Toiletries
Tonight when my oldest daughter came to my room to talk with me about something, I noticed her hair was looking particularly pretty and healthy, with rich color reflecting back the light. I was about to compliment her on it when she said, "Oh, I've been meaning to tell you- I quit using shampoo. I've been doing baking soda and water for over a week now, and I put a dab of condition from about my shoulders on down." (her hair is down her back about halfway)
She says she's also read that about once a month or so, it's nice to use sugar instead of baking soda, and she may never go back to shampoo again. She says she loves it, and it's so much cheaper, and we are almost never out of baking soda.
That, of course, may not be true now that she shampoos with it.=)
Here's another big money saver in toiletry products if you can get past the ew reaction which is largely the product of some very successful marketing post World War II.
home-made sanitary pads:
These links come from God's Dancing Child, who has a very useful sidebar (and a fun blog): Adahy's patterns, several
Please read on before you say ew and dismiss the idea as impossible.
I assume those of you who are super green get the environmental factors, so I won't go into that. For the rest of us:
1. So. Much. Cheaper.
2. Comfort. Oh, yes, comfort. I blush to go into overmuch detail here, but many products produced in a lab give, um, some people who shall remain nameless a rash.
3. I did not believe this when I read it, but on the forum I first heard this idea broached, woman after woman said she had started this because of her green ideals, and discovered that back-aches and cramps were reduced greatly. And then several other women chimed in to say, "Wow! I thought I had just sort of adapted, but now that you mention, the point where I started not to be completely incapacitated once a month coincides with when I started using cloth." I do think it helps. Anecdotal, I know, but something to think about.
4. Cost. Did I mention cost? Unbelievably cheaper, especially when you don't go out and buy all the fancy stuff to make them. So hear are some suggestions:
Old cloth diapers, tri-folded, and two safety pins. Fold them and pen, or wrap them and pin.
Old dishtowels or other towels. See your thrift shop. Safety pins. Trust me. You want the safety pins.
For flannel, look for old receiving blankets and old flannel shirts. Thrift shop and yard sale.
For barrier layers, and I loved this idea, but I don't know if they are easy to find anymore, those square lap pads made of of oil cloth or something like oil cloth. They also make some mattress pads to protect a mattress from a bed-wetter from this fabric. There are vinyl lap pads as well, but that's not what a person who gets a rash from synthetics would want. Cut to size.
For the simpler version with just folded fabric and a couple of pins, it certainly helps if you wear looser, flowing clothing. If you wear skin-tight blue jeans, you'll want the more streamlined, carefully sewn variety.
Only one person in my immediate family has ever gone to cloth for this purpose, and she is not consistent since the last of the cloth diapers dissolved into lint (the baby who used those diapers was around 7 or 8 years old when that happened). I kind of wish I had always done this, and then when each of the girls reached that point, I wish I had just handed them the cloth version in a matter of fact, basic, no nonsense fashion so they wouldn't even know anything different. As homeschoolers, we could have managed that with a minimum of embarrassment and no locker-room episodes that chill the heart of every public schooled child.
But I didn't. Younger mothers of female chilluns, you may wish to consider that. I have six daughters. If I'd sensibly taught them to do this way back when, we might have had our house paid off by now.
I bring a five gallon bucket of water into the bathroom once a month and give things a quick rinse in the sink and drop them in the bucket to soak. I do not usually add anything else. I've heard you can drain the water and use it to water plants, but I have tried that once or twice and didn't see a significant difference and didn't see a good trade-off for the yuck factor.
I just pour the water from the bucket into the toilet and then carry the bucket to the laundry room where I slosh the contents into our front loading washer, wash as usual but with an extra rinse.
Some people even have waterproof pouches and things (I think a large ziplock bag inside an opague zippered bag would work) and even use them while out and about. I do not- I have store bought spares for when I have to run errands.
So now you know one of my deepest, darkest, secrets. Let's keep it just between us, okay?
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13 Responses to “Toiletries”
February 20th, 2009 at 4:47 am
I’ve been doing this for the last few months. I didn’t bother sewing them (just not good at it) – Just hacked up an old bathtowel into washcloth-sized pieces, which I trifold before putting them in the undies. I’m a big girl, so the diaper look doesn’t really bother me (no one’s looking at my butt, anyway). The best thing about these? I sleep much better on “those nights”, since I’m not worried about bleeding all over my sheets now.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:22 am
Ever hear of the Diva cup? I haven’t tried it yet but a lot of my girlfriends have it. I’m thinking of switching over to it, and I know I’d do it over this cloth idea. I have really heavy periods and don’t like the idea of it festering in between my legs during the day *yech* This is why I don’t even do pads, tampons all the way!!
http://www.divacup.com/
February 20th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Understand and see the frugal and green points well. I though have a heavy flow and use two products at the same time. So I keep considering the cup and then my own extra homemade barrier. Anyone use the cup? How are was it to get use to?
