Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Note: When I bought these, I had never used a tampon without an applicator before. I also have a tiny, tiny vagina. If neither of these apply to you, or if you are an old pro at tampon alternatives, then all I will say is that this is a great product and you should buy it. If you are like me, then read on. I was very excited about the product initially, because I was sick of spending SO much money on traditional tampons every month and having to worry about TSS, plus the scary news that tampons can cause cancer and endometriosis, not to mention drying out your vagina and throwing your pH out of whack down there. Sea sponge tampons definitely sound great in light of all these facts. And they are! You can use them for several cycles so they're way more eco- and budget-friendly. But be warned, putting them in and out can be extremely difficult. They make it sound like no big deal when you read the product literature. I've inserted the sea sponge tampons maybe 6 or 7 times now, and every time, it is extremely traumatic. Some women might feel great about shoving half her hand up her vag, but I didn't. Plus the sea sponge tampons scratched the surface of my vagina, causing discomfort for days. I literally had to go back to pads for a little while, something I swore I would never do. The instructions do say you can add a little bit of lubricant to make them go in better, but after doing that several times, I found that the lubricant stayed on the sponge and decreased the absorbency a whole lot. Now let's talk about getting the suckers OUT. The instructions say you can sew some dental floss for easy removal. YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY DO THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU WEAR THEM, unless you like putting your whole hand up there. I almost had to go to the ER the first time I wore one because I could NOT get it out. Again, if you have a larger vagina it might be fine, but if you're used to using teeny tiny super-light tampons with nice long braids at the end, USE THE FLOSS. The last important thing to note is that, while the instructions say you can trim the sponge as long as you maintain the original shape, DO NOT TRIM IT TOO MUCH. If you trim it too much, the tampon will leak, and you will just have wasted time, money, and effort. If you can make it through the rocky beginning and learn how to use these, then you will be doing the planet and your body a huge favor. This is a great product from a great company that harvests the sponges in a sustainable manner and doesn't expect you to fork over $10 every single month just because you're a female.