Okay…let’s talk taboo (again)! If you’ve been following the blog, you know I’ve had my fair share of poopchute issues:
I’ve suffered from the occasional anal fissure in the past. I had a polyp inside my sigmoid colon. I’ve had a 2018 bowel resection due to Endometriosis on my small intestine, cecum, appendix, and large intestine. And another bowel resection in 2020 due to Endometriosis on the outside of my sigmoid colon.
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As you know, from time to time we get offers to review products that manufacturers may feel are useful to our readers. I like to extend those review opportunities from time to time to other Warriors in my local support group. So, today, we’re publishing another review by Nicole. And the one condition I make when accepting a product is our reviews will be unbiased and 100% honest; no sugar-coating anything.
Ovira reached out to use with their new product, a discreet device that may help with menstrual cramps. But without further adieu, I’ll let Nicole take it away:
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Do you suffer from nausea? Did you know there’s a drug-free device that may help ease those symptoms? What??
First, an introduction: If you follow the Bloomin’ Uterus Instagram account, you’ve “met” Nicole Tamillo. She’s my friend, confidant, an Admin of our Facebook group, and fellow EndoWarrior. And she is far more tech savvy than I!
Anyway, one of Nicole’s major symptoms when she’s having an Endo-flare is nausea. Extreme nausea. I had heard about a wristband that may help with nausea, so I reached out to the company to see if it would help with Endo-induced nausea. The wonderful folks at ReliefBand offered to send her a complimentary ReliefBand Premier to try out for her Endo-nausea. HOW AMAZING!!! Nicole and I wanted to share her unbiased review, thoughts, results, and excitement with you:
Hello! My name is Nicole Tamillo. I am 27 years old. I was officially diagnosed with Endometriosis at the beginning of 2017 with laparoscopic surgery. Although I experience many different endometriosis symptoms, my two biggest complaints are pain and NAUSEA! My pain can range from uncomfortable to unbearable, but I can normally get through it with minimal complaining. Now nausea on the other hand…. nausea is the bane of my existence. I have self-diagnosed Emetophobia. What is that you ask? EXTREME fear of vomiting. I REPEAT EXTREME FEAR OF VOMITING. I am not talking about being uncomfortable with vomiting, I am talking about full-blown panic mode!! So when endometriosis causes nausea I can not function as a human being. All I can do is lay in the fetal position on my bathroom floor. And the anxiety that comes from nausea only increases my pain. It becomes a vicious vicious cycle. And I have tried so many different things to try and lessen the severity of my nausea. I have tried OTC medications, essential oils, teas, ginger chews, pressure point wristbands, and prescription medicines. But once my nausea has hit, there is no stopping it until it runs its course. That is until I tried the ReliefBand 2.0 (aka the ReliefBand Premier)!
The ReliefBand 2.0 is a class II neuromodulation device that is cleared by the FDA for the treatment of nausea.
When the device is in place on your wrist and turned on, gentle pulses stimulate the median nerve at the P6 location located on the underside of the wrist. This nerve is connected to the nerve in the brain that controls nausea. When stimulated using neuromodulation the brain signals the stomach to reduce nausea. The signals have a rebalancing effect normalizing nerve messages from the brain to the stomach reducing symptoms of nausea, retching, and vomiting.
The device has been clinically tested to relieve nausea, retching and vomiting associated with motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy, postoperative, and vertigo. In addition, they’ve received FDA clearance this year to also treat nausea and vomiting associated with anxiety, physician diagnosed migraines, and hangovers!
1. Finding the starting area (P6) on the wrist. You can use either wrist. It is approximately two fingers down from the wrist crease, between the two tendons.
2. Clean the area and apply the provided conductive gel. You only need a thin layer about the size of a large coin.
3. Put the device on and adjust to line up the contact over the gel on the P6 location. Fasten device snugly.
4. Activate the device by pressing and holding the power on button. Adjust the intensity by using the up or down buttons. You should feel a slight “tingling” sensation in the palm or middle fingers.
After using the Reliefband 2.0 for a few months, I can honestly say that it has helped me tremendously! I can’t imagine battling a major endometriosis flare-up without it. Although, it hasn’t been clinically proven to reduce nausea associated with endometriosis, I believe that it can make a big difference for women battling nausea related to endometriosis.
