One mother's business venture to help normalise the conversation around periods

With OhFlo gift boxes she hopes to help girls become comfortable when talking about periods. Photo / Supplied

When young girls experience their period for the first time, they may feel frightened and embarrassed.

However, mother Emily Gardiner says it is a time in a young girl's life which should be celebrated.

She is so passionate about empowering young girls she has created a business called OhFlo.

Gardiner is a mother of three, one son and two girls who are just 10 months apart, and said her two daughters experienced their first period not long after each other.

Her youngest daughter got her period first, while she was still at primary and Gardiner told the Herald that because of her period, her daughter did not want to go to school.

OhFlo boxes include sweets hygiene and sanitary products. Photo / Supplied

She mentions that her daughter was not educated at the time as she was in primary and felt embarrassed.

"She didn't want to go to school because there was one bathroom that had a sanitary bin and if you used that bathroom then everyone sort of knew."

Gardiner says at the time of her first period she was very young and was so embarrassed she did not want to tell her mother

Emily says she got the business idea earlier in the year as her daughters experienced their first periods around the same time.

To celebrate with her daughters, Gardiner created a gift box which she says she filled with "lots of goodies".

"I was like really happy about it, I wanted to celebrate it but it's not something we can easily talk about."

Gardiner said she wanted her two daughters to feel loved during this often scary time for young girls.

"I just wanted to give them the love and support that I wish that I had got when I got my period for the first time and I just realised that there's not really anything out there that supports young women through that time in their life."

Emily Gardiner is a mother of three, she has two girls and a younger son. Photo / Supplied

Although disruptions caused by Covid-19 put her business idea to the "back burner" a few days ago Gardiner shared her business on a Facebook group called Chooice.

Chooice is a Facebook group where small New Zealand businesses can share their products and business ventures to the public.

She said she received a lot of support and feedback from people suggesting to include sustainable menstrual products such as reusable pads and moon cups.

In an OhFlo gift box, recipients receive sanitary products, sweets, skincare and a lot more goodies.

Although most women go through menstruation, Gardiner told the Herald she believes there is some stigma around talking about periods.

Although she does acknowledge some cultures view it as a sacred thing which some women wish to keep private.

However, she hopes these boxes will help young girls talk about periods and feel conformable with it.

"I hope it creates a talking point. I hope it makes girls feel more comfortable about themselves, knowing that you're not alone; every woman goes through this at some stage in their life."

Gardiner has also created smaller gift boxes which she has left in public toilets in hopes that it will reach girls in need.

She has many aspirations for the future of OhFlo, including gifting OhFlo boxes to high schools.