Feminine Wash vs. Water

Down there Care: Wash vs. Water - MP Edition 022

 

When it comes to feminine hygiene and down there care, let’s clear some things up first:

• Vagina: The vagina is the internal muscular canal that babies and aunt flow pass through. 

• Vulva: The vulva is the external skin outside your vagina, including the inner and outer vaginal lips (labia), the clitoris, and urethra.

Now, you do not need to clean your vagina - please stay away from douches (of every kind). Your vagina keeps itself healthy and is self-cleaning. It does so by way of natural secretions that help carry out the dead cells and bad bacteria, which is why you need to clean your vulva.

Enter feminine wash.

Feminine wash

Traditionally, the feminine hygiene industry has been predominantly led by male executives and marketed from their perspective. The fact of the matter is your vaginal area is never going to smell like a rose. It’s perfectly normal and healthy for your area down under to smell a little. It’s when the smell or discharge gets out of control that you need to worry because it might be an indication of an infection.

But we’re also not saying you should go to town down under with any soap you can get your hands on. Drugstore soaps and your run-of-the-mill washes are notorious for being packed with harmful chemicals and artificial fragrances that can throw off the delicate pH balance of your vaginal area.

pH-what now? Much like your gut, your vaginal area is a balance of good and bad bacteria. Your vagina contains a lot of “good” bacteria. These bacteria help maintain the ideal pH balance of 3.8-4.5 in your vagina, which is slightly acidic.

When your pH balance is off, it means the bad bacteria planned a siege to take over the good bacteria and are now running rampant now. This is what throws off your pH balance and leads to infections like bacterial vaginosis.

However, not all feminine washes are bad. In the last decade, there has been a surge of female-led companies (because in the words of Rachel Green: “no vagina, no opinion”) with a focus on providing natural alternatives to the drugstore soaps and artificially-scented washes.

When you’re investing in feminine hygiene products for your nether region, make sure to choose something that is mild and hypoallergenic. A natural feminine wash should be gentle on your skin and not contain any artificial fragrances. Look for feminine hygiene products that are scented with natural botanical oils that also serve other purposes as well. 

I Love My Muff’s Clean Feminine Wash contains: 

• Coconut oil to relieve dry, itchy skin

• Witch hazel to sanitize and hydrate skin

• Aloe vera to heal irritated skin

• Rosemary leaf for its antibacterial prosperities 

• Green tea leaf to reduce redness

So many options out there are bad, why can’t I just use water?” 

 

Cleaning your vulva with water

Water is great for cleansing your vulva if you’re in a pinch (and don’t have a feminine wipe handy). But remember all those bad bacteria and dead cells we talked about earlier? Water just doesn’t give you a deep enough clean that you need to keep your vulva happy and healthy.

In addition, a natural feminine hygiene wash will help hydrate your skin and soothe irritations like ingrown hairs. Just washing with water can dry out your skin or irritate it further, especially if you’re one to enjoy a scalding hot shower. 

 

10 tips for down there care

• Be gentle when washing down there, don’t use washcloths

• Make sure you wash away all the soap

• Gently dab your muff dry 

• Avoid getting water or wash inside your vagina

• Pee after sex to help reduce the chance of bacteria multiplying

• Wipe front to back to avoid spreading bacteria from the anus and causing an infection

• Wear cotton underwear as it’s the most breathable material but avoid thongs because they can push bacteria into your urethra, increasing your risk for a UTI

• Go commando when you sleep as underwear, even cotton ones, can trap moisture overnight and lead to infections

• Don’t stay in wet or sweat-drenched clothing because bacteria thrive in moist environments

• Choose organic, unscented tampons and pads to avoid harsh chemicals near your va jay jay and change tampons every four to eight hours to avoid infections

 

So TLDR: water will do in a pinch when it comes to feminine hygiene but a natural feminine wash will give you a deeper (but gentle) clean, all while keeping your skin hydrated and relieving irritated skin.