In my opinion, the pros definitely outweigh the cons! And the company provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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If nausea is something you suffer from, have you tried the ReliefBand? They have two different models at two different prices. If you’ve tried it, we’d love to hear your experience in the comments below. Did it work? Did it not work? What else helps with your nausea? Home remedies? Pharmaceuticals? Anything? Share!
I’d like to send a HUGE thank you to ReliefBand for their interest in helping a friend. And Nicole for opening up, making herself vulnerable, and sharing her symptoms and experience! I’m so glad it has helped you!!!
Friends of mine, Raul and Yuliya Montes, have started a small company creating and selling natural bath and beauty products (and a few other things!). I’ve purchased and fallen in love with several of their items and wanted to sit down and pick their brains for a few minutes and share the news about Special Flower Oil, Co.
…pssssst…they make CBD oil bath bombs…
Looking for all-natural bath bombs, soaps, lip balms, and more? Read up a bit on who these guys are, what they make, and then go peruse their wares!
Lisa: Special Flower Oil, Co.? That’s a great name! How’d you come to be?
Yuliya: We have this inside joke between the both of us that we’re a bit “special” two peas in a pod and all, and we came up with this saying “You’re my ‘special’ flower,” when one of is being a little on the – well… less than intelligent side. We always knew we wanted to own our own business, and at the same time wanted to do something that we both enjoy that benefited other people that we could do together – so one day while taking a shower together, we noticed how many ingredients were on some of the items – and we decided to work on something more natural.
Raul: It pretty much started with this weird rocking side to side, that kind of evolved over time. Our company name is literally our way of making fun of ourselves and each other, even though people outside, likely think that it has to do with the oils we use and such. As far as the start – we woke up one morning thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice to quit our day jobs do something we enjoy more?” Well, we haven’t quite quit our day jobs, but we’re doing what we enjoy.
Lisa: What do you feel sets you apart from the endless stream of competition out there?
Yuliya: We do hours of research over every single ingredient that we use, we refuse to take shortcuts. We believe that we need to be producing a product that we, ourselves would use before selling it to others, and having integrity in the ingredients that we use.
Raul: I think it’s unique that you’ve got a small business co-owned by a married couple, one being a woman, one being an OIF war vet. My background is in combat medicine, and in that I’ve discovered that improvised treatments and at times alternative treatments can have huge impacts on quality of life. Aromatherapy in and of itself isn’t just about chakra crystals and weird blessings, there’s some solid science behind it, including cognitive improvement in Alzheimer’s patients who have used rosemary, lemon, lavender and orange.
Lisa: As a person who suffers from a painful chronic illness that is often influenced by chemicals, parabens, and hormones, I appreciate your dedication to pure and body-safe ingredients in your products. I see you guys use organic and locally-sourced ingredients. Why is that important to you?
Yuliya: Back in 2013, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s – an autoimmune disorder that attacks and destroys the thyroid, and because of it I will be on supplemental thyroid hormone for the rest of my life. The more I did research, the more I found that body care products are ridden with harsh, endocrine-disruptive chemicals, affecting the body – and being a woman, I was using these chemicals all over my body. I threw out a lot of my stuff and began seeking out items that were natural or organic – but these are expensive, so I decided to make my own. I mean, with the skin being the body’s largest organ, and it absorbs a lot (up to 64% of contaminants from water alone), it’s easy to see that what we use on our skin ends up in our bodies – often in our blood streams and lymphatic systems, and it seems like the majority of mainstream body care products contain a horrible cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, allergens, and irritants. Knowing who makes our ingredients, knowing how they are sourced, and using them ourselves first, always ensures that we’re creating the perfect product.
Raul: I completely echo everything Yuliya said. I think that knowing where an ingredient is from, how it’s sourced, and having a relationship with the ingredient producer is important. Case in point, our Goat Milk, Honey, and Oats soap uses organic goat milk and oats, and raw honey from a local beekeeper, who also happens to be a fellow combat medic. Up to that point I’d never had fresh raw honey – and my god does it taste amazing. These are just glimpses into the items that we’re using in our soaps and bath bombs. I want people to feel as good about the product and the way it’s made as they do while they use the product.
