Supergreen Tampon

December 30, 2009 9:58 AM

Which would make a better tampon: natural sea sponge or natural cellulose sponge?

Considering long-ago concerns by the FDA about sea sponges as tampons, which is a "better" choice: a natural cellulose sponge or a natural sea sponge as a tampon? I have never tried either but want to for environmental reasons. However, I am concerned about possible infections/irritation/other issues I haven't even thought of yet.

posted by rabidsegue to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Consider moving away from tampons altogether and try menstrual cups.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:03 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Have you heard about divacup? They're reusable, so pretty green in that sense.
posted by smalls at 10:06 AM on December 30, 2009

I have never encountered anyone recommending the cellulose sponge. Many people swear by the sea sponge, which can be boiled without losing its structural integrity.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:12 AM on December 30, 2009

I know you're asking about sponges, but I will vouch for the cup. Very little potential for leaks, unlike with tampons and tampon replacements.
posted by ishotjr at 10:14 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Sea sponge tampons are widely used/available (well, within the community of women using alternative menstrual products, I mean), and I've never even seen a cellulose one either. A website I really, really like for a wide array of reusable menstrual products is Feminine Wear. It's based in the UK but ships internationally, provided that the product is not illegal in your country of origin (some types of menstrual cups can't be shipped to the US, for example). I am a cup convert as well (although I don't recommend the Divacup, I love the LadyCup and MeLuna).

Just in case, there's also this amazing guide put together by the LiveJournal menstrual_cups community about getting a cup for the first time.
posted by so_gracefully at 10:24 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've heard great things about the sea sponge tampons. I've read a few reviews that cellulose is more absorbent, but it seems to be the less common option.

The Divacup, though, is awesome.
posted by christinetheslp at 10:31 AM on December 30, 2009

I have used every conceivable method for period-catching including sponges and cups. Sea sponges worked fine for me but started leaking a bit faster than a disposable tampon or cup would. I mostly use the cup now and sometimes cloth pads.
posted by serazin at 12:17 PM on December 30, 2009

The cup changed my life. Seriously. I have to stop myself from going up to random tampon-buying girls at Walgreens and saying, "Ooooh, you could be soooooo much better offfffffffff..."
posted by Madamina at 1:01 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

I don't think either is safe unless you're boiling it or sanitizing it each time you squeeze it out. I know some people do this with "a drop" of tea tree oil. I don't know if any of those people have studies on whether a drop of tea tree oil in water actually kills staph bacteria deep inside a sponge. (Staph is a concern because of TSS.)

Also, sea sponges have had the opportunity to absorb whatever pollutants are in the place they were grown.

I've read a tip about using rolled up cotton baby socks as tampons. I'm not sure how well that would work in terms of absorbency, but it seems like it would be ideal from a sterilization point of view, and it would be easy to have many of them to rotate.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:42 PM on December 30, 2009

I've read a tip about using rolled up cotton baby socks as tampons. I'm not sure how well that would work in terms of absorbency, but it seems like it would be ideal from a sterilization point of view, and it would be easy to have many of them to rotate.

Except that conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop and is often bleached to whiteness to give the illusion of sterility.

Obviously, if you're using a reusable tampon/cup/whatever, you should research the best way to clean it. I see that the cellulose sponge you link to is listed as being good for exfoliation, however, and that makes me cringe a bit.
posted by runningwithscissors at 6:57 PM on December 30, 2009

I've only ever read about sea sponges used as tampons -- never cellulose sponges. I'd be very hesitant to use a cellulose sponge because of that, but it's possible that you've done more research than I have.

Cathy Leamy has a comic/pamphlet called "Greenblooded" that weighs the pros and cons of various options -- you may or may not need that, depending on how much you know already, but it's a good, informative read and very matter-of-fact and simple.

(Plenty of people here have recommended menstrual cups to you and they are great -- I have the U.S. Mooncup [made of silicon] and I've really liked it -- but they're not for everyone. They can be messy and you have to be pretty comfortable with yourself and your body to use them. That you're asking about sponge tampons make me think they're not for you. I'd go with the sea sponge, personally. But ultimately, my recommendation is to do your research and don't be afraid to try various options. I don't think one solution is right for every woman.)
posted by darksong at 7:50 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Except that conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop and is often bleached to whiteness to give the illusion of sterility.

So buy organic cotton [baby socks].

It's been a while since I've looked for reusable menstrual products, but apparently there are now people selling reusable cloth tampons, some of which are made from organic cotton.
posted by needs more cowbell at 8:22 PM on December 30, 2009

You could try perhaps the world's best superabsorbent, peat moss. It has been put into commercial feminine protection products. You would probably want some sort of encapsulation.
posted by caddis at 9:54 PM on December 30, 2009

Though you do need to pay more attention to leakage potential than with a tampon, sea sponges work great for me.
posted by RedEmma at 9:11 AM on January 1, 2010