The Ultimate Guide to Natural Feminine Care

Feminine Care with Lola and Young Living

I never thought I would here about to tell the world about “that time of the month” on my own personal blog, but when two passions collide, it’s hard not to share with my friends and family about my wellness journey and how I got to where I am today.

As a health and physical education teacher, educating about wellness has always been a passion and purpose of mine. Young Living Essential Oils and their growing community has truly changed my perception of wellness. I feel it’s my mission to continue to educate others about all the things I am learning along the way, which even includes considering our feminine care products. My goal on this journey is to keep working toward a better version of myself everyday and share with others as I go. If no one is talking about these things then we are going to continue to make choices without considering out health. I hope this blog will support you in making changes toward a better version of yourself!

As I reflect on my lifestyle and how it has changed over the years, I recognize that a catalyst was when I switched over to using essential oils. I got my foot in the door with a premium starter kit and after that, I was hooked! When I initially started using oils out of my starter kit, it seemed to open up the door for me to think about my health and wellness as a whole. As I began pursuing my career in teaching health and physical education, it was always clear that my priorities in life were maintaining wellness and teaching others how to do so as well.

​I will sheepishly admit to you that, at the time, I was not even fully aware of what self-care truly meant. Actually, I think personal health is a life long learning process! Upon coming to this realization, I have decided to change my lifestyle and more intensely focus on improving my overall health. This meant that I had to form new habits and discover new routines. A bit scary at first! However completely doable for all of us!

Making a healthy lifestyle transition may seem difficult. However, if you have a proper support structure and receive education along the way, it gets much easier! That is why I have created this community and this blog. To help educate others in a way that I wish I had when I was making healthier decisions.

Beware of outlandish product claims and exaggerated essential oil benefit claims! We are not here to promote that. We are here to discuss how we can gradually change our homes from unknown ingredients, to known ingredients. 

As I share with you the changes that I have made I am hopeful that you decide to start doing your own investigation for how you can improve your health and wellness. Further, I hope you can pass this along to family and friends as well as I want this to be a crowd-sourced experience!

Personally, I am hopeful of becoming a mom someday. This means that I will be responsible for not only my health, but the health of others as well! This is not too dissimilar from my current career as a health and physical education teacher or my husband's career as a doctor of physical therapy. We have come both come to the conclusion that the choices we make now will impact our future thereby highlighting the importance on educating ourselves along the way. 

Starting Out

Growing up, I made choices largely based on affordability or popularity. Further, we have a tendency to use what our parents, family, or friends use. Most of us were not reading labels and scrutinizing the ingredients list. I never gave a second thought to items that were considered to be "organic". My concept of health at the time was exercise. I was always outdoors and was a three-sport athlete. I ate some fruits and veggies and maintained a healthy weight. I simply thought that was all there was to health and longevity. Boy was I mistaken! I have learned, slowly over time, that health is more than exercise and nutrition - although these are both HUGE components to health and wellness. 

As I continued to ponder health and wellness I considered my current regimen. I thought deeper about the products that I interacted with everyday. I began to question the routine self-care products that I was using and began researching their ingredients.

​Once I discovered the research and science behind some of these hard-to-pronounce ingredients, I immediately began replacing them with Young Living products. I was baffled by the harsh chemicals that many companies use in their consumer products. Please, I encourage you, grab a cleaner, air freshener, soap, etc. in research the ingredients. I think you will be amazed as well!

• Go here to research cleaners
• ​Go here to research cosmetics

​Most of the time you can find your exact product on the EWG's site. Be prepared for what you might learn!

So what does one do with this newfound information? Eliminate your average consumer products and replace them like I did! It is actually super simple and Young Living makes it convenient as they formulate everything from essential oils to dish soap to deodorant using their Seed to Seel quality standards!

I actually started having fun making my own products using essential oils. I learned how to make items such as room sprays, cleaning products, soaps, and wellness rollers. Instead of using air fresheners, I began diffusing essential oils in the house as a natural alternative to using nasty industrial cleaners and harmful candles.

​After working hard toward a toxin free lifestyle, I vividly remember the moment I called my attention to the feminine care products. I knew it was time to do more research to be certain that I was making choices with long term health and wellness in mind. If so many things that we contact everyday impacts our bodily function, then it is clear that females should consider learning more about tampons, pads, and other female hygiene products.

I have been using traditional brands since I got my first period around 14 years old. We can estimate the average amount of tampons use in a lifetime or even for the last 15 years of my life. I will save all of us the math but let's just say that it is a lot of tampons (sorry if I am freaking some of you out). What surprises me is that we seem to pay very little attention to the products we use so very often. It is estimated that the average female period occurs once every 28 days for a duration of approximately 5 days straight. Perhaps we should start to consider what products we are using for something that occurs so frequently!

When I started to dive into some research it was a little tough to find facts about tampons. According to the Food and Drug Administration, tampons are considered a medical device. Medical devices under the FDA provisions have no labeling requirements which is a frightening fact. This leaves the potential that certain tampon manufacturing companies may not be fully disclosing all of the ingredients in their products (and technically they are NOT obligated to do so).

I wasn’t too shocked to find there are things we want to avoid when choosing tampons, at this point, I understand not all brands are created equal. I was able to find some companies that offer a full disclosure of ingredients (or so they say), while many do not. When I saw that many traditional products had ingredients like dioxins, rayon (which emits dioxin when bleached), and fragrance, it did not take me long to decide to make a change. 

