Intimate Hygiene: How Often and How Should You Wash It?
How often do you wash your intimate parts? The latest survey among our community showed us that most people wash their parts at least once a day, some people wash it every time they go to the toilet or every time they feel “dirty”.
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But how often should you wash it?
What’s the best approach to wash your intimate parts?
Which kind of detergents should you use?
What are the risks of washing too often?
How do I get rid of the smell?
False myths about vaginal douching or remedies to insert inside your vagina
But how often should you wash it?
In order not to alter your vaginal flora, you should (almost) never wash your intimate parts. If you see it from a cultural point of view, it seems disgusting. But the truth is that our vagina can perfectly wash itself: our vulva produces vaginal and cervical mucus everyday, to keep it clean and moist, to eliminate bacteria and keep our vaginal flora balanced.
Washing your intimate parts too often, using cleansers and soaps (that are not suitable for your intimate area), or douching, can easily alter the balance in your flora and result in infections and irritations.
The best approach is washing yourself when you feel dirty, such as, when you are sweaty, after sexual intercourse or when you are on your period.
What’s the best approach to wash your intimate parts?
Here are some best practices: lowering the frequency of washing, being careful about which cleanser you are using and how you wash yourself, are key elements that will keep your flora healthy.
It’s very important not to wash inside your vagina or anus. Do not insert your fingers inside your body with detergents or soaps. Washing means cleaning only your external genitals, like your vulva, the perianal and anal area. Especially if you suffer from vulvar gaping (meaning your labia leaves a gap and is not closed), it’s important to choose carefully the detergent you use, because it will enter your vagina.
Which kind of detergents should you use?
Avoid pH neutral soaps and detergents. When we talk about a neutral pH, we mean around 7. Our vagina usually has an acid pH of around 3.5 to 5/5.5. Every phase of our life has different hormonal levels that can influence our pH in the vaginal flora - for example, for people of a fertile age the pH is around 3.5, and during menopause it can increase to 5.5. In these cases (and if there is also vaginal dryness) it’s better to use a greasy detergent instead of a soap.
What are the risks of washing too often?
The water we use is generally neutral, so washing too much or with the wrong detergents can result in altering the ecosystem of your vaginal flora, especially if you suffer from vaginosis or vulvitis. Altering this ecosystem will lead to the disappearance of the equilibrium for pathogens, that is usually low and balanced in our vagina. The same applies for anal douches.
How do I get rid of the smell?
It’s important to clarify what odour we are talking about. Every person has their own personal odour and it can vary depending on pheromones and microbiota.
Your vulva shouldn’t have a distinctive odour or fragrance, like the ones of a soap. There are no fragrances for the penis and the same applies for the vagina. Our intimate parts have their own specific (and normal) odours. Using fragrances, especially if they are artificial, can negatively impact your flora.
It’s even more important to distinguish between the “normal” odour of your vagina and a different smell (like fishy smells or a pungent one), as this could be a symptom of an infection.
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False myths about vaginal douching or remedies to insert inside your vagina
You should not do vaginal douchings, especially if you do it after the following:
- When your period ends. It’s not true that you should wash your vagina after your period to remove the menstrual blood. Menstrual blood is not toxic.
- Having unprotected sexual intercourse. Douching won’t act as a contraceptive and won’t influence the sex of the baby. And neither does using CocaCola (yes, a lot of people believe that doing douching with CocaCola works as a contraceptive).
- You shouldn’t wash every time you poop - do it only if your anus is dirty. Be aware that if you poop in the right position and the consistency is the right one, you shouldn’t be dirty.
- Placing yogurt in your vagina won’t provide you the right lactobacilli for your vaginal flora.