Menstrual Pads

Buy Organic Menstrual Pads

Disposable pads made from organic cotton and not chemically treated or bleached.

Cottons - Liners, ultra-thin pads, maxi pads, and overnight pads.
Natracare - Ultra pads, maxi pads, maternity pads and incontinence pads.
Seventh Generation - Pantiliners, ultra-thin pads with wings, and maxi pads.

Information on Cloth Menstrual Pads

Before you recoil in horror at the thought of cloth (reusable/washable) menstrual pads take a look through the following pages that explain why women use cloth pads (healthy, hygienic, comfortable, environmentally friendly, economical and ethical) and how to use cloth pads. 

Eight Myths About Washable Menstrual Pads Dispelled - Excellent article from Scarleteen.
Why switch? - Guide from Lunapads explaining why women switch to cloth pads. 
The Cloth Menstrual Pad - Various links about cloth menstrual pads.
Change Your Pad - Yahoo! group for cloth pads users. 
Cloth Menstrual Pads - Information on cloth pads, homemade pads and advocacy. 
How to Use Cloth Pads - Information on how to use cloth pads.
Cloth pads on LJ - Livejournal community for cloth pad users. 

Buy Cloth Menstrual Pads

Buy cloth pads from big brands, and eco-friendly stores, to crafty folk selling their homemade pads on personal sites, for each link I've put what style is sold, use the picture above for an idea of what's-what. 
 
We ❤ the following sites;
Lunapads - All in one, wrap and insert, multi-layer and period panties. (US) Lots of useful information on cloth pads, a great little blog, and they offer a wide range of alternative products.
Reddy's - Period belts. (US) Their online store is now closed, but worth an honourable mention, with great store, leaflets, and a great example of a g-style pad or period belt. 
Obsidianstar - Interlabial pads, knitted and cloth, one of the few places you'd find interlabial pads/padettes, which are similar to a tampon but is external, sitting between your inner labia, very interesting idea. 
Party in My Pants (PIMP's) - All in one. (US) Absolutely adore their website and their attitude towards what they do, information and offers are great, plus their pads aren't bad either.
EcoMenstrual - Various styles. (UK) Alternative menstrual products, and free shipping within the UK. 
Feminine Wear - Various styles (UK). Another great little menstrual product shop with friendly staff. 
Etsy - Results for menstrual pad search. Etsy is a great site where crafty folk sell their creations, it's a great place to get cheap, pretty and well-made cloth pads as well as other menstrual paraphernalia. 


Gladrags - Envelope style pads, night pads and liners. (US)
Domino - All in one. (US)
Drapers Organic - All in one. (UK)
Hagrags - Circular envelope style pads. (US) 
Amy's Rag Bag - Multiple styles, build your own. (US)
Angelpads - All in one. (UK)
Babykind - All in one. (UK) 
Baby-O - All in one. (UK)
Bamboo Fabric Store - All in one. (Australia)
Bebesnuggles - Envelope style. (UK)
The Cat's Meow - All in one. (US)
Cloth Creations - All in one and circular styles. (US)
Comfy Cloth Pads - All in one and envelope. (US)
Cottontail Baby - Various styles. (US)
Crafty and Clothy - Various styles. (UK)
Cumfy Bumfy - All in one. (UK)
Diaper Junction - All in one. (US)
Earthwise Girls - Various styles. (UK)
Earthy Girls - All in one. (Australia) 
Eco-Essentials - Wrap and insert. (UK)
EcoMoon - All in one. (New Zealand) 
Ēma Pads - Wingless pads. (US) 
Fanny Fanackapants - All in one. (UK)
Fussybutt - All in one. (US)
Go With The Flo - All in one. (US)
Greenlife - All in one. (UK) 
Honour Your Flow - All in one. (UK)
Imse Vimse - All in one. (Sweden)
Lotus Pads - All in one. (US)
Luna Wolf UK - All in one. (UK)
Luxury Moon - Various styles. (UK)
Mama Elle - All in one. (Canada)
Many Moons - All in one and envelope. (Canada)
Minki Padz - All in one. (UK)
Moon Times - Various styles, including period belts. (UK)
My Cheeky Boo - All in one. (Malaysia)
New Moon Pads - Various styles. (Canada)
Nurtured Family - All in one. (US)
Perfect Pads - All in one. (US)
Pink Robin - Various styles. (UK)
Platinum Panties - All in one. (Australian) 
Pleasure Puss - All in one. (Australian)
Plush Pants - All in one. (UK)
Punkin-Butt - All in one. (US)
Quirky Quintessentials - All in one. (US)
Retro Rags Wisconsin - All in one. (US)
Sckoon - All in one. (US)
SofteeMomma at Artfire - All in one. (UK)
The Stork Wearhouse - All in one. (US)
TLC Pads - All in one. (US) 
TreeHugger Moms - All in one. (UK)
Velvet Rabbit - All in one. (US)
WeMoon - All in one. (Australia) 

Make Cloth Menstrual Pads

Cloth menstrual pads are easy and cheap to make yourself at home, they're a good craft project for you, something you can do with friends or with your daughter. My absolute favourite pad instructions came from the Women's Environmental Network (WEN) - here - but as you can see the pattern is no longer online since they sadly changed their website...I luckily saved the PDF to my laptop, but I keep the link here on this page as I love WEN and hope one day the link will magic itself back online. 

Cloth Menstrual Pad Database - Loads of information and patterns for different styles of pads.
DIY Pads - Menstrual pad making community on Livejournal. 
Clothbank - Cloth pad co-op. 
Sleeping Baby - Great all in one pad instructions. 
Adahy's Cloth Pad Patterns - Pads similar to Lunapads.
Diapersewing - Pocket and liners with wings. 
Greenbeans - Easy basic pad instructions.
HealthHomeHappy - All in one pad instructions. 
Hillbilly Housewife - Simple pocket pads and no-sew pads. 
Ice Moon Studios - PDF pocket pattern.
Kayla's Cloth Kits - All in one pattern to buy. 
Kiki cloth pads - All in one pattern to buy. 
Foldable All in One Pad - Livejournal post. 
Many Moons - Envelope pad pattern. 
Merry Menses - Wrap and insert tutorial. 
Millennium Ark - All in one pad tutorial.
Modest Handmaidens Mercantile - Envelope pattern to buy. 
Nearsea Naturals - Envelope pattern to buy. 
New Conceptions - Envelope pattern to buy. 
SedrasMom - Folding pad pattern. 
Pauline's Pattern - All in one pattern.
Pads for the Curvy Girl - Large all in one tutorial.
Purple Obsidian's Tutorial - Livejournal post. 
Sew Green - Envelope pad pattern.
Tiny Birds - Envelope pad pattern. 

Donate - Menstrual Protection

Menstrual products are a luxury, particularly disposables, in some cases women don't have access to menstrual products or even suitable material which to use as protection during menstruation, this can make it difficult for them to attend school and get on with day-to-day activities during menstruation. These charities and organisations try to help such women by providing menstrual products;

Lunapads - see the Lunapads blog for updates on work they do and why it's important, here. 
Karabo Initiative
Dignity! Period
Algerian Action - Project Washables
JCORE - Sanitary Towel Appeal
Donate Pads
Project Thrive: Days For Girls
Not Just a Piece of Cloth
Kenyan Schools Project
Watoto Wa Baraka - Sanitary Pad Programme
Pads For Prisons Programme 
Afri-pads