VERTE - Natural Products

11/08/2018

Are you using Vaseline?
Think again...

You probably have a jar of Vaseline buried somewhere in your medicine cabinet. Millions of people swear by it as a remedy for chapped lips, congestion, diaper rash and dry skin. Unfortunately, the popular product is more harmful than many realize. What Is Petroleum Jelly? Petroleum jelly, commonly k...

14/07/2018

Want to do the switch but wasn't sure which cup will suit you?
Fill in the form an d I will get back to you with great options :-)

Please answer a few questions to make it easier for us to find the best menstrual cup for you.

13/07/2018

Important post!! Please read and share!

Last week I was banned from a particular page that advertises cheap menstrual cups because I enquired where the cups are manufactured and they refused to say.
When I posted a link to the direct company they bought from (Chinese...) they banned me.
Another supplier approached me asking me to be a retailer of their menstrual cups and believe me - the price is LOW (about $0.5 per cup) and I refused.

China offers you "branding" options for your cup- give it a nice name and off you go...
I refused that too.
It's so simple and tempting and all the money I could save on the cups I could invest in one hell of a marketing ...but I refused.

Why? because I care.

Why not buy these cheaper cups?

Quality:

* Often the quality is lower than brand name cups.
* May have: bent stems, rough seams/edges, weird smells, poorly perforated holes, may use industrial quality silicone over medical grade silicone, may use plastic or rubber rather than silicone, true material content unknown, could fall apart

Safety:

* Cups may claim to be FDA approved, but are not (Some may have certification), may not go through much, if any, testing, design/construction process nonexistent or unknown, material content unknown, including dyes used, cheaper/low quality additives may be used in place of good materials, may have no or unclear instructions, often no websites to contact if issues arise.

Ethical:
* Shady business practices/somewhat illegal, design features are stolen from other companies (illegal), instructions are often stolen from other companies (illegal).

* Why not support the companies who have done the original research & testing?

What can you do?
* Buy from notable companies; Look for active websites, pages, and reviews

* If you own a knockoff, you can do a burn test on it to check for material content

* Research! Know the names of popular companies. If you don't recognize one, ask!

* Ask questions and spread the word! Keep an eye out for others by sharing the knowledge you have about these cups.

* Buy from well known retailers.

In the photos a few menstrual cups that I have taken off the Chinese website: https://pro-health.en.made-in-china.com/product/MNixgmnAOIhj/China-High-Quality-Medical-Silicone-Menstrual-Cup-Period-Cup.html

21/06/2018

Cup review!

Today I will be reviewing the BiddyKins.

Let’s start with how it was delivered. It was in its pouch with instructions inside and that’s it. The instructions were very basic and generic, without any indication that it is a “foldable” cup which has its own uniqueness. The instructions were full of grammar mistakes and have a blank space for the brand stamp which makes me question the quality of this brand, where it comes from, as well as safety and other issues which for me are very important.

I tried to search their website for more information and sadly, I still have no idea regarding sizes, capacity, where it is designed, manufactured or any other information that a reliable, reputable brand would make available. From their website, it looks like there is only one size.

No measurements were available anywhere, so I measured it myself. The outer diameter is 43 mm and the inner diameter is 37 mm. The length to the stem is 50 mm, the stem itself is 16 mm and the cup has a capacity of about 20 ml. The website mentioned that there is FDA approval.

It is soft cup that is foldable, meaning you can fold it (see photos) and it is a fairly small cup. However, it isn't that easy to fold it back properly.

Insertion:
The fact that it is a soft and foldable cup are factors that don’t work well for this cup. I used the punch down fold and the “ribs” of the cup were sticking out a bit, so I had to make sure they are smooth so it won’t hurt me. When I inserted it, it didn’t pop up immediately which is fine for any other cup, BUT when we talk about a cup that folds, it started to fold inside of me and got squashed, so I had to take it out and try again. It took me, and I consider myself quite an experienced cup user, about 2 tries every time I tried.
It is really small cup and my cervix is quite high, so I had to be a bit of an acrobat to remove it.

Removing was ok though.

I must say that I am not a fan of this cup and I really think that people who sell intimate products like this should be more mindful about what is good for our body, what works well and to have some standards and care about the quality.

20/06/2018

When I arrived to SA, almost 6 years ago I was the only one who was making natural deodorants (at least I haven't seen any). Since then, I see many brands are popping and I feel so happy that change is in the air!

Thank you all for being part of it :-)

Please visit my shop and choose your fragrance: ronamirimi.co.za

04/04/2018

New review!!
I must admit that writing this review was a bit challenging for me.
One of my main principles in doing these reviews was not to compare cups, but this time I found it a bit difficult.

