As green beauty has continued to grow in popularity over the years, there’s been an increase in brands coming out with products that are designed to reduce the amount of waste consumers produce. One such example of this modern ingenuity is the DivaCup —a period product that’s designed to eliminate the waste that packaging for pads and tampons produce. For anyone who’s interested in doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint, the DivaCup is a fantastic option. However, as is the case for many green products, the DivaCup is more of an investment than buying your average box of Tampax and requires a little more effort to use and keep clean. Thanks to HerCampus National, I was given the opportunity to try out the DivaCup for myself to see if the investment was worth tossing my trusted pads and tampons.
The first thing you do when you break out a brand-spanking-new DivaCup is boil it for about ten minutes to make sure the cup itself is clean and ready to use. After initially cleaning the cup I realized that I would actually have to figure out how to put the DivaCup in. Now ladies, I am not particularly squeamish when it comes to my body, but I will say that the DivaCup can seem intimidating on the first go-round. I recommend reading the information booklet closely to understand their recommended insertion strategies and taking your time. After getting over my initial nerves and figuring out the best strategy for my body, I found that putting in the DivaCup was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Luckily, after your figure out how to get your DivaCup in, you don’t have to worry about it for a while — the DivaCup can stay in for up to 12 hours, a drastic difference from your average tampon. This is because the DivaCup won’t cause Toxic Shock Syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can be triggered by wearing tampons for too long. As someone who hates wearing pads at night, the DivaCup offers a mess free and comfortable option.
Taking out the DivaCup is a little more complicated than your average tampon. Again, I found it ended up being less difficult than I expected, however, the whole process did take getting used to. As you can imagine, the DivaCup catches any discharge you may produce during your period, and while taking it out, it’s important to go slow and steady so as not to spill and be ready to dispose of the contents into a nearby toilet. In addition to emptying the DivaCup, you have to clean it with warm water and soap before reinserting it. Luckily, you only have to do this twice a day, once at night and in the morning — ideally, in the comfort of your own bathroom.
Overall, I had a very positive experience using the DivaCup and would recommend it to anyone interested in this zero-waste option. While the DivaCup is higher maintenance than a pad or tampon, it’s durable, safe, eco-friendly and relatively mess-free.