Lunapads Blog

Shanti Uganda is a fantastic organization that improves infant and maternal health, provides safe women-centered care and supports the well-being of birthing mothers and women living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. In addition to that, they havebeen a Pads4Girls distribution partner for years now, providing cloth pads to girls through their Holisitic Health programmes and to new mothers at the Shanti Uganda Birth House & Learning Centre. Natalie Angell, co-founder and Executive Director of  The Shanti Uganda Society shares her personal experience with Lunapads while building a Birth House in rural Uganda, after childbirth and also distributing reusable pads to women and teens in Uganda. Natalie is an incredible Vancouver woman whose vision and mission we at the Lunapads office are big fans of.

Shanti Uganda Giveaway!
Natalie has graciously shared some crafts from the women’s sustainable income generating group for us to give away. Leave a note here about your travels with reusables or experience in activism to win a yoga mat bag, banana bag and some hand rolled, paper beaded jewelry! Webale (thank-you in Lugandan) Natalie!

I started using Lunapads during my first trip to Uganda in 2007.  At the time I was using organic cotton, chlorine free disposable pads and tampons and had long given up my relationship with tampax (and the impending fever, cramps and sweat that they caused after about 15 minutes).

In 2007, I founded The Shanti Uganda Society and shared my time between Uganda and Canada.  In Uganda, there was no option to purchase my less toxic menstrual products and filling a suitcase with a few months supply of chlorine free menstrual products seemed like a silly way to pack. Making the switch to Lunapads took up far less room in my suitcase and I could easily hand wash and dry them. I also loved how soft and comfy they were – much better than plastic lined pads in the hot climate!

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Thank you for sharing your testimonial, Meghan!

Let me begin by saying that I am perhaps your least likely customer. I knew about reusable menstrual products, but never felt that they were anything I would ever use. I was convinced that cleaning them would be a major inconvenience, and worried they might leak.

Then a friend told me about Lunapads.  She had just ordered a set, and was excited to show me how they worked. I already knew there were several benefits to using reusable pads: economic, environmental, and possibly even healthwise; but I just did not think they were something I would ever want to use.

I was, however, still curious. I did quite a bit of research on your website and found that the more I read, the more intrigued I was. Though I still felt skeptical, I decided to order a Sampler Pack, based on your Customer Satisfaction Policy.

I have never had a good experience with disposable menstrual products. Pads were rough and irritating against my skin, and tampons felt intrusive. Lunapads, on the other hand, are so very comfortable. I can hardly believe how much better my experience with my period has been since making the switch!

Furthermore, cleaning Lunapads is really not at all the ordeal I thought it would be, nor have I experienced any problem with leaks. I’ve since added more pads to my Lunapads collection, so that I never have to resort to disposables again.

I have to say, you have 100% won me over. Lunapads have been an amazing solution to my period woes. I no longer feel that I have to approach my period with that awful sense of dread, and am so thankful that my friend introduced me to them.

-Meghan

We have been doing some new product development projects in the past few (well, several is actually more like it) months, and the first big project is now complete: our very own, first-ever, totally fabulous print organic fabric! Suzanne christened it “Magenta Mandala” after seeing my daughter’s Mandala coloring book on a recent visit to our home. Before I get into the rest of the story, a huge thank you is in order to all of you who have asked for print/color organic Lunapads over the years – thank you so much for your patience and encouragement.

We are extremely picky about our fabric choices, and finding the right fabric at the right price from the right people and place has taken some doing. We are very fortunate to have partnered with an extremely talented fabric print designer: Harmony Susalla from Harmony Arts, whose print “Eyes of the World” was adapted with custom colors for Lunapads.  Harmony’s inspiration for the print was “the centers of flowers, which can be so intricate. If you stop to take a close look.. a whole world often opens up.” A perfect fit for Lunapads, particularly if one reads flowers as “flow-ers”

Choosing the colors was a group effort, and in the end was a close call between magenta and a deep shade of lavender. I like to think of the colors as symbolic: magenta for female power, and green for our beautiful planet.  As for the color that got away, know that this is just the first of many of these wonderful fabrics: our long-term goal is to switch completely to organic cotton, so stay tuned.  Here’s a link to Harmony’s take on the project, just to round things out in the mutual admiration department.  All our organic Pads, Pantyliners, Kits and 3-Packs are on sale this month, so don’t wait to stock up and enjoy!