Today I am reviewing the Princess D.

I would like to say that according to their website, the owners of this brand are doing wonderful work!

I love the fact that Caster Semenya gave her name, face and energy to this brand. She is such an inspiration to many people and I am sure so many young people can find something to identify with her unique story, battles and successes.

A note to the owners, I think this can be taken even further. There are other society issues to address also, maybe to gender issues, to people with a va**na and cervix that might need more info and more accessibility to those types of products.

Now for the review…

The Princess D menstrual cup comes with a sterilizing cup that is foldable and looks like a thin disk. Now, I assume it is for the microwave. It is not written anywhere that I could see on how to use it. I placed my cup in, filled it with water, closed with the lid and put in the microwave. After a few minutes, the lid popped off from the base. I opened the microwave, reached in to take the sterilizing cup out and the boiling water dropped on my hand. Why? The sterilizing cup is made from a very flexible material, but I’m not sure which one it is. This is something to bear in mind. What kind of material is it? Can it leak the water when boiling it? Can it stick to the cup? When you try to hold it, due its flexibility, the water comes out of it. Maybe it needs some lines inside, a warning, instructions – all of these will be great.

Regarding the menstrual cup itself, I was amazed. I reviewed a cup that looks exactly like it a few months ago. I put these two cups together to understand what the differences are. Besides the colours, the Princess D is pale pink and the other a darker pink-purple, I couldn’t find any differences whatsoever. They are the same size, same capacity, have the same lines on the stem, the same stem, the same lines on the bottom, the same stiffness and the same writing on the cup (this can be seen in the photos). They are absolutely identical!

According to their instructions:
The small cup holds up to 15ml and is suitable for girls and women from 10 - 30 years of age, and those with a light flow.
The large cup holds up to 20ml and is suitable for women over 30 years of age, and those with a heavy flow.

With all the respect to the brand and its achievements – 20ml is a medium flow.

My experience with this cup wasn’t too bad. I had to help it pop open, which is ok for me, but this time, with this cup, which didn’t happen with the similar one, the stem was disturbing me. I guess I placed the cup with the stem in a horizontal position. I had lots of cramps this cycle and the position of the stem bothered me so much that I had to remove it after a few hours. The removal was also ok and luckily my flow is light to medium, so I had no leaks. I inserted another cup I have and the cramps reduced a lot. I still had them, but they were less painful.

To sum it up, it is written that the silicone has FDA approval which is great and the experience was ok in total. You need to keep in mind how to position the stem so it does not bother you and if you have a medium to heavy flow, I’m not sure that this cup will suit you.

Princess D is P.D in the photos.

29/03/2018

With our location confirmed Shop Zero and guest speaker Rona Mirimi YOU BETTER BOOK NOW before seats run out :)

BE THERE for the Waste-Less woman and mama workshop

7th April
9am-11am
Shop Zero, Woodstock

Faithful-To-Nature.co.zaPokkelokkie FancyPants Bam+Boo Baby Cloth Nappies and Products alternatives

13/02/2018

Cup Review!

Today’s review will be about the Goddess Cup.

Some history (her-story?) of this cup: in its first round, this cup was called MyOwnCup. Originally the reason to develop this cup was very good – it was to keep girls in school. Sell them for cheap and help the girls. Slowly the developers noticed that girls started to share it between them without proper sterilizing and that is how the cup got its original name. I am not sure what happened since and why the name has changed, but now it is called Goddess Cup.

To learn about the Goddess Cup, I had to check a few websites to gather the information. The instructions that came with the cup are only about folding, cleaning and the generic advantages of using a menstrual cup.

The Goddess Cup lasts up to 5 years. I can’t really tell you what it is made of. I can only tell what it is not made of: “The medical grade, non-absorbent material does not contain any silicone, proteins, PVC, latex, bleach, deodorant or absorbing gels…” (from MyOwnCup website).

On their website, I couldn’t find the different sizes and capacity, so I went to the website that I ordered it from, which was Faithful to Nature. Here is where I found out that there are 3 sizes:

Small size for light flow, with a 20 ml capacity, a diameter of 39 mm and length of 60 mm.

Medium is for medium flow, with a 25 ml capacity, a diameter of 46.6 mm and length of 70 mm.

Large is for heavy flow, with a 30 ml capacity, a diameter of 46.6 mm and length of 72 mm.

Its shape is long, the rim is really bold and the stem is really short.

