Why more women are choosing reusable period care over tampons

About This Blog

Most people discover menstrual cups, discs, and leakproof underwear later than they wish they had. It is a common trajectory: they hear about them, feel unsure, and stick to the single-use products they know. Yet, those who do make the switch tend to say the same two phrases: this changed my life, and I wish I had tried it sooner. That exact gap in timing and awareness is precisely what the founders of Saalt set out to close.

In this episode of The Saalt Show, guest host Nathan Gwilliam sits down with Cherie and Jon Hoeger, the husband and wife team behind Saalt. They share how a phone call to family in Venezuela inpsired a women-owned B Corp, why they treat the brand as an education company first, and how a simple period cup can be the key to keep a girl in school.

Table of contents: What you will get · Quick answer · It started with a phone call · Saalt was built as an education company · Period poverty is the mission behind the brand · What makes a cup, disc, or pair of underwear work · Reusable period care is not just for your period · Talking about periods without shame · Common reasons people hesitate to try cups and discs · A simple 5-step plan to switch to reusable period care · FAQ · What you can take from Cherie and Jon's story

What you will get  

• Why reusable period care is becoming a definitive mainstream choice rather than a fringe alternative.

• How period poverty keeps girls out of school and how a single cup can change that

• A simple plan for switching to a cup, disc, or leakproof underwear with less guesswork

Quick answer  

Reusable period care means menstrual cups, discs, and leakproof underwear that you use for years instead of tampons or pads you throw away. People switch because these products are cleaner, more comfortable, more affordable over time, and better for the planet. The main hurdle is a short learning curve that eases with practice. Saalt built its whole brand around teaching people through that curve so they have success and stick with it.

It started with a phone call  

Cherie Hoeger was a writer and a mom of five when she called her aunt in Venezuela and learned that pads and tampons had been missing from store shelves for years. She thought of her own daughters and what she would do in that same situation. That sent her looking for reusable options that she could send to family, and along the way she found cups, discs, and period underwear for the first time. She was in her thirties and could not believe she was only now seeing them.

Her husband Jon was not an obvious fit for a period care company. When Cherie pitched the idea late one night, his first reaction was "a what?" He had never heard of a menstrual cup. But the more they looked into it, the stronger the case became, and they decided to build a version they could trust. Saalt launched in 2018 after 14 design rounds on the cup alone.

Saalt was built as an education company  

Cherie came from a technical writing background, so she knew that the questions people ask about cups and discs are normal. Is it gross? Is it too big? How will it fit? She had those questions herself, and it took her time to move off tampons. Her takeaway was simple. To get people to switch, you have to teach them, not just sell to them.

That is why Saalt puts so much into approachable packaging, plain language, and a community where people can ask questions. The brand started the Saalt Cup Academy years ago so people had a place to learn. Something surprising happened. Members started answering each other's questions even before the team could. The community became the teacher.

Period poverty is the mission behind the brand  

An estimated 500 million women and girls live in period poverty, meaning they lack access to safe and reliable period care. When girls hit puberty without it, many start missing school and then drop out. Some use rags, cardboard, or ash to get through their period week. Saalt became a certified B Corp in 2019 and donates 1% of all revenue to its give back mission. It has donated more than 160,000 products in 56 countries and funded over 1.3 million days of school for girls.

Cherie shared a moment that stays with her. A student in Kenya named Hillary was skeptical about a cup. After she tried it, she said that now that she uses it, she does not regret being a girl. For Cherie, that is the real product. She is not selling cups. She is selling freedom and dignity.

What makes a cup, disc, or pair of underwear work  

Saalt uses a first principles approach to product design. For the cup, the team bought every cup they could find, cut some in half to see how they were built, and handed the rest to women in their lives for feedback. They learned that a softer cup is not always more comfortable, since it can fold and feel like a sock bunched in your shoe. So the original cup uses a slightly firmer silicone that pops open and stays open. They changed the shape to a bulb so it would not collapse, and added a soft-flex stem with indentations instead of grippy tabs.

The leakproof underwear carries a utility patent for a textile stack that lets liquid pass through and still feels dry on top. Saalt also made an early call to leave PFAS chemicals out of the underwear. When the first prototypes came back with raised PFAS levels, the team delayed launch by six months and reformulated to ensure that PFAS was never used in the Saalt Wear manufacturing process. Years later, class action lawsuits hit other brands over PFAS, and reinforced that decision as the right one.

