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questions

  • What’s wrong with disposable pads?

  • How do washable pads help protect the environment?

  • How do I choose the right pad for me?

  • What if I’m taller or shorter than average?

  • Will reusable pads leak?

  • How many hours should I wear one for?

  • How long will these pads last?

  • What’s the most ethical way to dispose of my pads?

  • It feels like washing menstrual pads is going backwards?

  • Why shouldn’t we call them ‘sanitary’ pads?

  • Why are these pads more expensive than others?

  • What makes JUNO pads comfortable?

  • Why bother with nice printed fabrics when no one will see them, right? 

  • What’s so great about hemp?

What’s wrong with disposable pads?

The fabrics used to make disposable pads are damaging to both the environment and to women. With a few exceptions, disposable menstrual pads are produced using plastic fibres, not paper or cotton as most people believe. They are not natural, they will not biodegrade, ever, but the harm starts way before they are disposed of. The absorbent centre begins life as a dirty grey pulp which is bleached white through a chlorine bleaching process which leaves dioxin residues within the fibres. Dioxin is one of the most persistent and toxic chemicals that is known to cause reproductive disorders, damage to the immune system and cancer. These hormone disrupting chemicals are absorbed through the delicate vaginal membranes (labia) and over time accumulate inside our bodies. This is known as bio-accumulative and these substances cannot be broken down, so stored in our bodies and remain part of us forever. To date there is no regular independent testing of tampons or menstrual pads for the presence of dioxins or any other chemical contaminants. In the UK alone there are 15 million women of menstrual age at any one time and as a result we dispose of 4.3 billion menstrual products each year. That’s just in the UK! Imagine what the figure would be if we include the US and Europe. It’s staggering and hugely profitable for the men who own the manufacturing companies. Conventional disposable period pads are made from 90% plastic materials and one pack of pads has enough plastic in it to make 4 carrier bags (not counting the one they give you at the checkout to hide them in). Of the 4.3 billion items, almost half are flushed down the toilet each year and millions end up in the sea. Researchers have discovered that period products are the 5th most common item to be washed up on Europe’s beaches, but most just hang around the ocean forever. Over time these products break down into micro and nano plastics that are swallowed by fish, ocean mammals and sea birds causing suffocation, poisoning, malnutrition and death. People who eat fish also ingest the plastic particles and micro-plastics have been found in human placentas leading to concern for potential health impacts on developing foetuses. You can find out more about the toxins in menstrual pads and tampons here https://www.wen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/SEEING-RED-BRIEFING.pdf

How do washable pads help protect the environment?

We estimate that if one washable pad is used twice in a cycle, with 13 cycles per year, it would be washed 78 times. This figure also helps us to work out approximately how many pads one woman might need for her period and how many disposables she avoids using in total. We calculated that one woman, using washable pads throughout her cycle, would prevent 300 disposables being chucked away per year. This would translate as around 10,000 in a lifetime. That’s just one person amongst 15 million! If a thousand women changed to washables - that would stop 320,000 pads from entering the ecosystem each year. There is an economic benefit too which is hard to estimate, but equates to around a saving of £40 per year on average.

How do I choose the right pad for me?

The pads are designed similar to the disposable ones, in that they vary in absorbency and how much blood they can hold. Most of my customers invest in a range of pads that cover them for light flow days, heavy flow and overnight (when you don’t want to change your pad so often). If your periods are heavy from beginning to end then you would only need the heavy flow and overnight/resting pads. But you might also want a light flow pad to catch the first signs of starting your period. Like so many things in life it really is a case of trial and error and knowing your own body to get things right.

What if I’m taller or shorter than average?

It’s just a matter of anatomy and we are all different, but for this reason I have also created two extra sizes - longer pads for taller people and smaller ones for teenagers or petite women. Try these if you think they would be a better fit.

Will reusable pads leak?

Just like disposable pads, if you wear them beyond their capacity, then there is always a risk of leakage.

How many hours should I wear one for?

Again, this is so personal, but just like disposable ones, it’s around 3 - 4 hours before you need to change your pad and the overnight pad can be much longer of course. Gently fold your used pad and keep it safe until you get home where you can rinse off any excess blood and put them aside for washing when you have a bunch of them to go in the machine.

How long will these pads last?

If cared for they should last for around four years, but some of my customers tell me they are still going strong after nearly five years.

What’s the most ethical way to dispose of my pads?

JUNO pads are made from organic fabrics and earth-friendly dyes, as well as other fabrics and components. As a piece they are not 100% biodegradable, but most of the layers are - so if you are happy to pull them apart once they’ve reached their end then you can cut them open along the binding edge, pull out the water proof layer, which can be recycled, and then cut off the snaps, then the rest can be put in your home composter. But it is always good to remember that these haven’t been used just once, they have served their purpose through many years and so there is no guilt if you have to throw them away with other rubbish.

It feels like washing menstrual pads is going backwards?

