Cottna

Hi my name is Alona, I am 50 and I live in the Galilee in northern Israel with my 3 teenage children. We live in Kammun with hill top views and are surrounded by nature.
In 2002, I finished a training course to become a teacher in The Alexander Technique. Our teacher often spoke to us about what used to be and what was today, these philosophical conversations deeply affected my outlook on life.
After moving to the Galilee, a friend told me about reusable menstrual cloth pads and suggested we try sewing them for ourselves and maybe try to sell them, I immediately jumped at the chance as it seemed such a logical, sensible and exciting idea.
Later on, when I started to sell, I realized that most women needed time to adjust to the idea of moving from disposable to reusable pads. It made sense to me because of my studies and also because for years I suffered from recurrent vaginal infections because of the use of antibiotics, and the disposable pads made things worse every time, so the idea of using natural materials made a lot of sense.
The first pads we made were made from toweling and a flannel shirt, we bought the snappers, and created our own pattern. We went out to look for fabrics and a seamstress. It took a while to get the business started, I was very busy with young children.
We finally set out to our first market and I was happily explaining to people the benefits of cloth pads and how they are chemical free when I was approached by a lady who explained that this wasn’t really true as regular cotton through farming to shelf carries a very heavy chemical burden, from farming chemicals, bleaching and dying, the chemicals used are very dangerous. The only way to be chemical free is to use organic grown and ecologically manufactured cotton.
Searching for organic cotton fabrics we came to a magical sewing workshop in a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley that had organic fabrics.
Through trial and error we created a new design that was easier to use, provided greater comfort and allowed for refolding to keep a dry side next to our skin and gave better absorbency.
Organic cotton, GOTS certified, is not only a healthier option for the world and is a product of Fair Trade standards but it is Softer, Stronger and More Absorbent than regular cotton, an absolute pleasure to use.
For years now I have been using cloth pads and I am constantly researching the topic, reading books and articles, talking to women, gynecologists, and doctors in Chinese medicine, homeopathy, constantly learning and broadening my understanding of the issues surrounding women and their menstrual health and all that this interconnects with,
I became deeply familiar with the world we live in and the connection between daily diet and emotional overload and how to find balance. I learned to identify and handle emotional processes, to identify the connection between menstruation and femininity and to discover menstruation as a healing tool.
Today I am involved in women's circles talking about the menstrual cycle and reusable pads, and guide women with the knowledge I have gathered over the years. I work out of a sense of commitment to convey the knowledge, experience and healing to many other women and girls.
My vision is to offer every woman the ability to connect lovingly to menstruation, femininity, life cycles, and the healing of the woman within her.