These Bloggers Will Make You Want to Switch Your Tampons With Sea Sponges

When you’re on your period — otherwise known as crying into a puddle of melted chocolate ice cream — the last thing you want to do is deal with any extra discomfort thanks to hard-to-use period supplies. Tamsin of Eco Fluffy Mama loves sea sponges as a cozy, green option for her period. “I really love my sponge,” Tamsin says. “I never have a problem getting it in, and find it a great alternative to cups, especially when I’m really crampy, and sensitive.” Many who are new to sea sponge tampons worry about discomfort. Tamsin says, “Once it was in, I couldn’t feel it at all. No pressure on my bladder either, which I worried about due to size.” Even with a larger sponge, you shouldn’t feel a thing.

Sea Sponges Will Save You Money

For sure one of the most annoying things we spend money on is pads and tampons. There are so much more fun things that we could spend that ten bucks on. Lucky for us, sea sponges are reusable. Trisha of Momma T and Family did the math, and it’s a pretty huge difference. “When you break it down, [sea sponge tampons] are really cheap! I spend about $8 on a box of tampons and that lasts for one month, so $8 times 12 months is a whopping $96! Now, take that $96 and compare it to the $15 for your sea sponges that can be used for up to 6 months.”

You Can Use (and Reuse!) Sea Sponges With Ease

While we all want to save the planet, some of us are intimidated by the ever-popular menstrual cup. Thankfully, sea sponges are easy to work with and have less of a learning curve than cups. Heather of The Hippie Gardener says, “They are easier to get used to than the cups since you don’t have to get them positioned just right. They are perfect for someone who wants to ease into using reusable menstrual products but is a little intimidated by the cups.”

Sea Sponges Are Perfect for Travel

If you’re planning a hike or a camping trip, you’ll be glad to hear that sea sponges can make dealing with your period on the road much easier. Brooke of Her Packing List highly recommends them. Why? They’re easy to clean, even if you don’t have access to running water. “You can clean them with water mixed with sea salt, water and apple cider vinegar, water and tea tree, baking soda or even heavily diluted peroxide,” Brooke says. “I personally clean mine with heavily diluted peroxide, as I usually have a small bottle of peroxide in the travel first aid kit.” The added bonus of using sea sponges while traveling on your period? No trash. You don’t have to come up with a way to store traditional pads or tampons, which can get pretty gross pretty quickly. Long story short, there are tons of products you’ll already have on hand that you can use to disinfect.

Um, You’ll Have a Happier Period

Many users of sea sponge tampons and other natural alternatives say that they can actually lead to much happier periods. Marjorie Rhea of Adventures in Nutritional Therapy tried out sea sponges for six months and ended up being a pretty huge fan. “I was intrigued by accounts of women whose heavy periods became much lighter and shorter after several months on the sponge,” Majorie says. “Some believe that the chemicals used in commercial tampons and pads, [while] designed to make them more absorbent, actually go overboard and start drawing too much fluid from your body.” Sayonara, bleach. (Photo via The Period Store)

Here’s Where to Buy:

Black Sheep Soap Company Large Sea Sponges ($16): The great thing about sea sponges is that you can cut them down to the right shape for your body. Be sure to disinfect before use!

Holy Sponge Moon Kit ($20): This starter kit includes exactly what you need to make the jump from traditional tampons to sea sponges. It even includes hand-picked California white sage or lavender for a nice, relaxing bath.

Have you given sea sponges a try? Share your advice in the comments!