Luv Ur Body Menstrual Cup Review

The Luv Ur Body menstrual cup comes in 3 sizes and is made from 100% medical grade silicone. If at this point you are wondering 'What on earth is a menstrual cup?' then I shall direct you to my Ruby cup review here, where I explain the basics. I have both the small and medium Luv Ur Body cup, but there is also a size large. All of the cups are priced at $28, which is just under £23. For me there were two main things that drew me to the Luv Ur Body cups, their gorgeous flower designs and the high capacity of the cups themselves. The small cup holds around 28ml when filled up to the air holes, the medium holds 31ml and the large cup holds an impressive 34.5ml. The cups come with a generously sized cotton pouch, both of the patterns I received were feminine floral prints.

The Luv Ur Body cup in small (left) and medium (right).

The small Luv Ur Body cup is 47mm long, with the uber-cute leaf-shaped stem adding an additional 18mm. The diameter of the cup is 42mm, and so the cup is still relatively large for a size small. The Luv Ur Body cups all have a raised flower design on the surface of the cups, for the small size this design comes in both red (as seen above) and a turquoise blue. The medium and large cups only come in solid colours and are available in green, red and clear. The medium Luv Ur Body cup is the longest of all three at 61.7mm, with the stem adding 20.3mm. The diameter of the medium size cup is 45mm. The large size cup is 56.7mm long, with a stem length of 20.3mm. The diameter of the large cup is by far the widest at 48mm. The medium Luv Ur Body cup is one of the longest cups on the market, which makes it a good option for women with a very high cervix, who are worried that their cup with move up too high and become unreachable. Personally, I found that the leaf stem is very easy to grip and feels super sturdy, there are raised sections on the stem to help add more grip. I would be extremely surprised if anyone had trouble reaching and removing this cup!

The silicone used feels very nice and seems to be good quality, I would say they are a medium resistance cup, not as soft as a Cuplee cup yet not as firm as a Diva cup. The raised flower design of the cups is said to stop the cup from 'slipping out' during use, say when you sneeze or bear down. To be honest, I've never had this be an issue with any of my cups that don't have a raised pattern on them, but its pretty and so I don't mind too much. I think that the flower design is adorable and makes the cups stand out however, because the silicone is raised, they can make insertion and removal slightly irritating and even slightly painful. For some reason, the flower design on the small cup seems to be more raised than on the medium cup and so was slightly more irritating. I would say that if you are someone who is easily irritated by grip rings, this is not the cup for you. The bottom of these cups has quite an unusual shape in that they are quite rounded, instead of the usual V shape. Luv Ur Body claims that this is to make the cup before comfortable and increase capacity further, personally I found that the shape made these cups a bit trickier to remove as it was more difficult to nip the base to collapse the cup for comfortable removal.

The Luv Ur Body cup in med

I was able to use both of these cups and the high capacity of these cups makes them a great option for anyone with a heavy flow or who suffers from problems such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis . The large diameter of these cups is thought to be better for women who have a low cervix, as it allows the cervix to sit within the cup. Personally, I have a high cervix so I wouldn't be able to say whether or not the concept works. 

Overall, I don't think that this would be a good cup for new cup users as the raised design could cause extra difficulty inserting and be irritating. Also the curved bottom of the cup can make it quite hard to remove. I think that these cups would be perfect for women who have heavy flows, anywhere from a high to a medium cervix and aren't irritated by grip rings. The price is comparable to other menstrual cups on the market and the floral design really is quite gorgeous.

Let me know if you have tried this cup out and what you thought of it!

Eco Rainbow Pads Review

Eco Rainbow is an Etsy shop, run by Bex Cleaver, which sells reusable sanitary pads, nursing pads, nappies (or diapers for you Americans) and wipes. I purchased 4 pads from her shop in a bundle deal for £21, in the deal you can choose the length, absorbency and fabric and also give some detail on the prints that you like. You cannot choose the exact prints for each pad in this deal, but there are always a variety of pre-made pads for sale in other adorable prints if you are particular. You can also custom order from her website. 

I chose 10" heavy pads, in the 'plush' fabric (sometimes also called 'minky'), my print preferences were cute colourful designs and personally, I think she nailed it. As they are heavy pads and have the plush fabric (that is stain resistant!) as a topper, these are quite thick. Personally I don't mind thick pads, but if you are someone who wears thin leggings or something similar, you might want to choose something a bit thinner to avoid them being visible. I believe the core used in these pads is zorb.

Width of the pad when snapped is 2 and a half inches ( 6.5 cm)

When snapped up the pads are about 2.5" wide (6.5cm) and sit quite snugly in most underwear. These pads don't have a layer of PUL for waterproofing, however I have used them for several months and never leaked. They have a water resistant fleece backing and so the PUL isn't really necessary. The shape of these pads is perfect for me, they are super comfortable. I also gifted one of these to my sister and she has since reported that it is her favourite pad. The delivery of these pads was also extremely quick considering they were made after I had ordered, I believe I received them after around 2 weeks. Overall I really love these pads, they are very well made and uber comfortable. I'd definitely recommend trying something out from Eco Rainbow Pads and there is even a Facebook group where Bex runs market nights, along with a website where you can order custom made pads.