The website mentions that it has FDA approval, but I couldn’t find out where it is manufactured. I have sent them an e-mail asking them this information and once I have the answer, I will post it.

My experience with it:

I had the Goddess Medium and started to use it on the first day of my period. I must admit that not knowing which material I am putting into my body kind of bothered me and after a few hours I had to take it out because it started to irritate my va**na. I felt more cramps and a bit of itchiness. Inserting was ok. I kept feeling it inside and I guess this was because of the rim which is very chunky and bold. The body itself is quite narrow. Removing it was a different story! I tried to hold it at the bottom to pinch it, but my fingers couldn’t hold the cup because the material was so slippery! I couldn’t hold it! I had to do what I never do and that is to pull a bit from the very short stem. The rim hurt me a bit while pulling it out.

I tried it again the next day and had the same experience as before. After about an hour and a half, I took it out. If I must sum it up, I didn’t like using it at all.

Last thing to mention: a few months ago, I made a package for the project “Keeping Girls in School” and I have asked women who have anything to contribute for that project to send to me. I got 4 cups that were second-hand and sterilized. 4 out of 4 were the Goddess Cup.

01/02/2018

Always wanted a menstrual cup but wasn't sure which one to buy?

I am making it simple for you :-)

Fill in the form and will get back to you.

Please answer a few questions to make it easier for us to find the best menstrual cup for you.

22/01/2018

Today’s review is on a very unique menstrual cup called the Merula.

What is so unique about it? Its shape. It doesn’t come in sizes; there is one size and no matter what the height of your cervix is, it will fit you due to its shape.

Let’s start at the beginning.

It is designed and manufactured in Germany, made of medical grade silicone and has FDA approval and also meets the EU health requires. It comes in 6 different colours: ice (clear), sun (yellow), apple (green), strawberry (red), mermaid (blue) and midnight (black).

I tried the ice of course.

As you can see, its design is different from all the cups we know. It has a ball shape while most of the cups have a bell shape and its size is very small. The body of the cup is 39 mm and it has a ladder instead of a stem. If your cervix is lower, you can cut the steps of the ladder until it is comfortable for you. If your cervix is really low, then you trim the whole ladder and stay with the body itself.

The capacity of the cup due to its shape is a large 38 ml, so if you have a low cervix and heavy flow, this cup is perfect for you!

In terms of firmness, it is on the stiffer side of the scale.

Dimensions:

The body is 39 mm. With one step of the ladder it is 50 mm, 2 steps make it 61 mm and 3 steps make it 72 mm in length.

Inserting it was a bit tricky at first. I wasn’t sure which fold to use. I tried the 7 fold and it didn’t work well due to its shape. I then tried the punch down fold which worked very well. I had to help it to pop open which is not uncommon to cups, no matter how stiff or soft they are, by popping it with my finger. I was a bit worried about this ladder and how it will feel inside, but surprisingly it was fine.

I tried it on the second day of my period where everything is a bit sensitive and I felt some pressure against my va**nal walls. I prefer soft cups in general and I guess that because of its shape, I felt the urge to urinate quite soon. After a couple of hours, I had to take it out because of that feeling.

I tried not to use the ladder when I removed the cup to feel how women with a low cervix will use it if they trim the ladder completely. Again, the cup surprised me and it was really easy.

I decided to try it the following day and see if I would get the same feeling. This time, the pressure was better and I used it the whole day with no issues.

Who would I recommend this cup to? It is for women with a low cervix and women with heavy bleeding can also benefit from this cup.

I have decided to stock this cup so I will be able to give the best options I can to every woman.

10/01/2018

Who comes? Such a great event! (I will be there with my products)

Here our founders and speakers who will be pampering and spoiling you while sharing pearls of wisdom on Saturday : urogynaecologist - Dr Pieter Kruger, Pelvic floor physiotherapist Annegret Wilsdorf - Personal Transformation Coach - Anni Newham owner of VERTI - Natural Products - Rona Gutistineau - Life coach and work/ life Strategist - Sarah Scholtz - Founders - sisters : Shirley Boerssen and Janet Kimmel.... we are all gearing up and prepping hard to treat and spoil everyone this Saturday Jan 13- Tickets available online until midnight Friday Jan 12. Get yours today to join in the fun 💃🏻💓💅🏃🏻‍♀️

09/01/2018

Want a menstrual cup but don't know which one? This form will help us figure out which is best for you and for your lifestyle.

Fill it in and I will get back to you.

Feel free to ask any questions :-)

Please answer a few questions to make it easier for us to find the best menstrual cup for you.