Lisa: A lot of our readers suffer from chronic pain. I see that you have “hemp isolate” bath bombs; can you tell us a little bit about what that means…and how your bath bombs may help someone in pain?
Raul: CBD. It’s CBD plain and simple. I’ll be really honest – its really hard to sell items online that contain them, regardless of the farm bill passing. As such I wanted to make sure it was something that if someone said, “oh what is hemp isolate powder,” that they could type it in and the first thing they would see is CBD. We’re covering ourselves while trying to afford a completely legal and THC free item to those who need it.
While researchers don’t entirely know how CBD works yet, they think that it interacts with receptors in the brain and immune system. Moreover, it helps as an anti-inflammatory as well as can help those who suffer with chronic pain, and associated insomnia without adverse side effects. Now – when its combined with other anti-inflammatory and pain relief oils such as lavender, yarrow, eucalyptus, and chamomile – and of course Epsom salts, it creates a beautiful pain relief cocktail that you can literally just envelop yourself in. I’ve also got some CBD soap curing right now that I whipped up earlier today using the goat milk oats and honey base. I’m excited to use it!
Yuliya: CBD is nature’s way of affording us a pain relief option that doesn’t involve using drugs, while being able to indulge in the experience. Imagine it, you pour a hot bath, enjoying the hot steam – you toss in one of the bombs and soak for a half an hour, letting your skin absorb these pain relief oils and CBD… Oh you’re ready for painless sleep.
Lisa: If someone doesn’t want a “hemp isolate” bath bomb, do you offer them the option?
Raul: Of course, we understand that CBD is still considered one of those edgy, experimental type of products – because of that we have the same bath bombs and soaps completely hemp free.
Yuliya: All of our products are customizable. If you see an item of ours that has hemp, and you want a hemp free version, just reach out – we’re more than happy to make custom products.
Lisa: I’ve gone through numerous pain management and stress-reduction workshops over the past five years and I’ve learned that sometimes to help reduce symptoms and pain, we need to try to calm our nervous system. Take a moment. Breathe. Meditate. There’s a great connection between pain and a heightened sense of “FUCK, EVERYTHING HURTS (and I wanna die!)”. That being said, I know you make scent roll-ons. I’m partial to the “Palomar Skyline” blend as I find it very soothing, calming, and the scent jettisons my mind up into the mountains. Are your essential oil roll-ons intended to aid in relaxation and calming techniques? Or just smell good? How can your customers better use your roll-ons to help calm and de-stress, both physically and mentally?
Yuliya: Absolutely, I deal with constant anxiety. I’m currently testing an experimental mixture that I’ve named “Natural Xanax,” Which I use pretty regularly to reduce my overall stress levels. Our oils are designed to both smell nice (and not overpowering) while helping the customer come off the proverbial edge. They also work amazingly while meditating. Our goal here was to help the customer find peace in the moment.
Raul: I’ve got some that I’ve made just to act as a cologne, such as the GWOT Christmas, but by in large the scent oils are designed to help center someone. Dealing with PTSD, I’ve learned that sometimes a couple of dabs of the Palomar Skyline can help pull me out of a moment – whether its dealing with chronic pain due to spinal compression (or a recent shoulder surgery), or dealing with the existential hell my mind likes to throw me into. I always recommend using the oils on pulse points – or if you so choose, diffuse them, close your eyes, and focus on the smells. As odd as it sounds, I personally practice a verbalization of what I “see” when I close my eyes and focus on the scent. It really helps to pull me out of the mind-storm and places me on a mountain, in a lavender field, or in an orange grove…
Lisa: Do any of your roll-ons have pain-relieving capabilities? My Mum buys me an essential oil spray that does the trick for acute pain. And a friend of mine gifted me with a roll-on that also helps with surface pains.
Yuliya: Yes! Like Raul said, certain oils have pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties. Rolling or dabbing them on the skin can help with pain and inflammation in addition to the calming nature of each one of the oils.
Lisa: I’ve read your soaps use goat milk and locally-sourced honey. Why is that better than ingredients that may be found in other soaps (handmade or otherwise)? Sell me on their magic!