Have you tried these pads? Let me know in the comments section below.

TJ's Cloth Nappies Cloth Pad Review

These pads were the first ever editions to my cloth pads 'stash', I found them one day whilst hunting for cheap pads to try. TJ's Cloth Nappies has a range of these cloth nappies (or diapers if you're american) and they also sell a range of cloth pads. These pads look similar to the Precious star's pads, which are manufactured in China, I think it is likely that these also came from China as the prices are so similar. The 'regular' 10 inch pads are priced at £3.49, the 'heavy' 12 inch pads are £3.99 and the 'postpartum' 14 inch pads are £4.49.

A 'Regular' and a 'Heavy' pad

The width of the pads snapped up, the heavy pad is on the top

These pads are topped with a charcoal microfleece layer, the core is microfibre and all of the pads have a PUL waterproofing layer. I found the regular pads worked fine, I never had any leaks and they were pretty comfortable. However one thing to bear in mind is that these are very wide pads when snapped up, The 'regular' style are 8 cm (3.15 inches) wide when they're snapped up and the 'heavy' pads are a whopping 11 cm (4.33 inches)! I had bought 3 'regular' and two 'heavy' pads but when I wore the first heavy pad it was so wide and there was so much 'wing droop' that it was irritating and uncomfortable. I don't know why the heavy pads are so much wider than the others but it is a tad ridiculous, the extra fabric hangs between your legs and makes you feel like you are wearing a nappy. I contacted the company and mentioned the width of the heavy pads and the owner, Jackie, kindly offered to give me a refund for the heavy pad I hadn't used if I sent it back to her.

If you are looking to switch to reusables and are on a budget then I would definitely recommend these, they are comfy and absorbent. Just be warned that the heavy pads are super wide!


Have you tried these pads out? Are there any cloth pad makers that you would like to review?
Let me know in the comments!

Ruby Menstrual Cup Review

Menstrual cup basics

Now if you don't know what a menstrual cup is then here are the basics. Menstrual cups are the alternative to tampons, you fold them up to make them smaller, insert them into your vagina and then they pop open and create a seal. This seal then allows the menstrual cup to sit up in the vagina and collect your flow, then after 12 hours (yes you read that right, 12 hours!) you remove the cup, empty it, clean it and then reinsert it. These things are game changing when it comes to your period, you can literally put the cup in in the morning, then forget about it for the whole day, then empty it out at night and reinsert. Lets have a quick look at the pros and cons.

Pros

• They hold around 3 times what a tampon will hold! Most women can wear the cup for 12 hours before needing to empty it.
• They're healthier! There is no risk of toxic shock syndrome with menstrual cups as there are no fibers. Tampons also dry out the vagina and contain trace amounts of a toxin called dioxin (Pads do too!), which is a carcinogen (it causes cancer). Menstrual cups are carcinogen free and much safer.
• They're reusable! Once you have your menstrual cup you are set for a long time, if treated well menstrual cups can last 5-20 years!
• You'll never run out! No more wondering if you have enough tampons or when you'll need to buy more. 
• They're comfortable! Once you find the right cup for you and learn to put it in correctly, you can't feel it at all.
• They'll save you money! It will only take a few months for a menstrual cup to have saved you money in pads and tampons you no longer need.
• You can sterilize them! Menstrual cups can be boiled or soaked in sterilizing solution to completely sterilize them, if you are prone to vaginal infections these might be the perfect thing for you.
• You can swim! You can go swimming with a menstrual cup in and it is actually more comfortable than using tampons as they don't become waterlogged like tampons do.
• They're eco friendly! No more filling up landfill with pads and tampons.

Cons

• They can be expensive initially. Menstrual cups range in price from about £10 (Around $15) to £25 (Around $38) depending on what brand you choose.
• There is a learning curve. Menstrual cups are easy once you get that hang of using them, but at first it can be tricky to get it inserted and popped open.
• There are so many different sizes and shapes- Which do I choose? Menstrual cups come in a variety of sizes and shapes, which can be a good thing, but it also means its hard to pick one when you are starting out.

The Ruby Cup

The Ruby cup is a menstrual cup made from 100% medical grade silicone, it comes in 3 colours (Pink, blue and purple) and a clear version. The Ruby cup comes in a small and a medium size and both are priced at £21.95, I opted for the medium as I have a high cervix. The cup itself is 51mm long and the stem is 17mm, the diameter of the cup is 45mm. The small sized cup holds 24ml up to the rim and the medium size holds 34ml. The cup comes with a really nice organic cotton bag with their logo on and a pink pull closure.

The Ruby cup in Medium

Most menstrual cups have small holes near the rim of the cup called suction release holes, these allow you to break the suction when you want to remove the cup. The Ruby cup has 4 equally spaced suction release holes just under the secondary rim, these are pretty small suction release holes compared to my other cups but I didn't find that it made any difference to the function of the cup. 