It’s no secret that we live in a society where the majority prefer it if women keep their menstrual cycles, well…..a secret. We say to heck with that! We think women should be open about their periods and free to discuss and share it in whatever way they see fit. That’s why we’re having a photo contest on facebook! We’re asking Lunapads users to take a photo of their pad stash and upload it to the “I Heart My Lunapads” Facebook group. If your photo receives the most “Likes” from the group members you’ll win one of three Travel Kits! All you have to do is take a photo of your Lunapads stash or you and your favourite Lunapad and upload it to the group photo album. The group members will then vote for the winning image by hitting the “Like” button below their fave photo. If your photo wins the contest here’s what you get:

• An awesome pStyle “stand to pee” device in the colour of your choice
• A Peri Bottle to rinse your pStyle with
• A pack of 12 Wysi Wipes
• All packed in a Lunapads Travel Pouch!

You have until August 28th to enter the contest and winners will be announced September 1st.

So far we have received some very creative entries and we can’t wait to see what is yet to come. For more information on the contest rules etc. and to see the photos that have been entered so far, visit the “I Heart My Lunapads” Facebook Group. Come Show us your stash!

In Lunapads mythology, Once Upon A Time there was a fair young maiden (yours truly!) who aspired to make the loveliest washable menstrual pads in the land.  She toiled endlessly at her sewing machines day after day, week after week, and (natch) month after month, until she created something she was satisfied with.  She asked her mirror, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which are the fairest pads of all?”, to which the mirror replied “All pads that are made with love and respect for women’s bodies are truly fair and lovely.”  Love that mirror!  I passed along the task of sewing Lunapads to our noble production partners many years ago, but I continued to sew all manner of clothes and household linens right up until my daughter was born just over 4 years ago.

Since that time, I must confess that gardening has captured my creative heart (easier to do with a 4 year old, as well!), and so I was a bit nervous to pull out my rulers, scissors and 20 year old domestic single-needle machine to make this video – did I still have the magic?  That verdict will have to be in the eyes of the beholder of the video, but for my part it was really fun in a “blast from the past” kind of way.

Part 1:

Part 2:

The videos and pattern download were created in response to two needs: first, as a possible option for those who can’t afford Lunapads, or to support those who prefer to make things themselves, just because. Second is to offer it as an instructional tool for women in Africa to make pads for themselves and/or as commercial products, as well as for crafters in this neck of the woods who want to make pads to contribute as donations to Pads4Girls (more on that in the next post – stay tuned!)

A note on the video: it is not about how to make Lunapads, which requires a far more complex sewing process (not to mention 3 different fabrics and 2 different sewing machines – eek!)  Rather, it is an easy, adjustable pattern that can be made with a single-needle domestic machine and a wide variety of fabrics.  You can download the pattern here.  I encourage you to experiment with different fabrics and closures, and have fun!

Attention Fashionistas! One of my all-time favorite fabrics is making a surprise comeback. “Hats & Heels” is an almost ridiculously femmy print that also includes violet purses and gloves on a scarlet background. Paired with purple fleece, it’s a no-holds-barred, non-wallflower print that can make having your period feel pretty glam. And this time I’m not making empty promises – we actually have it in stock (like, right now!) in the following Lunapads styles: Heavy, Wide Maxi, Teeny and Mini Pantyliners. P.S. the crazy brown flower print will be in stock early in 2008 – I swear on my tiara!

Check out the latest review of Lunapads in “The Opinionated Parent“. Contributing writer Reesh talks about how she seamlessly incorporated Lunapads into her monthly routine while on the road travelling for theatre. Her story also goes to show the power of word of mouth and the impact of leading by example. Thanks Reesh, and all the best with your pregnancy!

The Opinionated Parent is also having a contest for a Lunapads Intro Kit. I’m sure all you gals reading this will have no trouble answering the question below. If you win, and already own a stash of Lunapads, pass your winnings on to a friend, and keep spreading the good word!

Want to win a Lunapads intro kit to try them yourself? Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with LUNAPADS in the subject line and the correct answer to the question “What are the names of the Lunapads’ owners’ 3 children?” Contest closes Friday 6/8/07 at midnight MST.