First, know your flow. Having a heavy period day? Pick a higher absorbency tampon. If it’s towards the end of your period and your flow is light, pick a lower absorbency.
Many girls have a higher flow at the beginning of their period and a lighter flow on the last few days of their period. That’s why you may need to use a heavy flow tampon at the beginning of your period, while you may not need the most absorbent tampon by the end. You may want to keep a few different absorbencies at home and switch between them depending what day of your period you’re on. That way, you can, well, go with the flow! So, for instance, while you might wear a heavy flow tampon on Day 1 of your period, you may only need a light tampon on Day 4 of your period.
Next, know your tampons. TAMPAX has an absorbency for every flow: Lite, Regular, Super and Super Plus. As you can see in this tampon absorbency chart, light tampons are best for your lightest flow days and Super Plus absorbency tampons are best for your heaviest days because they are the most absorbent tampons.