Merula Menstrual Cup Review

 I think these are gaining more and more popularity especially since seeing them in The Last of Us. I know some people wonder how to take care of your period in shows like The Walking Dead etc once all the pads and tampons run out and menstrual cups seem to be the answer. I like them for the most part. They are way messier than tampons and pads. But it's nice that's its re-useable and doesn't sit in a landfill somewhere forever more to rot. 

It was time to replace my other cup and I thought I would use something local. This one was the most expensive option in my local store but I liked the color and that it's made in Germany so I bought it anyway. 

And ...I wish I didn't.

Merula claims:

This Merula Cup galaxy – in mystical dark purple – fits perfectly in its little pouch full of shiny stars, comets, planets, and a mysterious purple haze that stands before the vastness of the dark-blue universe. In between periods, the Merula Cup galaxy can be stored safely and ventilated in its little cotton pouch with matching purple drawstring.

The Merula Cup is made out of 100% medical-grade silicone and produced in Germany. It is round, with a rigid edge and a thin, soft body. The menstrual cup can be worn in a folded up state – only the edge needs to be open.

The slight vacuum means the cup can be worn whatever the condition of the pelvic floor muscles. It has an adaptable, three-rung stem that can be shortened to ensure an individual, optimally comfortable length.

This cup is huge...and unfortunately comes in one size. I wish they would do a smaller size because although I found my usual brand to be upleasant inserting and taking out...this one is so much worse. And it does not seal like others that have tiny holes in them at the top  so I find this one to leak and make a mess most days on top of being painful to use. I have had more leakage and issues with this cup than any other cup.

I really should just throw it out, but I guess I keep it just in case. Even though I would never use this when I am out the house because the chance of it making a mess is really high. 

Other than that the marketing is nice, the cup looks nice, it comes in pretty colors and a nice case. Could work for those that need a wider size or larger capacity but a big fat no for me. I already repurchased the Blossom Cup...I might try something else later down the line or just stick with Blossom because I know it works well.

Capri Blue Volcano Dryer Ball Kit Review

 I've got a bit of a boring review today. But it's something I did want to talk about.  I'm not great at liying a sustainable or even zero waste but I try to do what I can, when I can. I've tried to use Beeswrap instead of plastic wrap, recycle, and use soap bars sometimes to save a plastic bottle ( I alternate) and etcetera. 

I don't use dryer sheets..or fabric softener. I don't like the coating it leaves on clothing and find it to mostly be a waste of money. Also most of them don't smell that great. I do use Vinegar as a fabric softener -rarely -though. So I am saving the plastic in the sheets and also the plastic bottle by not using those. Other than that I guess I just have hard crunchy clothes 😂. Just kidding. Usually the detergents I use seem to do OK on their own. 

Capri Blue claims:

Say hello to your dryer’s new best friend! Our Volcano™ Dryer Ball Kit is designed to soften fabrics while adding a touch of your fav fragrance. It includes 3 wool dryer balls  + our famous Volcano fragrance oil - formulated with grapefruit and tangerine essential oils. The dryer balls are long-lasting, machine washable and hand-made with 100% pure wool and colorfast dye that won't bleed. But wait – it doesn’t stop there. They also eliminate wrinkles, static, and lint, making this Dryer Ball Kit a win, win for you (and your dryer)! For the ultimate fragrance experience use alongside our CB Concentrated Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener.

Non-toxic. Vegan formula. Cruelty-free. Formulated without gluten, parabens, sulfates and phthalates. No synthetic colors.

Made in USA

So I wanted to try dryer balls forever. They are made of earth friendly wool which means it will compost and doesn't just go sit in a landfill somewhere. It came in paper packaging, which is also easily recyclable.

I don't use the dryer most times. I just hang dry my clothes but for things like sheets and towels I like to use the dryer. These are good for softening your clothes, reducing drying time, and also static in your clothes. 

And I do really feel they help reduce static and make your clothes softer. 

As well as the drying time is shorted by quite a bit. I don't think it dramatic but it's noticeable and I think would make a difference overtime. 

The ones I got have a grey and decent sized. And it came with a fragrance oil that you can use on the balls to scent your clothes. 

The first couple of times I used it, you could smell it all over the downstairs area . It's the Capri Blue Volcano  juicy and sweet orange citrus scent and it smells really nice. Different form your usual laundry softener scents for sure. Probably not my favorite scent for clothes but it's fine.

I have had it for awhile and only use the fragrance oil sometimes so I have noticed it has decreased in strength over the months. I have had to use more to get the same fragrance results. I am still not using the recommended 5-7 drops per ball though. I want to conserve the oil so I can use it longer. Most times I just skip it altogether though.

I do notice when I use a decent amount it really sticks to my towels and some clothing. 

The list price is high at $32.00 and you can definitely get dryer balls for a better price right on Amazon. I waited for a sale and got mine for $21.00.

The set has since updated the dryer ball color to a pretty blue. 

Overall, I really like the set. I would buy it again when mine wears out (it shows no sign of wearing down but I know they don't last forever)  and I could find it on sale.

Blossom Menstrual Cup Review

I have a different type of review today. Mostly we talk about makeup, sometimes food, skincare and anything random that pops into my head here. Today I thought I would bring in a different review. I've always wanted to try one of these cups- not long ago I got a gift card from amazon and I could't find anything else I wanted to order-so I finally picked one of these up.