Raul: Goat milk alone is an amazing item. It contains Alpha Hydroxy Acids that help to unbind dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, giving a more rejuvenated look, vitamin A, which has been proven to reduce lines and wrinkles, cream – which keeps the skin moist (especially during those winter months) and minerals like selenium, which has been praised in recent years for its ability to prevent skin cancer.
Then honey helps to balance the skin’s natural bacteria, helping to reduce the appearance of acne, as well as speeds up the healing process of the skin.
Combined they can help with eczema, psoriasis, and even candida overgrowths on the skin.
Lisa: I’ve never made soap before and imagine it’s much like making Jell-o: throw everything in a bowl and *tada* I have soap in a few hours. I know that can’t be true. So… how what all goes into creating a handmade bar of soap? Help me appreciate the process and effort, please.
Raul: Soap can be a real pain in the ass to be honest. It starts off with research and figuring out what items I want to use to make a soap – for example, if I want to make a beautiful swirly soap, I need to use canola oil, keep out the shea butter, and make sure my fragrances and essential oils aren’t going to accelerate the saponification. The next part is selecting my fats – which are oddly enough, often the same oils we use for cooking – coconut, canola, sustainable palm, olive, and the like – melting them down and mixing lye (yes lye) with either distilled water or goat milk (which has to be frozen to avoid curdling). Once lye mixes with a liquid, it creates a lye solution which is the basis for *all* true natural soaps.
Let me restate this: all real soap is made with lye – anything without it is a detergent and not a soap. Yes! Real Soap is made with lye. You might wonder where the lye is on the ingredients list of your favorite soap – “saponified oils of –“ or sodium followed by cocoate, palmate, palm kernelate, tallowate, or olivate. Soap makers know that people are afraid of the word “lye.” None remains in the finished product.
The lye is then blended with the oil, it begins something called “trace.” Trace is the point in soapmaking where the oils and lye have emulsified and the lye begins saponifying. Once this happens the lye and oil molecules combine and are chemically changed into soap and glycerin. From this point it’s put into a mold for a few hours or days, then cut, and left to cure for four weeks.
Lisa: What’s been your favorite product to make?
Yuliya: Soap! Always soap. There are endless possibilities – from scent combinations to oil combinations. Each one of our handcrafted small batches is completely beautifully unique in its own right, and it should be, because it reflects us as people.
Raul: Soap. It might be a pain in the ass, but it’s totally a relaxing activity for me, and I can design each bar as meticulously as I want to. I can’t draw. I can’t paint, so this is my art.
Lisa: Have you had any mad scientist concoction failures with any products yet? Tell us a funny story…
Yuliya: My first round of lip balm. It was horrible! It was rock hard. Completely solid. We ended up scrapping the whole batch because I was being stingy with oils. It was like trying to rub a candle on your lips.
Raul: My first round of bath bombs. Oh God, they were horrible. I’m not even sure where they went wrong… well the worse part was – I’d made two batches – the first was great, and we had gotten our first order when we’d opened the Etsy. Guess which ones got sent? Yeah… as soon as I realized, I contacted the customer (who thankfully hadn’t used it yet) and sent out another set of bath bombs free of charge. I mean, we saved the day, but it felt really dumb.
Lisa: Any sneak peeks at items you’re working on that aren’t released yet?
Yuliya: Massage candles, therapeutic body butters, tinted and flavored lip balms, face masks, and beard balm for the guys.
Raul: A few more soaps. I want to have seven main “flagship” soaps, and run a special “soap maker’s” batch once every month or so – which will just be a few of our “left-field” ideas thrown into action
Lisa: Do you take custom requests?
Not only do we take customer requests, we look forward to it!
Lisa: Anything else you’d like to add?
Our goal is to give back to the communities. We like working with 503s and other small businesses. We also have wholesale options (we make it, you sell it as your own).
A li’l more about Special Flower Co.:
Early in 2019, we were discussing the prospect of having a wedding reception, and began discussing what kind of party favors we would use. Initially we settled on bath items, like soaps, bath bombs, and scrubs, but after looking, we felt like nothing really fit the people who had always been there for us. There were plenty of quality goods out there, but none that were uniquely “us.”
