Ruby Cup Review

Todays review is on the Ruby Cup and it has one of the best Mission goal! For every Ruby Cup that is purchased the Ruby Cup company donates a cup to a schoolgirl in need!

For every purchase in our shop, we distribute a Ruby Cup to a schoolgirl from  underprivileged backgrounds.  

With one Ruby Cup, she can go from primary school, through secondary school and finish college without having to worry about her period again. That is bloody amazing. Thank you for your support.

Check out this  link to read some of the amazing letters received from girls that have gotten their Ruby Cup.

Photo from the Ruby Cup website.

Taken from the Ruby Cup Website:
UNDP calls unsanitary menstrual hygiene protection an overlooked problem that hinders achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of universal education and gender equality. (Read more here)

Studies show that girls miss up to 20% of their school time each year because they are afraid of staining their clothes during their period and therefore stay at home. This absence causes some girls to drop out of school entirely. 

Lacking proper sanitary products, girls and women are forced to use degrading solutions which do not absorb well and frequently pose serious health implications in the form of infections and diseases.

Making disposable pads available to women in developing countries poses a  problem, as there is rarely appropriate infrastructure to handle this kind of waste—a type of waste that manifests additional health concerns.

There is a general lack of education and guidance regarding menstrual hygiene and the use of menstrual hygiene products. This matter is often taboo and can be looked upon as dirty.

It really is a shame that in the world we live in periods are still looked at as gross and shameful and something we need to hide and not talk about. That is so WRONG ! Our bodies are amazing the things that they do are amazing! We are females! We are beautiful creatures with amazing fertility! Our periods should be something to celebrate and be proud of. Ruby cup is helping to achieve that goal and break this " bloody taboo"  

If you want to learn more on the basics of a menstrual cup check out this post.

So onto the cup itself. Ruby cup comes in one size and this is to help accommodate women of all sizes, especially when sending them to underprivileged women around the world. The cup is 45mm wide,  51mm long and holds 34ml of fluid. So the cup is about the same as a large MeLuna, the large Sckoon and the large Bella cup. 

Large Classic MeLuna comparison:

Large Sckoon Cup comparison:

Large Bella comparison:

The Bella cup has a frosted look to it and this makes the cup very nice feeling, its hard to describe but it is smoother and not rubbery feeling like the silicone on other cups feel like. It is very luxurious and almost slightly textured feeling.

The Cup has measurement lines on the inside at the 5, 10 and 15ml mark.

As well as Ruby Cup stamped on the inside.

The Ruby cup has very nice grip rings on the base of the cup that are raised up but still as smooth as the rest of the cup.

The steam is a sturdy but flexible hollow stem with textured grip dots down the length of it.

My order came with some leaflets on the Ruby Cup, a thank you photo, an instruction sheet and my Ruby Cup in its 100% cotton bag.

The Ruby Cup worked very well for me. I am a mom of two and normally use the large sized cups so the size of the Ruby Cup was perfect for me. The cup is about medium in firmness to me. I would say its slightly softer than a classic MeLuna but slightly firmer than the Sckooncup. I used the punched down fold as it my go to fold and it inserted very easily and it popped open as soon as I released it. The stem is pretty sturdy and I did have to take it out and trim it. I always leave some steam though as I have a very high cervix and my cup tend to migrate upwards so I always need a little something to help me reach the cup. Once in the cup was very comfy and I couldn't feel it. The capacity of the cup is great and I was able to wear it on a moderate flow day for 9 hours. Removal was very simple I pinched the base and broke the suction/seal and removed the cup with no problems.

The Ruby Cup can be purchased from their website. You can get a single cup for 27.95 Euros or 37.00 US dollars. They also have sister packs so you can get one for you and one for your mom, sister, friend. The sister packs are 45.95 Euros or 60.00 US dollars so that's a saving of 14.00 US dollars. I received my cup within a week which is amazing for overseas shipping.

Overall the Ruby Cup is great. It works well and has and amazing mission behind it. If your looking for a great cup to try I recommend getting a Ruby cup. 