For years now I've been a tampon girl. Pads are way to messy for me and I found myself going through toilet paper extra quick using them. Not to mention I get the sticky flaps stuck to the pad, to the floor, to my leg, everywhere but where they are supposed to stick. Plus I don't like having to see the pad every time I used the bathroom.  They are also uncomfortable.. So I was never a pad girl. I'm not sure when I started using tampons. It's been a long time now. They had a bit of learning curve, but once I got the hang of them, I stuck with them pretty faithfully.

As much as I like tampons, they have a couple downsides- they are expensive, they are bleached and soaked in chemicals and then those chemical can potentially be observed into your bloodstream, if you flush them they can eventually lead to a clogged toilet, and if you throw them away they can sit in a landfill for who knows how long (yuck). That's not all, they can potentially increase cramping, risk of TSS, and sometimes they leak. 

So I've been seeing alternatives.  I saw these period panties called THINX. But they remind me of pads too much and I can't figure out if they are supposed to be used in conjunction with a tampon-or alone. And they are pretty pricey. And I don't think I would like washing them. But I do like that they have a foundation that funds helping women in developing countries manage their cycle. In some countries young women are not allowed to attend school on their period-which disrupts education. Can you imagine?

That's not all THINX does though- I will link the website so you can check if for yourself if interested. After seeing all that...I think I might purchase a pair in the future. Just because I like what they are doing-and not that I think about it, they would be good for pantyliner days.

For now though I decided to try the menstrual cup. 

The first one I had seen was the Diva cup. I saw it in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I picked it up, read the box, and put it back. It sounded interesting but I really didn't want to fork out $20 dollars on something I wasn't sure would work, so I got my usual box of $8 tampons and kept it moving. 

I'm not sure what made me look it up again. But for whatever reason I went on Amazon and decided to check out reviews. I found that there are a lot more cups then just the Diva Cup. They have the Lena Cup, Luna Cup, Lunette, Athena Cup, Lily Cup, Moon Cup and on and on. They even have cheapies where you can get a couple of them for a lot less than some of the other cups I mentioned above. 

I went with the Blossom. I liked the price. The reviews seemed to be good and it was one of the first that popped up in the search results. For some reason it took awhile to be shipped, but they did give out shipping updates. I meant to use it that cycle, but it came too late, which was a bummer. When it did come the box was all squished, they packed it in an envelope. I kind of wish they put it in a box, but whatever. The cup was fine.

 So I stuck it in the cabinet and patiently waited for the next time to test it out.

The cup itself is orange-you can pick your color, much bigger than I expected (I bought the small), and kinda soft but the rim is firm. It comes with a cute little bag to store it in too. Which I quite like.

 Wednesday night was the night I finally got to test it out. I heard many people say it was easier to use in the shower. And to really fold it up. Like really, really fold it up as small as you can.  So that's what I did.  It took a little time and some finger strength to squeeze it small enough to get it up there. But I did it. 

It's pretty comfortable once you get it in. I wouldn't say I couldn't feel it. I definitely knew it was there the whole time, but it didn't hurt or make me feel uncomfortable. It says that you can leave it in the entire day. So that's what I did. Although I kept wanting to go the the bathroom to check and see if it was doing what it was supposed to. Every time I checked, everything was fine. No flooding.

I wasn't sure if I should change it as soon as I got home-but I decided to just go ahead and wait it out. I left it in about 12 hours and then decided to go ahead and shower and empty the cup. I pulled the little tab-which was definitely helpful in taking it out. It  hurts more to take out than to put in. And I didn't find it to get better each time I took it out. It almost made me think I would go back to a tampon because I dreaded that part that much. It's not unbearable pain, but all the same I didn't like it. But once I had it in again and ready to go for the day, I kind of loved the cup again. Of course until it was time to take it out again.

My period is usually about 3 days. And then I get barely there spotting on the 4th day for which I think I will just use a panty liner for- I would not use this for that. I found it held fine the 1st and third days, but the 2nd day I definitely needed to empty it after about 9 hours. My 2nd day is always the heaviest. And third day is pretty light. I don't get much cramping-very rarely and only ever about an hour IF i do. But some people do report lighter cramping with the cups vs tampon or pad methods or no cramping at all.

I am overall very happy with the cup. The only thing is emptying it. It's easy to clean and rinse out.  You just need a proper place to do it. Public bathrooms are a no no. You definitely need a place that has the sink in the stall. But not only that I would be uncomfortable washing it in a sink in public. I just feel the sink or tub or wherever should be cleaned/disinfected after. For now putting it in at home in the AM and emptying and re-inserting it at home in the PM is working for me.

When the cup is full, I'm not sure if it's just my imagination ( it probably is), but I keep thinking I can feel the liquid moving around as I lay down or get up. And sometimes I could feel the suction change as I moved. But it didn't leak or flood out as I thought it would. 

I'm going to stick with it.I'm not sure how much healthier putting silicone up your hoo-ha is than putting a chemical-bleached soaked tampon, but for now it seems to be the best option. And I'm liking the money it saves. They are supposed to last from 1-15 years. I don't really think 15 years. But  2-3 seems reasonable.

The one thing I really don't like about the cup is it doesn't say anywhere on the packaging where it's made. It does say manufactured in the USA with medical grade silicone on Amazon, but it's weird it's not in the little booklet or on the box. 

What do you think? Is this something you have tried? Would you try it? What's your method of dealing with a visit from Aunt "Flo"? 

Also if you do decide to buy it, there is a coupon code that will get you 10% off for the Blossom Cup. It's CUPSHARE on Amazon. It's not an affiliate code, just a code they sent in an email a couple weeks after I got mine.  I wish I had known about it before.