​I also found there were companies that offered a cleaner, safer, and organic way to manage my menstrual cycle. At this point, I cared about keeping the rest of my personal care routine natural but I still used toxic tampons. I knew all the effort in maintaining a healthy routine was minimized by the monthly exposure to toxic tampons. 

​My research on tampons and pads lead me to a company called Lola, which is a feminine  care company for women.

Understanding the choice of feminine care products is a really important aspect of our health that is not talked about enough. Think about it, these are the products that are directly in contact with the reproductive system. The vagina, mucous membrane, and the entire female reproductive system is a very particular biome with a delicate bacteria balance that you don’t want to alter by possibly introducing unknown ingredients. So much of our body, from the cellular level to entire organs, is controlled by the endocrine system which is so also closely connected to the reproductive system, and introducing chemicals into our body puts a great impact on the functions. 

In March 2017, I decided to create my first subscription to Lola because they are the first organic, feminine care company that cares about the ingredients, as much as I do.

Lola products have no toxins, dyes, or synthetics which is so important because, just like essential oils, there are no regulations on tampon companies to disclose their ingredient. What I love about Young Living Essential Oils and Lola is that they are both transparent with their customers and I value the mission and integrity of their companies.

We are all busy people, I enjoy being able to spend my time how I want to and not running around shopping for all my household items. I get two monthly wellness boxes delivered to my house. Every month, I receive my custom Essential Reward box from Young Living and my custom subscription box from Lola. Both companies have wonderful customer service which is also another thing that I love most about them. If your wondering more about Essential Rewards, reach out to me! Lola allows me to skip and change my subscription every 4-8 week and it’s really simple. I never thought I would be so excited to receive tampons and pads in the mail, but I have found that I love when my Lola arrives!

Every month my box comes from Lola and I feel like I am keeping a big secret from all of you. I don't think this is something we talk about enough, yet it matters so much! I want you all to know you have options and you shouldn't feel obligated to buy your tampons from the store. Please take some time to consider your options. 


If your interested in getting your own custom Lola box delivered to you...
Please use my referral code. By using the referral code you will receive a special promotional $5 account credit after you make your first order. For a limited time, you may also use the code FIRST15 to receive 15% off your first subscription order. 

When I originally made my first order I order a whole bunch of supplies to fully take advantage of the 15% off code. After than initial order I  just went in and reduced the monthly subscription order for future months.

If your a mom of a young girl, I also saw they have a cute first period kit! Every girl deserves to be pampered and it’s such a positive way to promote healthy choices.  

With all that said, I hope this information empowers you to continue to make steps toward a chemical free lifestyle. Remember Francis Bacon once said, "knowledge is power". With our technology, its time that we start using it to access information that matters. There is no reason not to look into things that could impact our health and find a better option. We may not be able to control everything but we can try to make the choices that are right for our family. 

As I said above, Young Living Essential Oils are also a big part of my monthly care so before you go order your Lola box, here are a few of my favorite essential oils during the week aunt flow comes to visit.  



Young Living Essential Oils to Support "That Time Of The Month"

Dragon Time Essential Oil: 
Well, its all in the name. Dragon Time Essential Oil is a blend of Fennel, Clary Sage, Marjoram, Lavender, Blue Yarrow, and Jasmine essential oils with aromas to help promote feelings of stability and calm during occasional times of moodiness-aka that time of the month! It’s a staple for many women, so much that Young Living also created Dragon Time Massage Oil and Dragon Time Bath and Shower Gel that can also be used to support females monthly. 

Progressence Plus Serum:
It's actually a serum that is formulated specifically for women and it's designed to promote well-being and feelings for relaxation, harmony, and balance. Progressence Plus Serum is blended with some of Young Living’s most-loved essential oils, including Frankincense, Bergamot, and Peppermint.

From the Young Living starter kit, I really like to use Panaway, Peppermint, and Copaiba in a roller to support the occasional discomfort that occurs around the time of the month. Don't know how to make a roller? Read our Top 9 Essential Oil Rollers post.

Lavender, Stress Away, and Frankincense can be used to support restful thoughts and emotions during the month. Each of these can be applied topically or put in the diffuser. Together that make a wonderful diffuser blend.

​
These are just some of the many essential oils that I use to support my body. I find it important to listen to my body and find what’s best for me when considering using essential oils.

I have found several useful educational resources along the way. You can find many of the tools and resources that I use on the supplies page. The top resource I find myself recommending is the Essential Oil Reference Guide. This is still my go-to guide for how to use essential oils!

Two other books that I have found extremely useful on this journey are: 1) Lucy Libido Says...There's An Oil For That: A Girlfriend's Guide to Using Essential Oils Between the Sheets AND Essential Oil Make & Takes: Over 60 DIY Projects and Recipes for the Perfect Class. For all other books that I have found useful along the way, please see our books page. I have also written a post on my 5 favorite essential oil books. 

I hope these ideas help you see there are many ways to use essential oils! Lola and Young Living have made me feel more confident in my everyday choices and my wellness. If you have questions about signing up with Lola or getting your Young Living Essential Oils just simply reach out by using the contact page.

Most importantly, I hope everyone takes advantage of how easy it is to get life necessities delivered right to your doorstep, one wellness box at a time!

If you have not done so already, please subscribe below for the latest updates, offers, and promotions exclusive to our essential oil community!​

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living products are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Please see our disclaimer.