That’s where Special Flower Oil Co. began.
Personalization and uniqueness are what make an item special. It’s the time taken to make a unique item that isn’t mass produced and misleadingly called “handcrafted.” It’s about the time and effort we take to perfect our art, whether that be the scent in a bath bomb, the particular composition of a soap, or the one on one focus on customer service.
We are Special Flower Oil Co.
Raul and Yuliya
Our products utilize top of the line organic, fair trade compliant, rain forest safe oils. Moreover, we source local products from goat milk to honey, as often as we can, utilizing veteran owned businesses where available. We also source our herbs from local, organic, pesticide free gardens – because you deserve to feel as good about a product’s background, as you do when you use the product.
You can find Special Flower Oil, Co. on the interwebs:
Email: info@specialfloweroil.com
Web: https://specialfloweroil.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/specialflower/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialfloweroilco/
I want to extend a huge thank you to Yuliya and Raul for not only creating some amazing products, but for being the exceptional human beings that they are…and for taking the time to give us a sneak-peak into their lives and business. We wish you continued success in all endeavors!
*I was not compensated for this interview. It’s just something I wanted to do for them…and you.
I’ve never been one to want to try those new period-soaking panties or reusable pads. I thought the idea of running around in wet panties or stained, soaked pads was gross. For some reason, the disposable idea sat much better with me. I felt like the “ick” was further away from my womanly-bits.
But I was also intrigued by all of the adorable fabric pads available on sites like Etsy, etc. They were just…too cute for words. But my terror won the battle and I strayed back to my store-bought (organic or not, bleached or unbleached, etc.) pads. And I’ve tried A LOT of them. I’ve steered away from tampons (for personal reasons) and only use them when the necessity arises (like swimming!).
Out of the blue, I was contacted by a gal at Party In My Pants, a company that makes fabric, reusable pads (and a few other adorable things). One of her co-workers had heavy periods due to Endometriosis and only found great coverage (and comfort) by using their gigantic overnight pad, called the Queen. She thought I may want to try out their wares.
I didn’t see the email for about a month due to my surgery, recovery, and it got lost in the fray. BUT, I eventually stumbled upon it and wrote her back all of my trepidations of using a fabric pad: the nastiness factor, the wetness, carrying around a stinky wet pad all day in my purse if I had to change during the day, having to wash them, and the fear of them just not being absorbent enough for my over-active period-blood-pushing uterus.
Liz took the time to calm my fears, explained the wide assortment of pads available, and threw together a gift package for me. I let her know I’d have fun taking notes and share my opinions on the blog. Ya know, just in case any of my readers were having the same fears of fabric pads. BUT…I also let her know that if these bad boys failed me, the world would know. Ha!
Queue Aunty Flow: I started period the afternoon of August 17, 2018. I had a spare Always pad in my purse and donned it. The following afternoon, the postman dropped off a package from Party In My Pants (We’ll just call them PiMP from here on out). I excitedly tore into it and loved the assortment of fun things Liz chose for me.
I have the:
Medium: to me it feels like I would wear this on my light to medium days. It’s thin, but enough coverage to make me feel safe from front to back. My medium is an adorable fox pattern. OMG. Too cute.
Organic Super: can we say soooooft? And it’s got cute little sheepies on it (including the black sheep!). Larger than the medium, and a smidge thicker.
Super Overnight: GRUMPY CAT! It’s large enough where I won’t be afraid of leaking at all during the night.
Queen: The Mother of all pads! This thing is MASSIVE. Full coverage … and I mean FULLLL coverage! According to the description, it’s meant for super-duper heavy flows, or post-pardum bleeding, etc. The big stuff. (I wore this my first night)
That night I wore the Queen to bed. I was skeptical. I had a heavy-bleed day, but I figured I could wash the sheets if I made a mess. I woke up Sunday morning surprised: no leaks. I thought that my bleeding would just ooze and sit on top of the pad’s adorable panda material: nope. I was bone dry when I woke up. Usually my nights are heavy, especially on Day 1 or Day 2. The only evidence that I was on my period? A few stains on the pandas. I must admit: it was kind of satisfying to have bloodied up a few panda bears! I got ready to shower, unsnapped my Queen, folded it up, resnapped it, and set it aside near my dirty clothes hamper for later. And, ’cause let’s be honest here…I sniffed it (curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz…). It didn’t really smell like anything! When I change a regular pad, I reek to high heaven. Like, I drop my undies and the scent just wafts right on up to my nose. But these cloth pads? NOPE! What the heck?!?
