Women’s Health
The Do’s & Don’ts of Keeping Your Vagina Fresh
Key tips to keeping your pussy smelling and tasting great
This article may contain helpful information for women and trans men that have a vagina. A common concern among those of us who have vaginas is wondering if it is fresh. I know this because I have had one my whole life and from time to time, I have wondered this myself. Plus, I know others that have expressed insecurities of this nature regarding this area also. I have put together these tips and ideas to help us all out with keeping it fresh and clean all day.
It is important to keep the vaginal/vulva area dry. When you get out of the shower or bath make sure that you dry the area well with your towel. Here is an analogy to keep in mind, let’s say you do a load of laundry and you forget to put it into the dryer, and it sits overnight. You remember it the next day and it usually always smells a little bit musty. Our parts down below are like that laundry. So, keep it dry.
The next thing I want to address in undergarments. 100% cotton is the very best for daily wear however sometimes that is not easy to find so a 95% cotton blend with 5% spandex can work too. Just make sure that if you do get a blend that it has a higher percentage of cotton than synthetic materials. What you need to avoid is underwear/panties that are made with synthetic material because these types of materials do not allow the area to breathe and they have the tendency to trap moisture in the area also. Light cottons dry fast and breathe well. I know people love their silky and lacy undies and panties, but my suggestion is to put those on for times when you want to feel sexy but not for every day.
My next tip is do not use scented products in that area because most products that contain synthetic fragrance that are found in most store-bought products represent a mixture of toxic ingredients that are known carcinogens, allergens, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals and environmental toxicants. So, do not use soaps, feminine hygiene sprays, feminine products such as pads, tampons, panty liners or baby wipes with fragrances in them. Also avoid using products with essential oils in that area also because they can be irritating to the delicate tissues in the area. Fragrances in that area can also throw your PH balance off and cause bacterial infections and yeast infections in that area. Also do not use douching products with or without fragrance because research has found that douching can disturb the normal chemical and microbial balance in the vagina and can lead to bacterial infections in the area.
Regarding what soaps are safe to use in the area, I recommend getting unscented Dr. Bronner’s Soap and taking one ounce of it and diluting it into a gallon of water. You can use this as an all over body wash and it is safe to use on the vulva and in the vaginal area, just do not get it inside of the vagina. Gently use the soap in and around the folds of the vulva. Then make sure to get rinse the soap off extremely well.
Make sure to maintain your pubic hair, hair in that area tends to trap moisture and is a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. Keep in mind that I am not saying to get rid of all your hair however that is one option. If you prefer having a pubic hair just take some scissors and trim, it down to about your finger length or take some clippers and take it down to about a quarter of an inch. Do know that if you do decide to keep a full bush with no landscaping that the hair will keep moisture trapped in that area and because of this it will have an odor. What I personally do is have a modified Brazilian wax, what this means is that I keep a little strip of hair just above the vulva, but all the other hair is removed. I keep the strip trimmed down to about a quarter of an inch or slightly more. There are other options to waxing also such as a bikini wax which is just on the sides only with a trimmed bush in the middle. Plus, there are other options to hair removal also such as prepackaged chemical hair removers, laser hair removal and electrolysis.
My next suggestion is to drink lots of water. I drink water all day long. Juice, soda pop, coffee and tea should not be consumed as a replacement to water. Yes, they are liquids, but they are not the same as water. Water will flush toxins out that build up in our systems. If you do not drink adequate amount of water things will stagnate in your body and in that area. It is best to limit our intake of other beverages especially soda because contains high amounts of sugars or artificial sweeteners which are not good for our body. I personally drink about a gallon of water a day because I am a very active person but for each person it is different my suggestion is to listen to you body and or ask your doctor what is recommended for you personally.
Now I want to touch base on foods, if you eat a lot of onions, garlic and spicy foods will make you taste a bit off in this area. My suggestions are to either cut down your intake of these items or to counteract them with lots of fresh fruits, berries, herbs and raw honey. This you can smell and taste delicious. I hear that pineapple is especially good for this but all fruits in general are great. Herbs such as parsley and mint are excellent for keeping things fresh too. Parsley helps to neutralize vaginal odor, just chop it up and put it on salads and in smoothies. Mint tones down sharp notes in personal flavor and enhances sweetness. You can add chopped mint leaves to salads, make tea with them or add them to your water. Yogurt is another food item that is excellent, yogurt contains probiotics which helps to keep your vaginal eco system in balance. Plain yogurt is best, it can be added to smoothies also can be added to many other dishes. Miso paste and miso soup also contains probiotics. When you order sushi make sure to order a cup of miso soup with it and keep miso past on hand to add into your recipes.
I just have a couple more things to mention just before ending here, the vagina and the surrounding area should not have a bad smell or unusual discharge. Some discharge from time to time is normal but if it is off colored or smells bad please go have it checked out with your doctor. Also note that it is normal and okay to have a natural odor there, that is your natural scent and that is fine but if it gets off or funky now you now what to do, to keep it fresh!
