Disclaimer: this post is about to get real personal so if you know me personally, maybe don’t read this!
When this email landed in my inbox with an opportunity to partner with Saalt, I was definitely intrigued. I’ve read a lot about menstrual cups before and always having to go through so many tampons on my period sucks. No one truly enjoys their period (and if they say they are, they’re liars). The Saalt cup is an option to make that time of the month a lot more manageable.
To get the full experience, I tried the Saalt cup out for a full cycle before writing this post.
A box of tampons costs about $7-$10, while the Saalt cup only costs $27 – and it can last for up to ten years. Let’s say you spend about $8/month on a box of tampons and pads. Multiply that by 12, and you’re spending $96 a year on period care. Multiply that by ten and you’re spending at least $960 alone on period care. That’s insane! The Saalt cup is a much better option.
Not only is it super cost-efficient, but it’s also great for the environment. Instead of being made of plastic, the Saalt cup is reusable and made of soft silicone. It’s chemical-free and you can use it for up to 12 hours at a time. I’ve read about other women running, hiking, etc and not even being able to feel that the cup was in.
The cup comes with a small carrying bag to make your experience totally portable. The team at Saalt was also kind enough to send over a bar of chocolate with my cup – and period or not, I won’t ever turn that down 🙂
My experience
I’m not going to lie: Inserting this at first was extremely uncomfortable. I tried it the first night and could not figure it out for the life of me. I then continued to try for the next week and just gave up. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong!
I’ve had this for over a month and just tried again. After doing thorough research, I finally got the hang of it. If you have questions and need more details, check here for their FAQs. They answer almost every question you can think of. This was super helpful for me. You can also message them on social media and a customer service rep will get back to you quickly. (I ended up having a small issue with the cup itself and the customer service was amazing!) The good thing about this product is while it may not be widely talked about, many women have used it and have experienced the same issues that you may be having while using the cup.
The biggest benefit I’ve found is the time I’ve saved. I can put the cup in in the morning and not have to worry about it until I’m home at the end of the day. I’m a college student with two internships, so I’m always on the go. In my first cycle of using the cup, I had a super busy schedule but I didn’t have to worry about my period at all. You can leave it in overnight as well. It may take some time to get used to, but once you figure it out, it makes a world of a difference. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to tampons.
Another bonus: with the purchase of your Saalt cup, they give back! This women-run organization gives to both HER International and PERIOD.org. HER International empowers women in Canada and Nepal through education, life skills and microfinance while PERIOD seeks to serve, educate, and advocate for menstrual equity through youth-run chapters at high schools and colleges worldwide.
This is so important because there’s a direct correlation between period care and women’s rights. In places where women don’t have access to period care, they end up having to skip school and work, losing educational opportunities and work opportunities. Women that do have access to period care, thanks to these charities, are able to have the same opportunities as men.
Thanks for reading!
xo, Hannah