It certainly does. But as with many modern technologies, innovations are not necessarily made for the good of people or planet, they’re made for profit and convenience which also translates into profit. But we have come along way since we used straw stuffed into our knickers or sand in an old sock! Since the development of disposables (that includes pads, nappies, wet wipes etc) we have created billions of tonnes of waste which is suffocating our natural environment, because the fibres used are formed from plastic and these never ‘go away’. If Queen Elizabeth I had used disposables 500 hundred years ago, elements of those pads would still be with us today in some form or another, in land fill, in the ocean, in the dust produced by incinerators. They don’t just disappear. Ever. And that includes the ones we started producing 70 years ago and are still producing to this day - even though we know the harm they are doing. You can find out more about the impact of disposable pads here https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/11/remove-plastic-from-period-products/ You can find out more about disposable nappies here. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/08/disposable-nappies-landfill-plastic-circular-economy/

Why shouldn’t we call them ‘sanitary’ pads?

I purposely don’t use the term ‘sanitary pad’ although I understand that for SEO this is probably essential. For me using the word ‘sanitary’ entrenches the notion that periods, and by default women, are ‘insanitary’ during this most natural bodily process. Many people automatically use this word because it is ubiquitous and we’ve been conditioned over centuries to think of our periods as dirty, shameful, embarrassing, smelly, but also, ironically, so magical that we could turn fruit rotten just by looking at it! We don’t refer to plasters and bandages as being sanitary products and yet they do the same job, mop up blood. This historic and misogynistic narrative continues to oppress us all and only we can change it.

Why are these pads more expensive than others?

It’s a good point and I wish I could make them cheaper for you, but I am producing a product which has taken a while to design, is made from the best eco protective fabrics, and is hand-made, and I can’t compete with factories that produce products where prices are kept artificially low through the use of low wages, forced or child labour. Clothing and textile manufacturers in some countries are notoriously bad at protecting their workforce and particularly women, from exploitation and unsafe working practices. (Rana Plaza) JUNO pads are technical to make, requiring some very precise cutting and stitching. The wings are separate from the main body to allow the pad to be shaped for a better fit. This isn’t possible if the wings and pad are a continuous piece of fabric. And this is important because unless you have tried reusable pads, you may not know that many are poorly designed and are prone to twist or slide back and forth along the knicker gusset. During my research of other pads, my testers said that they regularly needed to re-adjust them at times throughout the day. (This in itself poses a health risk from contamination). The fabrics I use are grown without pesticides so they don’t harm you or the environment or indeed the people who grow the fibres. The yeald is often lower so they cost more to buy and most of all these pads take time to make. This is not fast fashion. This is hand made quality. I hope you can see that.

What makes JUNO pads comfortable?

The biggest compliment I get about my pads is that they are so comfortable that my customers tell me that they often forget they are wearing pads at all. The contact layer is made from organic cotton jersey which is gentle on tender labia skin and without the bulky centre you wont get numb if you’re sitting at a desk throughout the working day. My customers also tell me that disposables pads can be sweaty and cause irritation especially along the groin. This is hardly surprising as most disposables are made from 90% plastic fibres. I’ve also learned that the glue causes eczema type rashes and fungal reactions and can stick onto pubic hairs which is neither pleasant or comfortable. What I have noticed is that once women have tried re-usable pads they don’t go back to disposables, because they realise what they have been tolerating for so long. Periods are rarely pleasant experiences so for me, making them as comfortable as possible is my objective.

Why bother with nice printed fabrics when no one will see them, right? 

There are a couple of reasons that I add a layer of printed organic cotton jersey to the bottom of the pads. I call this the ID layer. For a start there may be more than one person who uses washable pads in your household so its nice to know you can identify your pads when they emerge from the washing machine. Along with the uniquely shaped design and two poppers, this layer of fabric also creates a little friction between the pad and the knicker gusset, and helps to keep it in place which is vitally important and hard to do without glue! Besides your pads have been skilfully constructed and like any other hand-made piece of clothing, even if they don’t get admired, they should be beautiful and treasured just as much as your favourite pair of knickers. Be rebellious, hang them on your line and show them off to the neighbours. There is no shame here.

What’s so great about hemp?

There was a time when agricultural landlords could be fined for NOT growing hemp. The hemp industry was very important during the reign of Henry VIII and he decreed that a percentage of all acreage must be used for its cultivation to provide fibres for sailcloth and ropes for his new navy. Elizabeth I later introduced the fine as she expanded the fleet in her drive to colonise new lands. By the late 16C the British empire was one of the largest producers of hemp in the world. Later, hemp was demonised by the oil, cotton, paper and the agrochemical industry in order to promote their own products and even now it can only be grown under licence. But hemp remains the most versatile and sustainable plant and it can grow almost anywhere in the world. In contrast cotton, an industry which promotes itself as ‘natural’, is in fact the most heavily sprayed crop, using 30% of all the agrochemicals produced each year, including pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers and needs billions of gallons of water to grow and again during production into cloth. Hemp on the other hand requires a fraction of the water to grow, has almost no natural enemies and therefore needs no treatment with pesticides and because it grows very fast weeds don't stand a chance so herbicides are not necessary either. But its marvel doesn’t end there. Hemp is naturally anti-fungal and anti-microbial, it is 100% biodegradable and recyclable and absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. Hemp fibres are 5 times stronger than cotton and more durable, it is highly absorbent and is thermodynamic which means it keeps you warm when its cold and cool when its hot. Its a marvellous plant and perfect for pads and that’s why I love it and use it in mine. You can find out more about the history and advantages of hemp here https://releaf.co.uk/education/cannabis-101/history/the-fascinating-history-of-hemp-prohibition Or here https://www.hempen.co.uk/a-history-of-hemp/

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