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…

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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.

In the ever-changing textiles industry, fabric prints come and go in the blink of an eye.  While we try to hold on to our flannel prints for as long as we can, we have had to bid farewell to a number of favourites over the years. Unfortunately we are no longer able to get our popular fabric PsycheDahlia from our fabric supplier. As they say, another one bites the dust! We still have plenty of PsycheDahlia products in stock so it will still be available for at least another 3 months in most Pad and Pantyliner styles.

The good news is that with the departure of PyscheDahlia, we have room to add another awesome flannel print! Check it out:

This bright, summery fabric will be available some time in July but before we can offer it, we need to know what to call it. Leave your name suggestion in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a Sampler Pack in our gorgeous new fabric! Be sure to share the contest on Twitter and Facebook, so your friends and family have a chance to win and try Lunapads too!

As for what to name it, here’s a hint: We love names that are alliterative or include reference to the colour(s) in the print.

Good luck!

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.

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Jeannette wrote to us as a concerned mom who hopes that Lunapads will help her daughter have a happier period. Read on for their story, and our picks:

This is actually not for me, but for my 10 year old daughter.  She started menstruating recently and it really upsets her.  We are looking for something that is natural, environmentally friendly and won’t irritate her skin.  Also, regular pads can be loud and embarrassing.  I want her to feel like a goddess and not a slave to plastic!

Her period is 3 days heavy, 3 nights heavy, and 2 days light.  She is currently using Always overnights.  No matter what, she leaks through, and often out of the back of her undies and onto her bed.  We are too paranoid this early into her period to go lighter than overnights at any stage in her cycle.  Mine was very unpredictable when I was a kid, so we err on the side of caution.

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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.

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What we call the “ewww” factor is a fact of life here at Lunapads (although most of the feedback we receive is overwhelmingly supportive, when it does come up it can kind of wreck your day.) Recently however there have been some interesting examples that have given me pause for thought about how we respond to it.

In the past, my reaction to icked-outedness has been to cite the billions of chemical-soaked pads and tampons festering in landfills, or to invite the ickee (as it were) to recall the discomfort of removing a tampon towards the end of one’s menses, as examples of ick as I see it. The new Stayfree “date” videos are also standout ick contenders, but I digress.

And yet I certainly didn’t start my journey of consciousness around menstruation where I am today. In fact, I’m sure that once upon a time, had you asked me what I thought of the idea of washable menstrual pads I might well have been totally icked. Apparently, what is and is not gross/disgusting etc to us today is not necessarily true for tomorrow.

What’s interesting to me about it is that the folks who are able to be, oh – a bit more patient or self-conscious around it seem to end up in some interesting places, whereas those who can’t get past it just stay grossed out. Some examples, forthwith!

I was recently asked about how men, generally speaking, react to our products and was happy to report that for the most part they are very supportive and pragmatic, along the lines of: “You’ll save money and have less to throw away – why not give it a try, hon?”

That said, one man’s discomfort with the idea of Lunapads and menstrual cups recently led to a very unusual and enlightened conclusion. In a guest post for industrial design blog Core77, consumer behaviour researcher Steve Portigal tells his story. Steve takes his initial reaction of deep discomfort upon seeing a Lunapads ad for the first time and creatively uses it as a jumping off point for a key realization: that change and progress are often accompanied by discomfort.

Further to my observation about men’s reactions, I pointed out that it’s often women who have the strongest negative reactions. In a recent case, I was reading a post about our new “ditch the disposables” video on one of my favorite blogs, The Girlie Girl Army, and was struck by the first comment: “That is disgusting…really.” Several dozen readers were quick to jump in with more positive sentiments, but it made me want to take some time to look at the whys and whats of these kinds of “uncomfortable” reactions to our products.

Given all the negative, shame-based messages that women receive around our bodies and menstruation, is it any wonder that some of us have issues with menstruation and menstrual products in the first place?