The Ruby cup stem and grip rings on the base of the cup

The stem on this cup is nice and flexible and soft, it has lots of little bumps which make it easy to grip. The stem is also hollow so when you grab it it flattens to make more surface area for you to grip onto, this really helps when removing the cup. The grip rings on the base of the cup are smoothed over and less pronounced than some of my other cups, but still help with gripping.

This cup is one of my favorites, it is just the right level of firmness so that it pops open super easily but is soft enough that it is really comfortable to wear. With some of my softer cups I have had trouble getting them to open up once inserted but this cup was great. After inserting I just pinched the base of the cup and twisted and it popped open straight away. The Ruby cup is very easy to remove, especially if you don't cut the stems off your cups. I kept my stem on and it is just amazing for removal, the bumps make it super grippy, even when wet. I haven't had any leaks at all with this cup and it forms a nice firm seal. I wish this had been my first cup as it is really easy to use, I started with a medium soft Meluna cup and it almost put me off cups because, no matter what I tried, I could not get it to open.

The Ruby cup is also a great option because of their social mission, the Ruby cup company has a 'Buy one give one' strategy where for every Ruby cup bought, they donate a cup to girls in Africa that don't have access to menstrual products. It is estimated that these girls miss around 20% of their school time every year because they are on their periods (UNICEF, 2013) and are afraid of leaking at school. Having a menstrual cup allows these girls to stay in school, get educated, get better jobs and provide for their families. This is an amazing project and there is no doubt that it is doing a lot of good.

I would definitely recommend this cup, especially to anyone new to menstrual cups. The medium size has a great capacity and would be great for women with heavy periods and the small size is perfect for women with lighter periods. This cup was so easy to use and the ethics of the company are amazing.

Have you tried this cup? Or have you never even heard of menstrual cups? Let me know in the comments.

Dimplemuff Cloth Pad Review

Cloth pads? What?

When I heard about cloth pads, like most people, I was confused and slightly grossed out. The idea of keeping something that I had bled on and reusing it seemed unhygienic and gross. As repulsed as I was initially, I was also intrigued. After researching a bit more, I decided I had to try them, and I'm so glad I did.

I have always found disposable pads and tampons uncomfortable, but you are never told that there is any alternative, so you just put up with the discomfort every month. The first time I used a cloth pad I was taken aback by how soft, comfortable and easy they are to take care of. You wear them, like any other pad, then when you want to change you just unsnap it, fold it in half over itself, throw it in a waterproof bag (known as a 'wet bag') and then at the end of your cycle you just empty them all into the washing machine with some detergent (no fabric softener) like any old load of washing. Occasionally fabrics like cotton or flannel will stain, but I've found the stains come out super easily just by using a run-of-the-mill stain bar. They are so easy to manage and unbelievably comfortable compared to conventional pads. Plus, because most cloth pads are made to order, they are super customisable. You can get cloth pads in any shape, length, width, fabric, pattern, colour, or thickness you need. Not to mention you can use them for years, so they save you a huge amount of money.

Dimplemuff Pads

My first custom order experience was with Dimplemuff pads, sold here. Dimplemuff pads are all custom orders made by a lovely woman called Claire, you choose how long you want your pad to be, what shape you want, what absorbency you need, and best of all, which gorgeous fabric you want! I ordered four pads from Dimplemuff, two light/liner absorbencies and two regular absorbencies, all 8" long. My pads arrived two weeks after I ordered them (custom orders take a bit longer since it takes time to make the pads too), the packaging was lovely and they came with a free adorable mini stain remover bar in the shape of a hippo. I ordered two of the pads in minky (an extremely soft pillowy fabric that is stain proof) and two in cotton. All of Claire's pads are backed with micro fleece and she offers a free PUL layer (a waterproof laminated fabric) for all her pads. I have to say, I love everything about these pads, they are my favorite out of all the brands I own. The fabrics are so pretty and she has such a wide range of prints to choose from, they are practically leak-proof because of the PUL layer and they feel like you are sitting on a little pillow. The stitching on them is good, a little wonky here and there but nothing that affects the functionality of the pad, and they are quite thin too.

Claire offers 4 shapes of pad, her regular shape which has broader wings that wrap around the pad, her slim shape which is more slender, her ultraslim which is even more slender and curves in slight at each end and her curvalicious which is wider in the gusset (I believe) and has one end that is lightly longer than the other. I have a slim (pink below) and an extra slim (grey) and I really like both shapes, they are both nice and narrow when snapped up (7cm).

I would really recommend these pads, they are great quality products and I'm certain they will last for quite a few years. If you haven't tried cloth pads before then you definitely should and Dimblemuff is a great place to start. If you are still curious about cloth pads then you should head over to Bree Farmer's Youtube channel, she posts great informative videos about AMPs  (alternative menstrual products).

Have you tried these pads? If so, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought.