As told by Rachel Axis Taane Tinorau.
As a sufferer of endometriosis, over the years I have paid more attention to what chemicals and products disrupt our hormones and can cause my endo flare ups. As I looked into it more, it blew me away how many everyday products contain endocrine disrupters, chemical compounds that interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system.
It's nearly impossible to completely avoid all endocrine disrupters, but this doesn't stop us from making more conscious decisions about what we use, internally or externally.
Having endometriosis means my sex life can be painful. Depending on what my endometriosis is up to, sex can put me into days of pain, bleeding and bloating.
I ran out of Come Clean lube a couple of months ago, so I used a standard lube from the drawer, the kind full of chemicals. It may be coincidence, but when I was using Come Clean, which has no stickiness, no smell, and feels like our natural lube, I had no flare ups after sex or masturbation. That's because Come Clean is all natural, water based, pH balanced, vegan, and made in beautiful Aotearoa.
No shame
Another thing I love is that Come Clean is marketed beautifully. It's not marketed to promote that sexual pleasure is for men, as we so often see. It's eco friendly, cruelty free, and supports a sex-positive, pleasurable life.
It's important to appreciate healthy, happy, sex-positive behaviour, because this is also sexual violence prevention. Being able to talk about sex, consent and masturbation, and normalising products that encourage a healthy sex life, opens up a space for people to talk comfortably. Consensual, fun, healthy sex should be celebrated and discussed without shame.