Prenatal coach Crystal Di Domizio paints a beautifully honest picture of her transformation in a recent blog post about her experience with switching to our products: “The ewww factor always came up for me even though menstruation doesn’t make me squeamish. What I thought was going to be a huge hassle (but worth the extra work) actually ended up being easier and more enjoyable.“

It’s not easy to be Green blogger Ailanna further makes the excellent point in her recent “Getting over the squeamishness” post that our collective freakout about bodily fluids is essentially the engine that drives our unsustainable disposable culture: “The problem with our squeamishness is that it’s kind of killing the planet. Not singlehandedly, but in our plastic-loving disposable attitude, our conviction that we are somehow above having to deal with the messes we make as biological beings – surely enough.”

While I have no wish to argue with icked-out prospective customers, it does make me wonder what can be said to help to get them to come down the tree, as it were. What I wish I could ask the grossed-out folk among us is about the origin of their discomfort: is it the notion of getting any closer to their menses than absolutely necessary, touching themselves intimately, the products or the hassle of cleaning them? Is there a gentle, creative way to support someone in whatever place they find themselves that doesn’t necessarily imply that they are wrong? What do you guys think?

We’ve had a great time celebrating Women’s Month with some awesome theme giveaways for Girls and Teens, Pregnant Gals, and Fence-sitters. It’s not too late to enter any of these, so for any of you who fall into these categories, read the posts and add your comment for a chance to win some Lunapads goodies!

Our final giveaway for the month was partially inspired by the recent discussion about the whole rationale for choosing natural menstrual products. Is it really “worth it”, and if so what did it mean to you?

For this final giveaway post we are looking for women who have recently switched to our products (post fence-sitters, if you will!) to talk about this very thing. In other words, what making the switch was like, how it may have surprised you or differed from your expectations, or what kind of a difference it has made for you.

New Lunagals, tell us your stories!

Post your comment below for a chance to win 1 of 3 $25 Lunapads.com Gift Certificates. Winners will be announced in our April newsletter, so stay tuned!

Organic Bikini Lunapanties

Welcome to our next installment of our International Women’s Month celebration! This time it’s for Moms-to-be.

Here’s lovely photo of one of our longest-term (pun intended!) collaborators, the lovely Emira Mears of Raised Eyebrow and The Boss of You, taken mere hours before the arrival of lovely little Lena at our recent Lunapanties photoshoot.

We have 3 sets of 2 Organic Mini Pantyliners, so anyone out there who is currently expecting, comment below to tell us where you are, how many weeks you’re at, and what your favorite thing about being pregnant to be entered. Winners will be announced in our April newsletter.

Organic Mini Pantyliner

While I’m here, check out the blog of one of my favorite pregnant gals: the one and only Chloe Jo Berman of the fabulously green Girlie Girl Army. If you’re expecting and wondering about eco positive diapering choices, I have just written a guest blog post for GGA about cloth diapering and more – check it out!

 Good luck, and don’t forget to smile at a pregnant gal today!

Name: Elsbeth
Home: Nebraska, USA
Age: 22
Lifestyle: I am a Chemistry major who loves camping.
Flow: Heavy flow for 5 days/nights, Average flow for the next 3 days/nights, and 3 days/nights of light discharge.

Before
Pre-Lunapads, I used tampons with disposable overnight pads as back-up protection for 5 days/nights, tampons with maxi pads for 3 days/nights, maxi pads for 3 days/nights, and pantyliners for three days on either side of my period.

Why did you want to switch?
I have very sensitive skin, and got one too many chemical burns from scented pads in “unscented” packages. Also, I have made a lot of changes in my life to become more “green”, and this felt like an important step. Now I use Lunapads Long Pad & Liner on my heavy flow days, Maxi Pads for average days, and Mini Pads for spotting.

After
I’m so glad I switched to Lunapads. I used to hate my period–I couldn’t even get through class some days because my flow was so heavy. Now, I actually look forward to my period. It is a natural and reassuring event, not a nightmare. I love Lunapads for the convenience, comfort, reliability and the knowledge that I am doing something good for the environment and for myself.

Are you ready for a Period Makeover? To apply, simply fill out an application, telling us about your monthly needs. Selected applicants will receive a $15 Lunapads.com gift certificate!