Diva Cup product review after 7 years of use (VIDEO)

I finally made a product review of the diva cup. I wanted to share some information and tips for those that are interested in switching from tampons/pads to a healthier, environmentally conscience alternative.

Something very important I did not mention in the video is that, Diva cups as well as other menstrual cups will last up to 10 years as long as you sterilize, use, and store the diva cup properly. You'll need to sterilize your diva cup each month before use. To do this, boil your Diva cup in a saucepan of water for 5 minutes or so. Turn the diva cup as it boils so not to burn or scorch it. Afterwards, clean with the Diva wash. Wash clean the cloth pouch that holds the diva cup as well. Clean your diva cup with water before you insert it (every time); and clean with the Diva Cup wash 1-2 times a day as needed.

Watch the video below for additional information.

CRUEL PRODUCTS (& COMPANIES THAT TEST ON ANIMALS)

Women and men are equally pressured into gender expectations; but We should try to be more critical of the products and companies that are targeting us, in the media. We do NOT want to be fooled by companies that are marketing off of our vulnerability. 
Not only that, corporations should not EXPLOIT ANIMALS WHILE EXPLOITING US. Women should be especially critical of beauty companies that test their products animals, as well as those containing animal by-product. It's very easy to search if a company is cruelty-free, but I have taken some of the hard work out of that process, by providing you with a list of companies I found that TEST ON ANIMALS.

Advertisements are deceitful, as they tactfully prey on our unhappiness and insecurities. All along, these same subliminal messages make us feel unfulfilled, in the first place. From the time you wake, you're bombarded with fast food commercials telling you their meals will help you lose weight (or at least satisfy your hunger until 10am.) Then by noon, you have already seen 10 different TV commercials, magazine ads, website ads, or news articles begging you to buy weight loss pills, exercise DVDs, and a month supply of pre-packaged meals to lose weight. Then, when you come home from your stressful job, and bills piling up on your kitchen table, you skirmish through TV channels, just to come across advertisements for depression pills, boner pills, and anti-aging creams. On top of that, women are targeted in TV commercials for cleaning products (which are toxic, unsafe to ingest, and MUST be avoided by kids.)

Here is a somewhat comprehensive list of the companies that test on animals, below:

Companies That Do Test on Animals (& Their SUBSIDIARIES)

Johnson & Johnson (Acuvue, Ambi, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Carefree, Clean & Clear, K.Y., Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Purell, ROC, Rogaine, Skin ID, )

Reckitt Benckiser (Air Wick, Clearasil, Resolve, Rid-X, Spray 'n Wash, Veet, Woolite)

Revlon (Almay)

Procter & Gamble (Always, Aussie, Christina Aguilera Perfumes, Clairol, Crest, DOLCE & GABBANA, Downy, Febreze, Gillette Co., Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essences, GUCCI fragrances, Iams, Lacoste Fragrances, OLAY, Nice 'n Easy, Pampers, PANTENE, Puffs, SCOPE, SECRET, SK-II, Tide, Vicks, Vidal Sasson, ZEST)

GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh, Sensodyne)

Church&Dwight (Arm & Hammer, Close-up, Kaboom, Nair, OxiClean)

Clorox (Armor All, Ever Clean, Formula 409, Fresh Step, Glad, Green Works, Pine-Sol, Scoop Away, S.O.S.)

Avon Products, Inc.

Unilever (Axe, Dove, Lux, Ponds, Signal, Suave, Sunsilk, Vaseline)

Bic Corporation

Estée Lauder (American Beauty, Aramis, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, Coach, Donna Karan, M.A.C., Tommy Hilfiger)

L'Oreal (Biothern, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Lancôme, Maybelline, Raulph Lauren fragrances, Redken, SoftSheen)

Pfizer (Chapstick)

Schering-Plough (Coppertone)

Dial Corporation (Dial soap, Purex, Renzuit, Right Guard, Soft & Dri, Soft Scrub

S.C. Johnson (Drano, Fantastik, Glade, Nature's Source, Off, Pledge, Oust, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Windex)

Elizabeth Arden

MARY KAY

WALGREENS

 

You can go to Peta's Beauty Without Bunnies section to find companies that do not test or use animal products. You can also contact the company by email if they use animal derived ingredients in their products or if they test on animals. Remember to read labels, ingredients, and be critical of the companies you are supporting. If a company is testing on animals or using animal derived ingredients, then they are supporting an industry of animal abuse. Not only are animals exploited in testing the products and the ingredients, but the workers who make the products, and those who buy the products.

Basic Skin and Hair Needs & the Foods that Work

pic source

It's not unlikely that a woman would use three different skincare products, then follow this regimen up with three different makeup products like I was doing. I remember using lots of facial products to prevent acne, and lots of makeup to cover it up. I am glad I realized I needed to heal within the body, at the source, rather than treating the symptoms.
From 2009 to 2011, I was smoking and drinking heavily, consequently my face broke out severely in 2011. During this time I was stressed from school. The combination of stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, and cigarettes affected my hormones. Once I made the connection that these stressors elevated my hormones and promoted the cystic acne, I immediately stopped smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and began eating green juices, green smoothies, fruit smoothies, raw vegetables, raw salads. Within a couple of months, my family noticed a drastic difference in my face.