Jade & Pearl Sea Pearls Sea Sponge Tampon

So what are Jade & Pearl sea sponge tampons you ask? Well they are simply that. A sea sponge that is inserted much like a tampon and used to catch your menstrual flow.

Sea sponges are sustainability harvested. There are two different sponge types and three sizes.

sponge type

Regular: Atlantic Sponges

Premium: Ultra Soft Mediterranean Silk Sponges

sizes

Teeny: for light days or young women new to menstruation
Regular: for normal to heavy days
Large: for very heavy days

3 Pack: teeny, regular, and large sponge. Different sizes for different days!

They also have sea sponges for prolapse.

So why use them? Unlike regular tampons sea sponge tampons contain no dioxins or synthetic fibers. They can be used during sex and even used with spermicide as a form of contraception.  Women throw away an estimated 17,000 tampons and pads in her lifetime that is over 20 billion bleached and chemical laden products going into our landfills, sewage systems and oceans in just North America alone! Sea Sponge tampons are reusable for 6 month or more depending on their care. So they are better for your body, your checkbook and the environment! 

How do I use them? When you first feel them you might think "oh no way am I putting these in, they are too hard". Well once you wet the sponge it quickly begins to fill up and makes it much much softer and porous.

You then ring all the excess water out. You fold the sponge in on itself until it is at your desired size for insertion. They squish up very small.

Then just push it inside until its pretty high like where a tampon would sit right in front of your cervix tampon and then go about your day. The sponges are very soft and textured much like the wall of your vagina. Once in you cant feel them at all. The absorbency compares to that of a tampon and will need to be taken out, rinsed and reinserted every few hours depending on your flow. Once the sea sponge tampon is full it will begin to naturally slide down some in your vagina. It wont fall out or anything crazy but this feeling of it "dropping" is a good sign that your sponge tampon needs to be rinsed out.  

Your order will come with instructions. 

To remove the tampon relax (tense muscles make it harder to get anything out), gently reach in and feel for the sponge, once you feel it simply pinch it and slowly remove. The sea sponge tampon can then be rinsed and reinserted. Alternatively, you can also attach a string onto the tampon if you like. Use waxed dental floss, thread it through the middle of your sponge and tie it in a loop. You can then reach in and grab the loop and gently pull on it for removal. Be careful not to pull to hard you don't want the string ripping through the center of you sponge.   

So what do I do if your out and about and need to change it? If you are in a private bathroom or stall that has a sink simply rinse and reuse like normal. If you are in a shared bathroom that has stalls without sinks in them that's ok too. Jade & Pearl Sea sponge tampons come in a two pack so you can wash your hands and wet your sea sponge before entering the stall then simply take the used one out and put the clean one in. You can then squeeze out some of the excess blood in the tampon into the toilet, place it in a small wetbag ( a waterproof bag specially made to hold things like used cloth pads and diapers), a Ziploc baggie or even a small waterproof makeup bag. I carry cloth wet wipes with me and wipe off my hand and toss the used wipe in the wet bag as well. Then I can finish in the restroom without blood on my hand, then wash them properly at the sink once put of the stall. 

At the end of your cycle you will want to clean them very well before storing them away for weeks. You have a few options. You can use tea tree oil, baking soda, peroxide or vinegar. Each product works well and cleans them thoroughly so the choice is up to you on what to use. I use baking soda and if they appear stained I do a soak in peroxide and that removes any discoloration. 

I think these are a great little product. They work just as well as a tampon, are extremely comfortable even more than a tampon because they are so soft and squishy, they save you money buy being reusable for months and months and they keep nasty things out of our planets landfills and waterways.  If you are looking for a great alternative to tampons defiantly give Jade & Pearls Sea Pearl Sea Sponge tampons a try. They are super well priced at only 14.00 for the regulars and 16.00 for the premiums. While your there check out the other great products Jade and Pearl offer like their herbal tinctures natural bug replants and herbal teas .