16 Tips On How To Clean Your Vagina The Right Way
The vagina is a delicate body part that requires proper care to remain clean and healthy. While experts suggest that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ that doesn't need cleaning, the vulva and the area around the anus should be cleaned to prevent irritation and infections. There is plenty of advice on ways of keeping your vagina clean and healthy, from douching with lemon cleaner and avoiding scented products to wearing cotton undies and peeing after sex. However, you should not trust every product in the market that claims to clean the vagina.
Genital health is critical, and that is down to how you take care of your vagina. There are plenty of vaginal cleansing products in the market, along with misleading ads that promise ladies the cleanest vagina. The vaginal anatomy, as experts suggest, has a self-cleansing mechanism that requires no additional products to stay clean. Others site vaginal PH changes by cleaning agents, while others report that cleaners, such as douches, can cause inflammation. Nonetheless, this blog takes a closer look into the vaginal anatomy, the vaginal hygiene tips every woman should know, and the cleansing criteria to avoid.
Understanding Vaginal Cleansing
With all the products in the market and all the tips for vaginal hygiene offered, what's the best way to clean the vagina? The vagina (representing the internal part of the female genitalia) is one of the internal organs that self-cleans. Like any other internal organ, it consists of a complex colony of microbes and good bacteria that regulate self-cleaning. Therefore, harsh soaps, cleaning agents, or douches can knock the vaginal PH out of balance. Still, there are deliberate steps you can take to ensure all parts of the vulva, including the labia majora, labia minora, clitoral hood, and the vaginal opening, remain clean and healthy. Cleaning also prevents bacteria from the anus to the vagina, which can cause irritation or infections.
Adopting good hygiene habits is necessary to keep a clean vagina. You should establish a daily routine that ensures the area around the vagina is squeaky clean. From such things as wiping from front to back to wearing breathable cotton underwear, here are elaborate and useful tips on keeping your vagina clean and healthy.
Spread Your Labia Majora And Clean the Area Around the Clit
Gently spread the folds (labia) and the clitoral hood, and wipe the skin, including the area surrounding the vaginal opening. While at it, ensure no soap finds its way inside the vagina as it can be irritating.
Carefully Rinse All the Soap Away
When you clean the genital area, ensure you rinse all the soap off using warm water. Leaving soap suds behind could dry out and irritate the delicate genital skin.
Pat the Vulva with a Clean, Dry Washcloth
After cleaning and rinsing the area with plain warm water, gently pat the labia and the areas around the vulva with a clean, dry washcloth or towel.
Avoid Vaginal Douching
Douching to eliminate unpleasant odors involves introducing foreign fluids and chemicals into a perfectly stable pH environment of the vagina. The vagina releases fluids that support overall health. However, washing the vagina risks eliminating all the natural fluids, further increasing the risk of bacterial infection. Naturally, a healthy vagina has its odor, and people shouldn't try to take that away.
Cleaning the vagina, especially using douches, scented soaps, detergent soaps, and feminine sprays, increases the risk of pain, infections, or irritation. Studies suggest that using such harsh agents that introduce chemicals to a stable vaginal environment comes with risk factors like cervical cancer and preterm births.
Focus on Vulva Cleansing
The vulva has normal skin like any other body part, and you can clean it as you do the rest of the body. As opposed to cleaning the internal portion of the vagina, focus on cleaning the vulva, but factor in a little caution while scrubbing it. Pay attention to the cleaning agent so it doesn't find its way inside the vaginal opening as it could cause irritation or infections.
Clean Your Hands Before Sex or Masturbation
Ever thought of best hygiene practices before sex? It starts with something as simple as washing your hands. Your hands collect a bunch of bacteria along the way, and while your fingers are all over your partner's or your genitals, they can transfer bacteria that could cause infections.
Wear Breathable Cotton Underwear
Unlike air-tight synthetic lace underwear, a proper hygienic attire would be the breathable cotton material. Although cotton may not be the most comfortable material, it isn't air-tight and reduces the risk of bacterial growth. Synthetic thongs are tight-fitting and could heighten the risk of urethral bacteria (UTI).
Use Phthalate-Free Pads and Tampons
Vaginal hygiene encompasses your favorite pads and tampons. Different manufacturers use different materials for tampons. Studies indicate that certain brands of tampons contain harmful irritable chemicals called phthalates, which are classified as endocrine disruptors that can knock your hormones off balance.
Another class of irritable chemicals referred to as dioxins have been found in certain tampon brands as a by-product of the bleaching process. Therefore, the safest tampons to use are the unscented, all-natural, and organic ones.
Pee After Sex
In the case of a UTI, which is a urethral infection, peeing before sex would help you eliminate all the bacteria-causing infections. This way, you reduce the possibility of bacterial multiplication.
Avoid Harsh or Scented Soaps
Shower soaps and gels are induced with harsh chemicals that give them a deep fragrance. That applies to feminine deodorant sprays, vaginal deodorants, and wipes. Soaps containing such chemicals shouldn't be used to clean your genitals because they can irritate or cause yeast infections. Instead, use warm water and a clean washcloth to wipe the genitals. If you must use soap, identify the gentle, organic, natural, and unscented ones.
Change Your Undies Regularly
Get into the habit of changing your underwear because of sweat vaginal discharge. For this reason, you should change your undie as soon as you feel some dampness around the genitals. Remember that bacteria thrive in warm, damp areas, and sweating encourages the growth of bacteria.
Ensure Your Bum Is Wiped Properly
This is another tip for a healthy vagina. It helps to avoid cross-contamination by bacteria from the anus to the vagina, leading to irritations or infections.
Avoid Wet or Sweaty Clothes
As mentioned earlier, bacteria thrive in damp places, especially in workout outfits. Most people are often tempted to keep their workout outfits on. However, doing so would encourage bacterial growth, especially in a sweaty, wet, and moist environment.
Ensure Your Sex Toys Are Clean
Sex toy storage comes as a big challenge to most, especially with regards to cleanliness and discretion. Toys are made from body-safe materials such as plastics, silicone, glass, or steel that should be kept clean all the time. As you make an effort to clean them before storage, ensure to clean them before every sex session. Besides, butt plugs and dildos should be cleaned before using them for vaginal penetration to avoid cross-contamination.
Don't Use Scented Products
Heavily scented products, such as deodorants and soaps that freshen your armpits tend to irritate the vulva and vagina when used. This is because the vaginal skin tissue is more sensitive than the normal outer skin. Therefore, steer clear of such products when cleaning your vagina. Keep in mind that the vagina naturally has an odor, and that's fine.
Don't Wear Underwear at Bedtime
This is one of the vaginal hygiene tips every woman should know. Instead, wear loose pants or go naked altogether when sleeping.
The Bottom Line
The vagina is a self-cleaning organ that requires no cleansing intervention. It contains a complex mixture of microbes and good bacteria that ensures it self-regulates and stays clean. That said, there is no medical reason as to why you should clean it. However, overall rules of hygiene make vulval cleaning necessary. Ladies use different cleansing methods to clean it, but some are harmful. Using non-perfumed soaps and deodorants with plain warm water is the best way to clean the vagina. Using harsh soaps or sprays can cause health risks if they contact the delicate vaginal tissue. This article has highlighted the best tips for a clean vagina. Follow these guidelines for vaginal safety and hygiene.