Before my shower, I grabbed a clean pair of undies and the Organic Super – awww, the sweet sheep were next for my period onslaught! Snapped it onto my undies, showered, and pulled up the incredibly soft fabric ready for my day! I bled moderate to heavy throughout the day. The instructions say to change the PiMP pads when you feel wet. Well, I never did. I literally wore that one pad the ENTIRE day…and night. I had a bit too much champagne and rather than change into my Grumpy Cat Super Overnight pad, I just fell into bed while still wearing my pad from the morning. So, of course, I expected to wake up an overflowing sticky mess. I woke up Monday morning completely dry. There was barely even a stain on the pad…on my adorable fleecy sheeps. No leaks! NOT A ONE! Again: I unsnapped my dirty pad, folded it, snapped it shut, and placed it next to the dirty Queen by the hamper.
I donned the cute foxy Medium pad for Monday morning, ready to leave the house and get to work. The Medium felt far less noticeable than the Super or the Queen. I walked around all day barely realizing I had it on. By now, my flow was non-existent to low. I don’t think I even stained the pad all day.
So, when I got home, I decided my period was going to be a short one (Friday through Monday; four days) and I thought I’d wash the dirty ones for my next period. I expected them to be stinky: nope. Not at all! Although Liz did instruct me later to keep them unsnapped dirty so they don’t get musty. I’ll snap them for transport (if I’m in public) and unsnap them when I’m home. I was sad that the Grumpy Cat lay sad, forgotten…and grumpy…in my drawer. Next time, Grumpy Cat, next time…
So I set the settings on the washing machine as instructed: cold water and a low tumble dry. My husband was so grossed out by the thought of period blood in the laundry (as was I) that I made them their own tiny wash load. They came out great! My sheep & fox look good as new, but a panda or two are still stained. Which is fine. I expected it. And it’s not gross or anything because the pad is laundry-soap fresh and clean.
As a precaution, I wore my Always pad to bed last night, just to catch any residual bleeding I may have. Want to hear a funny story? Apparently, I wasn’t as close to being done as I thought…and woke up this morning with a leaky mess all over my undies. Way to go “super absorbent 10x” non-reusable pad. Way. To. Go. So am I wearing my fabric pads right now?!? All clean and shiny? Nope…I have a water aerobics class to attend tonight and I have opted for tampons…
I thought I was going to wait until my next period to publish this review…but I’ve decided to publish it now and update it as the months progress. Just so you can all get an up-to-date Lisa’s Opinion on how these fabric, washable pads are holding up cycle after cycle.
I loved them, though. They never leaked. They were adorable and made me smile every time I used the bathroom. They were easy to clean and not as disgusting as I thought it would be. I’ll buy a few more to add to my collection (right now I only have 4…and my periods like to last 5-8 days…) and we’ll see how it goes.
And I must add: it felt REALLY good not having to peel a sticky pad out of a noisy wrapper and make a bunch of trash. I didn’t think I’d really care that much about the “environmental factor” of fabric pads…but last night when I opened up my plastic pad and threw away the wrapper…it kind of hit me a little bit. That it was the first time in days I had to do that. And it really made me think about all the crap I have thrown away in the past.
For September’s period, I’m going to also buy their adorable (and inexpensive) little zipper “tote” bag that fits a few pads in it and I can carry them discreetly in my purse (clean or dirty…). And next month I’ll actually give it the “out in a public bathroom” test.
The people at Party In My Pants want YOU to try these out for free, too (well, the sample is free, but you pay a small shipping fee): All first-time customers can order a free sample pantyliner on PiMP’s website for the cost of shipping ($3.99 US, $7.99 Canada). And Party In My Pants let me know that domestic orders over $50 get free shipping.
Right now PiMP is selling their organic pads for NO EXTRA CHARGE! (the same price as the non-organic fabric).
