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    Going Plant Based.. Down There?!

    Hello and Happy Friday everyone, ItsNichelleB thanks for visiting my blog! Today’s post is about feminine hygiene products and going plant based or vegan, not only as it pertains to what you put in your body (food) but also what you put ON your body. Over the past couple of years I feel like we’ve stepped into an era of health consciousness. People are looking for alternatives to traditional medicines, reading labels, and googling ingredients… I mean think about the dairy industry, there were never so many options for milk on the shelves until the last 5 years or so.. There is an organic, natural, or “free and clear” alternative for almost everything nowadays. I feel the same kind of spotlight has been put on the feminine hygiene industry. More and more female consumers started to spread the word that most brand name pads and tampons are harmful, and now better options have come out. I just wish we could to go back to when agriculture wasn’t so exploited and everything we bought wasn’t loaded with chemicals, fillers, pesticides, etc. It’s like what is safe now? Is this really organic? Can I trust this company? lol Conscious consumers just want to know the truth about what is in our products and how they are made.

    Since becoming pescatarian, I have become conscious of the food I eat, but it’s easy to overlook other important factors besides food that are considered unhealthy or unsafe. Things like household cleaning items, air fresheners, candles, soaps, lotion, and feminine products, all come in contact with our bodies directly or indirectly at some point.

    After learning more about this about a year ago I switched to a “free and clear” laundry detergent and deodorant about a year ago. That was a good start but as more information and products came out, it made me ponder the soap, lotion, and feminine care products I was using.

    So I did the next best thing I know to do, and I researched it.. lol Finding out what was really in pads, tampons, and Dove soap did open my eyes. So after finding out that info, I researched organic/vegan toiletries, and trust me ladies there is no need to keep using harmful tampons and pads anymore. Big brands like Always, Playtex, and Kotex are all about the dollar. There are other smaller companies that actually have our health in mind!

    Ok now on to the products..

    The va jay-jay wash I use is by @thehoneypotco and you can follow them on Instagram. This is a black-owned, plant-based, feminine care company that I love! Some of their products like the wash and their wipes have recently become available in Target stores, but other items may have to be ordered from their website. I didn’t buy their wipes because honestly they are like $10 for 20 wipes or something like that and I don’t use wipes down there that often.

    I have tried Seventh Generation pads, but not the tampons yet. They both cost about the same as regular pads or tampons but are of course organic and without any dyes and/or chemicals. I like them, they work for me, and they can be purchased at Target along with their baby wipes. I like baby wipes because they are really cheap, like $3 for 60, lol they are gentle enough to use down there, and if you’re too lazy to remove your makeup on those wild nights they are gentle enough to do that also. While you’re at it Seventh Generation also has great “free and clear” laundry detergent. lol

    I use Dr.Bronners Hemp Lavender and Peppermint soap on my body and I like it, although I may be kind of bias because I just love the smell of lavender. lol I actually have been experimenting with soaps lately. I’ve tried the Coconut Hibiscus soap by Shea Moisture, and another natural soap from a friend. I don’t see myself ever going back to traditional soaps like Dove anymore. Shea Moisture also has a “cruelty free” makeup remover I really like, it is pictured.

    As far as lotion I was using Palmers Cocoa Butter, but according to my research the solid jar is vegan, the lotion is not. Although I use cocoa butter lotion sometimes, a lot of the time I just use raw Shea Butter. I have made my own lotion/body butter by blending the raw shea butter with some essential oil, almond oil, and coconut oil. I added lavender essential oil to my last batch of shea butter lotion and it was great. The options are endless for making your own lotion! You truly don’t need all those extra fillers, just to moisturize your skin.

    Lastly my deodorant, I’ve been stopped using regular deodorants like Secret and Degree. I use Arm & Hammer Essentials Unscented deodorant. It is vegan, no aluminum, parabens, or colorants, and the price is cool. Of course there are deodorant brands out there but if you’re not ready to pay $8-10 for deodorant then you may want to consider making your own. As with lotion, there are plenty of options, and you only need a few ingredients you probably already have.

    So there you have it! No need use soap with animal fat in it, no need for chlorine processing in pads, no need to stick plastic up there with tampons! Our female parts are so sacred, and delicate, we should treat them as such! Go vegan down there! I especially recommend you go vegan down there if you experience feminine issues often such as UTI’s, yeast infections, discharge, or odors. Tampons, pads, soaps, sex, our periods, foods we eat all affect our pH balance! Also if you have been using pads or tampons for years which the average woman has, you may want to consider detoxing your vagina. I know you may be like “What detox my vagina?!” lol but yes you can and I’m not talking about a douche.. lol But that is a whole different blog post! lol If you have further questions about switching to vegan toiletries, essential oils, or anything else feel free to write a comment or email me!

    Below I have some links you can visit if you want to read about this in further detail or visit sites that sell plant-based hygiene products!

    https://www.bustle.com/articles/83591-are-tampons-safe-7-reasons-we-should-be-concerned-about-the-ingredients-in-feminine-hygiene-products

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/feminine-hygiene-products_b_3359581.html

    http://www.divacup.com

    http://natracare.com

    http://seventhgeneration.com

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