Not Just for The Toilet: What to do With Your Period Blood

We all have our own unique relationships with our periods. Periods can be painful, messy, funny, confusing, really the list of feelings people have towards their periods is infinite. 

Using a menstrual cup gives you the special opportunity to interact with your blood in ways you aren’t able to with other period products. With a cup, you get to see just how much blood comes out of you, its consistency, and its color.

What a cool look into the inner workings of your body! Hot tip – monitoring the consistency of your blood can give you helpful insights about your overall health. 

Typically your course of action when it comes to cleaning out your menstrual cup, starts with dumping your menses in the toilet. 

Not so fast! 

If you’re up for it, we’ve got a little moon magic challenge for you…keep the blood! Not forever of course, but your valuable blood that your body works so hard to make can be used for a variety of projects. 

Don’t click away yet, unless you’re weary of blood – we get it. But if you’re game, try out this list of helpful things you can do with your period blood. Before you flush it down the drain!

Garden Growth

Treat your plant babies right by giving them a healthy dose of one of the best fertilizers this earth has to offer.

Your menses is full of wonderful components like iron, calcium, phosphate, proteins, and more! The most vital of these ingredients that help make healthy, happy plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. 

To do it yourself, when it’s your time of the month, take your full cup and mix it with one part blood to nine parts water. In a watering can or glass that you don’t mind having your blood in of course. You can take it from here – water and bless those plant babies up!

You don’t want to overdo this potent plant medicine. Even if you live with other people who menstruate, this really only needs to be done once a month or so. 

Straight from your body and back to the ground. Now that’s the circle of life.

Arty Party

You know that beautiful deep red color? Use that incredible pigment to let your artistic juices flow. While we’re not sure about the staying power of using period blood for art projects, the practice of it will be sure to leave you feeling empowered and inspired. 

What sort of projects you say?

You can grab a stretched canvas or heavy-duty multi-medium paper as your base. Set aside special brushes that can be your designated period brushes. Do what you do to remove your cup, and have it on your blank slate!

The blood can be used on its own. You can try mixing it with different acrylic mediums or lighter paints to see how that changes its consistency. You can even try a marbling project, by filling a baking pan with water and dripping your blood into it, then dip your canvas into the water face down, and watch the swirly effects. 

If you really want to go for it, you don’t need a canvas to make your art, you can try body painting! Give it a go, and see just what magic you can make.

Fresh Facial

Speaking of body painting, one trend you may have seen circulating around the internet is that of period facials. 

Theoretically, those same properties that are so nourishing to your plants, may have similar effects when used on your skin. 

If you’re ready to go for it, you can do a quick exfoliation, followed by facial steam, then gently paint your blood on your face, and leave on for ten to twenty minutes. 

Be sure to thoroughly rinse off, and follow with your favorite moisturizer. Voila!

Disclaimer, there are no scientific studies to back this up, so do it at your own risk. If you have an STI or STD like Herpes Simplex Virus, there may be a slight possibility of transferring that to your face. While the odds of this seem incredibly low, it is something to keep in mind!

Lube it Up

We all have our own feelings and approaches to period sex. If you and your partner are comfortable with it, you can try using your blood as an empowering, self made lubricant. 

While this may be something that you already do, you can try to make it more intentional, by making a point to use your blood in new and novel ways. 

As female-bodied people, we are so often told to be ashamed of our bodies and periods. Intentionally using your blood during sex, without the fear of getting messy, is an incredibl way to take back your power and honor your body. Of course, this can be done with a partner, or while you’re having solo sex.

Instead of going to wash up right away, you can take your time to observe the beauty of your painted up bodies from the river that flows forth from your womb. 

Happy Period-ing!