Giveaway: Organic Feminine Hygiene

This one's for the ladies. Well, if you're a man, feel free to enter & if you win, give the prize to a lady you care about. But, if you're a man & don't want to hear about "female stuff" stop reading now. Because words like cramps, period, & tampon will be abundant in this posting. Ok, you've been warned!

I've mentioned before the importance of organic cotton feminine hygiene, but only in passing. I decided it's time to explain why I believe that every woman should be using these products. Obviously, I won't convince everyone to switch, but my goal is to educate you & let you decide if switching is best for you.

The first time I saw organic tampons in the store I literally laughed out loud. I imagined hippies who only ate twigs & berries were the only people who would buy them...not "normal" people. Then I started researching cotton & how it is treated & I quickly learned why organic feminine hygiene products are so important to our health.

Let's talk about conventional cotton:

• $2 billion worth of chemicals are sprayed on the global cotton crop annually.
• Almost half of those chemicals are toxic enough to be classified as "hazardous" by the World Health Organization.
• Cotton is responsible for the release of 16% of global insecticides; more than any other crop.
• Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land, yet it accounts for 24% of the world's insecticide market & 11% of the global sales of pesticides.
• Aldicarb, the second best selling pesticide for cotton production, can kill a human with one drop absorbed through the skin, yet it is used in 25 countries, including the US, where 16 states have reported it in their groundwater.
• Processing cotton uses many chemicals including silicone waxes, ammonia, formaldehyde & chlorine dioxide.

Did you read that? Formaldehyde? Chlorine dioxide? I'm ok with chlorine in a pool where I swim for an hour or two, but I'm not ok with sticking chlorine into my body basically 24/7 for 4 or 5 days each month. I realize I'm not a doctor, but I cannot believe that is healthy!

If those statistics weren't enough to convince you, here's something that might. I read that many women who switched to organic feminine hygiene products reported a decrease in PMS symptoms. Now that was something that certainly caught my eye! I'm happy to report, that this was true for me. By the second month, I found that my cramping was less during my period. By month 4 or 5 I would say my symptoms were at least half of what they were when I was using conventional tampons. Of course, I have no data to back this up, & maybe it's my mind playing tricks on me, but I'm telling you....my periods don't bother me nearly as much anymore.

There you have it. So many of us are careful what we feed our families, what cleaning products we use, the diapers we use, but rarely do we stop & think about what we are putting into our bodies on a monthly basis. If you aren't convinced yet, ask yourself this: Would I be comfortable with my daughter using conventional tampons knowing what chemicals are used? If the answer is no (which I'm guessing most parents would say), then mothers....you deserve the same thing for yourself.

Now for the giveaway. Because I know the best way to convince you is to have you try them, I'm giving away 1 box of Seventh Generation Organic Cotton tampons (non applicator) & 1 box of Natracare Organic Cotton pantyliners. Why applicator free tampons? Well, because I prefer them & they are better for the environment (less waste).

To enter this giveaway, leave a message here (with a way to contact you). If you'd like a second entry, become a Facebook fan of BMIM, come back & leave another comment saying you did so. For a third entry, become a Google follower (public please!), come back, & leave an additional comment. For a fourth entry, blog about this giveaway or post about it on Facebook & come back, leave another comment & a link to your posting.

That's it. This giveaway will end 4/25/10 at 9 pm PST. The winner will be determined by Random.org. Good luck!

Sources: http://www.ejfoundation.org/page324.html

http://www.ota.com/organic/environment/cotton_environment.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6347.cfm

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/lets-talk-period