just snap the wings together around your underwear and slip the liner under the ribbon (called ric rac bands) at the top and bottom. Out of habit with other tags, I put the tag at the back, even though the pads are symmetrical. They are much easier to put on than disposables: no paper to peel off, no sticky stuff, no wings getting caught along the sides.
3. I found I could adjust how far forward or back the pad was by simply tugging it, not unpeeling and re-attaching the whole thing.
4. As a newbie, I found it a little easier to snap the pad to my underwear first, then put on my underwear when I was getting dressed.
5. I had the maxi pads, which, by my unofficial estimation, are about an inch longer than the “regular” sized disposable pads.

(more…)

For many of our customers, Pantyliners are their first introduction to cloth pads.  Uncomplicated, inexpensive, and easy to use — Lunapads Pantyliners are just the thing for everyday use, light flow, or backup protection with a menstrual cup or tampon.

Because they lack the nylon lining, ric-rac bands and liner-on-top functionality of our Pads (helpful features for those with heavier flow), Pantyliners are our thinnest, most breathable option. tl;dr?  Click here for a video snippet of Madeleine explaining the difference between Pads and Pantyliners.

Ready to make the switch, but need help finding the right fit?
We can help! Chat with us while you shop, or give us a call at 1.888.590.2299.

Still not sure? Take a gander at the glowing customer reviews below.
Plus! all 7 Day Pantyliner Kits include 1 Bonus Pantyliner this month.

(more…)

Last Friday, we were delighted to see the Huffington Post write a story called “How to Green Your Period” describing the many ways to green your period.  (Check out slide number 4 which talks about reusable cloth pads, including Lunapads.)   You can even “vote” for your favorite period product: menstrual cups and cloth pads are ranked #1 and #2 respectively!

Despite the Huffington Post having a progressive following, not long after the post went up, a lot of readers posted comments indicating they were put off by the topic, men and women included.  Many expressed their disgust that the Huffington Post would write about such a “vulgar” topic and why nothing was sacred anymore.  Well, thanks to fans of the DivaCup and Lunapads, there is now a bit more balance in the over 200 comments posted to date.  I particularly like what “kudzumaster” had to say about the negative feedback:

“Would it be better to go back to the days in which women were ashamed about their normal processes, and thus kept ignorant and uninformed? I know they were good times, when teenaged girls got their first period and hid in the bathroom, thinking they were bleeding to death because no one was comfortable enough to discuss menstruation with them, but I think we’re ready to move past that now, aren’t we. Women bleed once a month during their childbearing years. It’s a fact, and nothing to be embarrassed about.”

I can appreciate that people have hang ups about certain topics, but I can never understand why they go on to publicly express those hang ups.  Posting those kinds of comments only shines a light on their degree of ignorance about a topic they can’t seem get their head around.   It’s refreshing to see others chiming in to show a more eco-positive perspective about periods.  Thank you, and if you haven’t commented yet, please do so!

While surfing around the Huffington Post website, I came across a story by writer Deanna Neal called “Make her Vagina Green” packed with interesting projections about the number of bleeding women in the world and how much garbage is produced by disposable feminine hygiene products.  As compelling as those numbers are, Deanna isn’t ready or willing to try reusable products herself, but at least does a good job informing the more ‘mainstream’ reader why she should think about healthier options for her period.  Deanna, if you’re reading this, we’d love to send you some Lunapads and Lunapanties to try out!  Never say never; we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Anyone else out there want to try and convince Deanna to make the switch?

Suzanne and I were in Anaheim CA a couple of weeks ago, where we attended the Natural Products Expo West trade show. It’s a busy place that can be a bit overwhelming, but there was no shortage of inspiration to be had.   One of the major highlights for us was running into Peggy O’Mara, founder of Mothering magazine. 

I hadn’t seen Peggy since I attended a workshop she was leading 3 years ago at Hollyhock.  It was a very special time for me, and I was joined there not only by my then-5 month old daughter Gigi, but also by my Mom Pat.  Peggy held the space for our stories, joys and fears, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect with one of the most influential figures in the natural parenting movement.

Peggy and Mothering have been huge sources of inspiration and information for Suzanne and I as Moms, and we are very excited that she will be here in Vancouver delivering the keynote address at the Healthy Families Conference, April 18 and 19 (co-sponsored by our friend Bridgitte from Natural Pod natural toys.)  We are trying to line up a visit with Peggy here at Lunapads as well, so stay tuned!