Reusable period care is not just for your period  

Female bodies leak at every stage of life. Beyond periods, there is daily wetness, sweat, discharge around ovulation, postpartum bleeding, and bladder leaks. Saalt points out that many people who think they do not need leakproof underwear change their mind once they realize it also helps with the little leaks from a sneeze or a laugh. That is why the founders see absorbency in everyday underwear as something more people will expect over time.

Talking about periods without shame  

One of the biggest barriers to open conversations about periods is shame. Cherie and Jon believe you get to set the tone. If you talk about periods in hushed tones, the person across from you mirrors that. If you talk about them plainly, they relax. Jon, a dad of five girls, has watched rooms full of bankers and lawyers shift in their seats when he says he works in period care, then lean in once he explains the mission. Setting an open tone is the lesson this whole show is built on.

Common reasons people hesitate to try cups and discs  

It seems hard to use. Most people expect a steep learning curve. Cherie says it took her some time to master the cup, too, and it quickly eases with practice.

It looks too big. Discs and cups fold for insertion, and when folded, aren't much bigger than a tampon. The size question is the most common one Saalt hears, and it fades fast with experience.

I am worried it will leak in public. This is the top fear in the customer journey. A trusted recommendation and the right product for your flow are what move most people past it.

It feels like a fringe product. Reusables are still newer in the United States, so this is fair. That is exactly why the founders treat the brand as an education company. But while reusables are newer, millions of people are making th switch and never looking back.

A simple 5-step plan to switch to reusable period care  

Step 1: Pick your starting product. A firmer cup is a good first cup, a high-capacity disc suits heavier flows, and leakproof underwear is the easiest place to begin. Step 2: Expect a short learning curve and treat your first cycles as practice, not a pass or fail test. Step 3: Practice insertion and removal at home first, so your first day out feels familiar. Step 4: Keep a backup. Many people keep one cup in a bag and one in the car so they are never caught out. Step 5: Ask questions in a community. Other users have answered almost every question you will have.

FAQ  

Are menstrual cups and discs hard to learn? There is a learning curve, and it eases with practice. Even Saalt's co-founder says it took her some time to move off tampons, so a short adjustment period is normal and not a sign it is wrong for you.

How long does a menstrual cup last? A quality cup can last for years, which is why people keep one in a bag and one in the car and stop buying disposables.

Is leakproof underwear only for periods? No. It also helps with bladder leaks, daily wetness, and postpartum bleeding, so many people wear it on non-period days too.

What is period poverty? It is a lack of access to safe and reliable period care, which keeps many girls out of school and women out of work. A single cup or pair of underwear can change that.

Does reusable period care really work for period poverty programs? Yes, especially when it is paired with education. Saalt works with partners who have staff on the ground and reports a high success rate across the countries it serves.

What you can take from Cherie and Jon's story  

Cherie and Jon started with zero experience in silicone molding or apparel and built a brand that now sits on shelves at Target and donates around the world. Their advice is to question the way things have always been done, talk about hard topics without shame, and go after the life you daydream about. If this resonates, listen to the full conversation on The Saalt Show at saaltshow.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Key takeaways  

• Try reusable period care before you rule it out, because most people who switch say they wish they had done it sooner.

• Expect a learning curve when you switch to a cup or disc, because even Saalt's co-founder says it took her time to move off tampons, and it eases with practice.

• Talk about periods in a plain, matter-of-fact way, because the tone you set is the tone the people around you mirror back.

• Look at leakproof underwear for everyday leaks too, because bladder leaks, sweat, and daily wetness are part of life at every age.

• Match the product to your body and your flow, because a firmer or softer cup, a high-capacity disc, and leakproof underwear each solve a different need.

• Remember that period poverty keeps girls out of school, but a single cup or pair of underwear can keep them learning.

• Choose period products made without PFAS chemicals, because those forever chemicals build up in the body over time.

• Question the way things have always been done, because the best products come from asking the so-called dumb questions.

• Go after the life you daydream about, because chasing that vision is how Cherie and Jon turned an idea into a brand.

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