JADE & PEARL SPO Sea Sponges, 12 FZ

I can't rave about this product enough! As someone who has been searching and searching for the perfect 'green' alternative to traditional pads and tampons, I have finally found my desert oasis. I tried, struggled, and ultimately failed with the Diva Cup (both sizes), which was first recommended to me by a friend. Either because I simply couldn't insert it correctly or because my body shape just didn't mesh well with the material and/or size of the DivaCup, I begrudgingly switched back to tampons and pads. My 'green' journey next brought me to cloth pads, which I ended up loving...which then brought me to Sea Pearls sponge tampons. I initially found out about this product via Amazon, and was skeptical at first--"Wait--I put a sea sponge inside me?!" But after I did a little reading and watched a few YouTube videos, I decided to give them a whirl. And I have never been more pleased! Sea sponge tampons are an excellent alternative to regular cotton-based tampons, which contribute to our environmental footprint and contain all sorts of harmful chemicals and dyes. Personally, I was searching for a product that could be re-used easily and safely, without the harmful chemicals and without leaving a huge eco-footprint. Although other reviews I'd read indicated that insertion can be a bit interesting, I have yet to have any issues with inserting my Sea Sponges. The manufacturer recommends sewing some dental floss to your sponges to simulate a string for easy removal, but this has not been necessary for me. As long as you relax your muscles and scrunch up the sponges before inserting them, they go in easily. The only downfall to this product is that there is not much lee-way if you let your sponge get too full. I've noticed that if I don't empty my sponge often enough on my heavy days, I may need to wear a light panty liner as there could be some drippage during removal. With that said, if you are diligent in your rinsing, there will be no leakage issues. If you are queasy at the idea of touching your own menstrual blood, this is not a product for you. You will notice an iron scent which you're rinsing your sponge, but this is natural and usually suppressed when you use traditional tampons. I simply rinse my sponge in hot water before re-inserting, and go about my merry way. I carry an extra sponge and a plastic bag in my purse if I'm not at home. I've noticed that I have become much more comfortable with my body and its functions since switching to this product. I am more in touch with my body and my cycle than before. I've been using my Sea Pearls for three cycles now, and I'm pleased to say that I've used maybe one or two disposable pantiliners at most--and that was only because I didn't have any clean re-usable pads available! I highly recommend this product to women of all ages who are looking for an environmentally friendly product that is re-usable, easy to use, and extremely comfortable!

I wish I had found these sooner! They are so much more comfortable than a tampon, better for the environment, cheaper, and better. They seem able to absorb more than a super tampon and I had zero leaks even on my heavy days when I would usually use supers. There is no leaking or red smudges when I pee either. And removing it was very easy (though you need to be comfortable getting up in there to pull it out, which might be harder for a young girl), and could also be made easier by threading floss through it if you wanted to. No splashing or spotting on removal. Rinsing and reinserting was very easy too. I also really appreciated that the pack came with two slightly different sizes. Having had a baby last year I assumed I would need the bigger size but I tried out the smaller one and actually found it much more comfortable, so I was able to easily trim the bigger one down to a size I liked. I will definitely be using these going forward.

Since I am unable to use tampons, due to the painful flare-ups of endometriosis and sensitivities, I ventured out for more natural and sustainable alternatives. I chose to give Sea Pearls a try, as an alternative to tampons. I appreciate the idea that these don't "absorb" the way tampons do, are natural, sustainably collected, reusable and contain no dioxins. The instructions to Sea Pearls are very helpful. I also liked how they recommended to sew a cotton string to the bottom of the sponge for added convenience (as an option). I chose to do this right away. At first, these sponges look a bit odd and even large. Once you clean them the first time (I cleaned mine right away, even though they say these are cleaned and sanitized) and while the sponge is wet, it's very easy to insert (as per the directions). These natural sponges are very comfortable, and I didn't experience the additional pain I usually do with tampons. I found the larger sponge to hold about as much as a regular sized tampon, without issues. The smaller sponge works great for lighter days. I didn't experience any leakage, but I still used a panty liner, just in case. I am really liking Sea Pearls. For being a reusable feminine product, they are rather convenient and easy to remove. Cleaning takes a bit of getting use to, but it is actually rather easy. I would recommend.