February 20th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Tried the cup, I hurt myself every time I went to take it out (it would slip out of my hand and pop open (you fold it to get it narrow as you go) and I’d feel like I’d just given birth for about a minute. Not worth it to me. I’ve been told I just need “practice” but that kind of practice seems like torture!
I found a package of washcloths at Sams Club for a great price a few years ago (went back to see if they were there, they aren’t anymore. Sadly). I just trifold those and place them in my pants…I wash them with the rest of the towels, no biggie. Everything comes out just fine. Never thought about how I FELT using them though. Hmmm. I’ll have to pay attention.
February 20th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Cup user here, and I use cloth for backup. I like the cup- it does have a learning curve but most people can learn to use it within a few months.
I find that the bucket soak isn’t necessary for the cloth items. I just fold/roll them up a little (mostly because it eeks my husband out if I don’t), and toss in with the rest of the laundry. They’ve always come out clean.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Another loyal cloth and cup user here. I started with cloth for cost reasons alone, but stayed with it for comfort. I’ve sewn mine – didn’t really care for any of the folded ones I tried. The sewn ones are great, and can be really pretty if you want. I don’t plan on ever going back – the comfort difference is that great. If you make some that are a bit longer and wider in the back, they make wonderful postpartum pads as well.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
In terms of two products, on some heavier days I combine luna pads and the Mooncup UK http://www.mooncup.co.uk/
There is also a LiveJournal community that has a lot of info. I find the community very helpful, especially when trying to decide which type to buy. Also v. helpful was a tutorial on how to fold cups in different ways for insertion at http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/453392.html
February 21st, 2009 at 8:49 am
The best way to clean cloth diapers is to pre-rinse them off in the toilet using a Bathroom Bidet Sprayer. So convenient and if you are trying to help the environment (and your pocket book) you can give it a double whammy by virtually eliminating toilet paper use at the same time as you benefit from using it on the diapers. Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com they come in an inexpensive kit and can be installed without a plumber. And after using one of these you won’t know how you lasted all those years with wadded up handfuls of toilet paper. Now we’re talking green and helping the environment without any pain.
February 21st, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I LOVE the cup!! And when I am too lazy to put it in (really, it’s so easy you have to be incredibly lazy to not bother with putting it in…
) I use cloth pads. I adore them both. Health reasons are my number one reason for NEVER going back to disposable products again. Lady issues I had dealt with for 5 years went away within the first month of using the cup.
I also love not having “that smell” in my house ever.
Husband loves that I no longer spend money on feminine hygeine products.
At any rate, I can only speak highly of both cloth pads and the menstrual cup.
Thank you for the mention, Headmistress!
February 21st, 2009 at 9:33 pm
After reading about the Diva cup on one of these frugal type blogs, I ordered one. I wish I knew about these at 23 instead of 43 yrs of age. I would recommend it. It took me a couple of tries when I first got it to get it placed properly, but then I got it figured out. It it harder for me to remove it than insert it actually, (hope I’m not ewwwing anybody out) its just the facts.
My .02 worth.
February 21st, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I have a question about using baking soda as shampoo. How is she mixing it and what is the ratio.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I no longer have girl parts to worry about
but before my hysterectomy I swore by a product similar to the Diva cup (we were living in Europe). Actually, I stumbled accidently into the whole idea while using a diaphram for family planning (I was nursing a little one = no pills). Insertion of the cup is exactley like inserting a diaphram, and is frankly easier for Moms than for younger girls. I loved the lack of odor as well as the cost savings!
February 13th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I’ve been using momma cloth for the past 9 months, as I was getting a bad rash from disposable. I have a heavy flo and the first 2 days of my period the disposable never kept the flo contained, was constantly changing pads. I developed my own pattern and make a trim pad with wings and also make pantyliners as well that are absorbent and works great! I just started selling these this month on e-bay and offering them to other woman wanting to go cloth as well. And have donated them to woman at shelters to product test(before I went live on e-bay) and also for wish upon a hero.
** I would never go back to disposable pads again.
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