There are over 75 patterns at any given time, and customers can choose from lots of different fabric materials: cotton, flannel, double-gauze (which is a looser weave that allows blood to absorb faster), and organic cotton, organic flannel, and organic double-gauze. And there are 13 different sizes you can choose from, along with a handy-dandy “sizing guide” to help pick the best fits for your periods!
The easiest way to wash & dry: after using the pad, just put it in the laundry hamper in such a way that it can dry out (you don’t want it to sit wet too long, or it will get musty, especially in warm/humid climates), then when you’re ready to do laundry just machine-wash it with cold water, then air-dry in the sun or tumble dry on low. No need to rinse or soak beforehand!
I’m told PiMP always has great sales (under the “Steals & Deals” tab on the website), including “Surprise Party” and “Organic Surprise Party”, which allows customers to order pads at a discounted price- you choose the size and material, and PiMP staff choose from a random assortment of patterns! It sounds like a pretty fun surprise! I can’t wait to do this!
And PiMP has lots of fun contests on their Facebook page, including opportunities to help name new patterns.
Yes, I’m gross. I take photos of things I shouldn’t. But I wanted you to SEE! And none of these are truly gross…
Thanks to the crew at Party In My Pants for helping me jump off the diving board and embrace reusable menstrual products!
PS ~ there are no affiliate links in this review. I don’t wanna make money off of you guys!!!! ❤
(Updated March 27, 2019)
I’ve learned a fun “side effect” of blogging is sometimes people write you and offer to send you stuff if you’ll write a review. WHAT?!? Well, it happens. And I agree with it as long as the person or company understands that my review will be unbiased, and it may be negative. I’m gonna be honest!
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s happened again…and this time…with luuuuuube! Yes!!! And not just any lube…an all-natural lube created by a woman who HAS Endometriosis. Which, of course, makes me super duper happy to support our not-so-little Endo Community. And it’s called Chiavaye Personal Moisturizer.
Anyway, on with the review! (Mom…I know you’re reading this; you may want to turn away now or risk blushing!)
Back in early January, I received an email from Kaylyn Easton, who also has Stage IV Endometriosis. She was hoping to tackle the stigmas of female health and sexual activity and bring something positive and beneficial to our lives. And she has created an all-natural, chemical free, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, hypoallergenic, and edible (if that’s your thing) “personal moisturizer.”
I’m just gonna keep calling it a lube, but when you read the ingredients, you’ll come to understand why many customers also use it in other ways.
Okay, I’ll stop teasing and tell you what’s in it. You ready?
And…that’s it. I’m no doctor, but I’m not sure people with a nut allergy should use this. If you’re curious, you may want to email the company and ask…
I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of sexual lubricants. I’ve tried soooo many different ones and had yet to find one that myself and my partner both liked. “This one’s too sticky, this one’s stinky, this one wears off quickly, this one burns, this one gets chunky” – a whole gambit of negativity.
So, I had my doubts about Chiavaye just because I hadn’t been able to find a favorite lube before…and I still had yet to tell my husband any of this. So, the day it arrived, I tore open the package, rubbed a little on my finger and smooshed it around. Initial thoughts: It’s smooth, odorless, wasn’t sticky, and it tasted good. Chiavaye came in this beautiful, discreet little 5ml black bottle, so, I plopped it on my nightstand corner to well…corner…my unsuspecting husband later that evening.
But, alas, he wasn’t feeling well.
So, I wrote Ms. Easton and asked if it would be safe with toys. Her response? Basically, avoid latex condoms or toys. Oil-based anything will likely destroy any latex-based products, but luckily for me, I have a latex allergy and my favorite toy is silicon. Which led me to another question: can I use it with non-latex condoms? Yep. If you’re like me, this lube is safe with a non-latex condom. The hubby and I aren’t trying to make babies, so we still wrap up every time.
