I'm trying to find a brand of tampons I like best and I've figured out that I prefer a certain shape once the tampon has expanded, but it's hard to find definitive information online about which brands expand in which shape. And I'm trying to avoid having to buy a bunch of different brands to try, realizing I don't like some of them, and then having lots of leftover tampons I don't like.
So I thought maybe crowdsourcing some info from you all would work. For reference, I'm in the US so it should be something that's available here. I prefer full size plastic applicators, not the compact type. It doesn't really matter to me if it's an organic brand or not. TL;DR at the end.
So far, I've tried 4 brands and have figured out some stuff about what I do and don't like:
- Tampax pearl: I sort of like it, but maybe there's something better out there? It expands widthwise in a wing shape, or kind of like a book opening, so it's a bit more rectangular/flat once expanded. They are shorter and wider once expanded than the August brand tampons described below.
- August: this is a newer organic brand that I saw at Target. So far, it's my favorite of the 4 but it's pretty expensive compared to other brands. What I like about this brand is that it has good applicators, and the tampons open in a wing shape similar to what I described for Tampax pearl. But the August tampons seem like they also expand in length and/or maybe are longer to start with?, so they're longer and thinner upon removal and that's more comfortable to me.
- Playtex Sport: dislike. I don't like the shape it expands in and it's more uncomfortable to me to remove. I've seen this shape described as like an umbrella, a tulip, teardrop, or a ghost. I'd describe what it looked like in my personal experience as kind of shaped like an American football - tapered at the ends and wider in the middle.
- Lola: dislike. It expands outwards all around, like from the shape of o to O. It was also rather short and wide once expanded, iirc. To me, it was more uncomfortable to remove. I also didn't like the applicators because they were compact style and don't have a good grip section.
TL;DR: recommendations wanted for tampons with plastic full size applicators, that expand in a "wing" shape - specifically that they tend to be longer and thinner once expanded rather than shorter and wider, available in the US, either organic or non-organic
Thanks for any suggestions any of you can provide!
Agreed!