Now, I use zero foundation on my face. I wash my face with only water, and maybe use some of the foods listed below. I usually have one break out right before my period, but I combat that with aloe. Of course I grow several aloe plants, so I always have aloe around to use. Fruit and plants for facial care is an overall healthy, effective, and natural alternative to commercial skincare products, and they are also inexpensive. For example, fruit and plants naturally provide nutrients and moisturizes the skin. Coconut oil can be applied on the face, body, and hair as a moisturizer. Another example, sea salt can be an exfoliate for the face.
Many of these plants and fruits can provide a specific skin or hair need. I do not mention it below, but I especially like using tomatoes on the face. Below I have listed many different foods that take care of specific skin and hair needs:

Cleanser: baking soda, oranges, lemons, limes, tomatoes, apples, onions and garlic (sounds weird to use on the face, but they contain antibacterial/antibiotic properties), strawberries, ALOE VERA

Toner: Apple cider vinegar, cucumber or celery juice

Exfoliate: Sea salt, sugar, cornmeal, oats, ground nuts, wheat germ, ground flax seeds

Calming/cooling: mint, oats, Aloe Vera, almond milk
Tighten skin: pineapple, persimmon, squashes, banana peel
Lighten dark spots: Lemon or pineapple

Moisturizer: Oil (coconut, olive, walnut, etc), avocados, Aloe Vera, bananas

Toothpaste recipe: 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp water made into a paste and applied to teeth (credit: Eco Beauty by Cox & Cox

Your skin needs Vitamins A, C, E, B vitamins, and Selenium. Foods rich in Vitamin A are carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Swiss Chard. Those rich in Vitamin C are citrus fruits and tropical fruits. Get your B vitamins through Bananas. Get vitamin E through nuts and seeds. Your skin needs vitamin D as well, so be sure to catch some sun rays throughout the week outdoors. Overall, I recommend eating a fruit dominate diet with vegetables, tender leafy greens, and some grains, beans, nuts, seeds. If a food is good for you to eat, it is probably good for your skin too. 

Earth-friendly chick (Part II)

First I'll mention alternative cleaning products for your home, then skincare, cosmetics, and feminine hygiene. Instead of commercial sprays, detergents, bleaches, and other harsh waste to clean your clothes and your home, use baking soda, apple cider vinegar, washing soda, borax, and lemons for cleaning. These products are INEXPENSIVE, BIODEGRADABLE, SAFE TO TOUCH, ALL-NATURAL, and EFFECTIVE! Food sources and food bi-products (ACV, baking soda) are highly effective, safe for the environment, safe for you, cheap, and do not smell toxic.

Furthermore, shampoo, conditioner, hair-spray, the blow-dryer, nail polish, cosmetics are finite and unsustainable products that can only be made in a factory. Even "natural" products packaged in plastic must later be disposed of in the trash. 

Cleaning your home with safe products is usually a harder task than replacing your skin and hair care with food sources. For example, if you're looking for an exfoliate, moisturizer, cleanser, astringent, or calming mask, use food sources that have natural properties which helps clean your face, body, and hair.  I have listed below food sources that will provide specific benefits for your cosmetic and skincare needs.

Exfoliates for hair and skin are ground nuts, salt, sugar, and oats. 

Moisturizers for hair and skin are coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, aloe Vera and banana. 

Astringents (& taking off layers of dead skin) for skin are limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, persimmons, apple cider vinegar.

Calming agents for hair and skin are cucumber, oatmeal, nut milk.

Cooling agents for hair and skin are mint, spearmint, and aloe Vera. 
Tighten skin with butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant. 

Cleanser/Shampoo for hair and skin are castile soap or one part baking soda with two parts water. When using castile soap or baking on the hair, it needs to be followed with a rinse (which has replaced your conditioner). Rinses usually include one part apple cider vinegar to three parts water, or herbs. For example, if you are blonde, you should use chamomile or turmeric root (boiled and cooled); or if you are a brunette, use coffee, rosemary, thyme, sage, or black tea (boiled and cooled.) Use the boiled water to rinse your hair by straining the herbs and discarding them in your compost.

Actually, you can use food sources in place of your make-up. For instance, blush, lipstick, and eye shadow can be replaced with beet juice, freshly mashed cherries, and strawberries. You can use blueberries for mascara, as well. As far as hair, teeth, and clothes: water and baking soda are best replacements for the detergents on the market. To balance the properties of baking soda, use apple cider vinegar as a rinse or conditioner. Let your hair and clothes air dry after rinsing with water. If you have space in your yard, build a clothes line...ask your grandparents how to make one.You shouldn't have to use baking soda on your hair but 2-3 times a week. 

I have covered skincare, cosmetics, and the natural food sources you can use. Now I must express a great environmental concern on behalf of women: your menstrual cycle. I have mentioned several times before, including in this post Earth-friendly chick and this post Diva Cup product review after 7 years of use (VIDEO)
where I talk extensively about replacing the commercial, disposable, feminine products such as tampons, pads with cloth pads and silicone menstrual cups. These alternatives avoid adding more waste to the environment. I love using the diva cup because they last 10 years with proper care. And you can learn more about Diva cups in the link I posted with a video.