Must-Have Women Hygiene Products And Tips
Written by Rafiat Shittu
Women do a lot to maintain good hygiene because hygiene relates directly to our self-image. It impacts our daily productivity and impacts how others relate to us. Cleanliness is pursued by most women but should be followed by all women. Aside from your intellect, a woman that looks clean and smells great is considered more attractive.
Personal hygiene helps prevent diseases and helps women stay healthy through various practices of cleanliness. There are different moments when a woman’s body needs extra care and attention to prevent infections, such as; during menstruation. Even in the not so memorable moments, there are various aspects of your hygiene that you need to consider. I will be categorising the different hygiene needs and providing products that every woman must-have.
Intimate Hygiene Products
The first thing to note is that the vagina is a self-cleaning oven. It can produce discharge that eliminates dead cells and bacteria, so it is usually preached that there is no need to clean it using soaps, washes or douches. Washing inside or douching the vagina can disrupt the pH value of the vagina. All that is needed is a good amount of clean water. But regardless of this claim, certain products are definitely needed, such as;
- Sanitary pads
- Tampons
- Pantyliners
- Disposable razors
There are also many products that Healthline provides that gynaecologists do not hate.
- Soaps — which have to be unscented and fragrance-free and the least amount should be used.
- Intimate wipes — they are considered to be a keeper. Intimate wipes come in handy to keep the vaginal area clean without water. They have to be unscented, free from dyes, parabens and gynaecologist-tested.
- Disposable Toilet Seat Covers — it helps maintain intimate hygiene levels when using a public toilet. It is usually lightweight so that you can take it with you everywhere.
- Disposable Sanitary Bags — having a disposable sanitary bag to dispose of your menstrual hygiene products conveniently is very important. You can use these bags to throw away used sanitary pads, tampons and panty liners.
Scents Hygiene Products
Besides the vagina that doesn’t need any fragrance, your other hygiene product needs its scents. Scents can be individual identifiers, mood lifters, and you have the choice to choose your smell, which should be a good smell based on your preference anyway. Here are just five(5) scents hygiene products
Bath Soaps or Shower Gels
I am personally a fan of shower gels, they are more convenient to use, and most have a variety of scents that linger, and they are so many to pick from. Bath soaps are also great.
The Nigerian in me doesn’t accept that I have bathed if I do not use any of these. Choosing your bath soaps and gels should be thought through because they can lift your mood and make you feel good. When your body cleanser has a great fragrance, it changes how you experience your daily bath or shower.
Natural, plant-based fragrances are incredible in this regard. They can be fragrances derived from lavender, Nargis, mogra, and other botanical plants. Brands of shower gels that I love and can try out are St. Ives, Olay, Nivea, Body Clear Body Wash, Cetaphil, Dove, Aveeno, and Caress. These are brands that are inexpensive and are easy to get.
Moisturizers
Except your doctor recommends otherwise, ensure your moisturizer smells good. You could use just moisturizer and not need perfume. New Beauty provides sample body lotions that smell so good that you won’t need perfume. I see this as killing two birds with one stone.
Asides from the scent benefit, moisturizing as a habit comes with so many benefits, it reduces the pace at which your skin ages, it protects you from the bad effects of the sun, especially when it contains a level of SPF. Most importantly, it prevents dryness in any weather. Brands you can try are: Nivea, Vaseline, CeraVe, Cetaphil, Olay, Simple, L’Oréal and Neutrogena.
Deodorants
This should be the second thing you apply after having your bath/ if you didn’t even have your bath, you can use deodorants to mask whatever smell you’d like to hide. Deodorants allow sweating, but the fancy thing about it is that it has the power to prevent the bacterial action on the sweat that leads to odor. So my personal favorite subclass of deodorant, which I absolutely adore and can’t possibly leave the house without using, is ”Antiperspirant”.
Antiperspirant, unlike regular deodorant like roll-on, prevents sweat by blocking sweat glands. So you don’t have to be worried about having sweat patches here and there when you wear certain outfits.
Did you know you can use antiperspirant in other areas asides from your armpit? As long as it’s a place where sweat would be inconvenient and make you uncomfortable, you can try using a few sprays there as long as it’s not your delicate area. A few brands that you can try are; Dove, Nivea, Right Guard, Rexona, Axe and Sure.
Body Sprays
You might be wondering what’s the difference between body sprays and perfumes. Body Sprays most times come in the form of mists, and they give off more subtle scents than perfume does. Unlike perfumes, most do not contain alcohol. So the likelihood that your cloth will catch fire with body mist is slim.
Body mists can be used over the entire body and applied whenever a pop of fragrance is desired. Be patient and let the mist dry without rubbing it in.
Some people even use them to refresh clothes before steaming or ironing them. But make sure you test this first, as not all clothing likes all body mists. When in doubt, stick to your skin and hair.
Brands that you can explore that are great are Victoria Secret, Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop and Body Fantasy.
Body oils
Never leave the house without body oil in your bag. Body oils are so unique and essential because some come in tiny bottles that you can take anywhere. Sometimes they are all you need to give your confidence a little boost.
Perfumes and body mist wear off eventually at some point during the day (if they are super expensive, I don’t imagine that they should). If you’re not sure you still smell as sexy as you did when leaving the house, body oils can save you. So a little dash or rub here and there, and you’re good to go.
It’s amazing because they come in so many scents that you can have more than two in your handbag ready to use.
These are just a few of the many ways you can improve your hygiene, and you have the opportunity to pick and drop whatever works for you and doesn’t work for you. Explore and discover with the major aim of always smelling and looking fresh.
Rafiat is a law graduate from the University of Lagos and a culinary entrepreneur — Raffiscuisine. She’s passionate about changing the world, one stomach at a time and is looking forward to making more discoveries about the endless possibilities in the world. Connect with Rafiat on Instagram and Twitter.
Edited by Oluwatobiloba Ganiyu
Female, Editor, Medical student, ambivert, goofball, Christian. Always interested in learning new things. Connect with Oluwatobiloba on Instagram.
Published by Akinsipe Temitope
Temitope is a young storyteller who thinks all stories are worth telling. She loves to inspire people to do what they love and follow their passions, tell their stories, and live in the present moment. Connect with Temitope on Instagram, and Twitter.
More from Sisterly HQ