So, the next day I gave it a go solo. Again, I had my doubts. I few pumps of the clear lube onto the head of my toy, smooshed it around with a bit of flair, and (well, you don’t need to know the rest). Do know, however, that it was wonderful. Slick, smooth, warmed up quickly to my body temperature, never got sticky or glumpy. It was a wonderful experience. As usual, though, wash all your toys afterward! Ew…
It was a few weeks later before my husband and I were able to give the lube a human-to-human test. He had no idea it was coming. And the second I warmed a bit of lube in my hand and applied to…well, he and his Jimmy Hat, he instantly commented, “Ooooh, that’s a really good lube!” Again, sparing you the details of the act itself, I wasn’t disappointed. And neither was he! As we lay in bed aftward, he again commented on how much he liked the lube. I explained it was new, where it came from, and what it was made of. He’s never liked or commented positively on any of our prior lubes. And this one he couldn’t say enough about how much he enjoyed it.
About a week later, the opportunity presented itself once more. Hubba hubba! This time, though, instead of going in straight for the Deed itself, I wanted to treat him to a bit of a hand job (for lack of a better term? No offense intended to anyone). Again, he loved the lube, but the only issue I had with it was during the hand job the lube soaked into his…uh…um….(you know)…so I had to reapply it a few times. But once we moved on to the Horizontal Mambo, smooth as silk and never dried up.
Pairing this lube along with a few sexual positions that lessen the pain with penetration, sex is once more an enjoyable endeavor for me. And for us. And I cannot express how incredible that is. My old lubes are now in the trash…nasty glompy chemical sticky things.
Despite the fact that my husband’s flesh devours the lube during a hand job, the lube is fantastic! And I LOVE the fact that it’s all natural! We have enough going on with chemical exposure in our lives and if we can reduce it just by one little thing, it’s may help.
Don’t be afraid to check Chiavaye Lube out for yourself! She’s got several pages dedicated to the ingredients, testimonials, different uses, and her history. The small bottle (the one I have) is about $10. There’s a bigger bottle, but the wee-one has lasted us nearly 2 months, and we’re not even close to empty.
I’m so grateful to Kaylyn for reaching out to me and sending me the freebie bottle. Not only did I learn about an amazing product, but I get to support an EndoSister’s endeavors, and hope to spread the word to help others who may be looking for a good lubricant. And I’ll be more them in the future!
I’m hooked. My hubby’s hooked. We’re hooked! Thank you, Kaylyn, for making such a wonderful product! I hope that your Endometriosis Journey continues along a positive path.
Update March 28, 2019: we are still madly in love with this lube and keep it on stock in our house!
PS – these beautiful pictures were provided by Kaylyn at my request.
(Updated March 28, 2019)
Oh man. If you know me, you know I love my heating pads. I have an electric one by my bed, a microwaveable one for when I’m watching TV, another microwaveable one for work, and even those ones you stick on your clothes for discreet heat.
Well, in April I received an email from Babette, the President of Pelvic Pain Solutions (and fellow EndoSister), offering me a free sample of their EndoFEMM heating pads. If I liked it, I agreed I’d share about my experiences. First off, I thought “free sample” meant I’d be getting like a 3″x3″ square of it so I can take it for a test drive; nope – it was the entire EndoFEMM heating pad in all it’s “Paris Girl” glory! So, here I am today…which means I obviously liked it.
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Vuva-whata-what?
I found these little pink … things … back in October 2016 when I was experience A LOT of pain with sexual intercourse. I mean, a lot. I was desperate. After reading the reviews on how many others who use Vuva Magnetic Dilators had relief from painful sex, I was hooked. But…I also couldn’t afford to purchase the kit. And, let’s face it – I had my doubts about magnets in dilators (dildos?) helping me with anything.
So, I wrote the company. Tara, the creator and founder, immediately wrote me back. She, too, suffers from Endometriosis. She also suffers from Vulvodynia and said her magnetic dilators helped her tremendously with her vaginal and pelvic pain, especially with sex! AND – she offered to send me two dilators for free because she truly believed they would help and wanted to help other’s in pain.
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How do you feel about boasting to the world that you have Endometriosis? Want to shout it from the rooftops? Raise awareness any way you can?
Here’s your chance!
The Endometriosis Association is offering FREE “Ask Me About My Endo” yellow ribbons and encouraging everyone to wear them during March for Endometriosis Awareness Month. They’re also offering free Yellow Fliers you can pass out about Endometriosis. reach out to them for your own free goodies.
Yours, Lisa
Bloomin' Uterus 