Personal hygiene tips are flooding TikTok right now, with influencers aplenty sharing their must-dos for upping your hygiene game. But as experts in intimate health, there’s one thing on our mind: making your vagina happy with the best in period care.
And its not just about your shower care routine either! From the clothes you wear to the amount of water you drink, your vagina responds to more than you might realise.
Why is it important to take care of your intimate health?
Staying on top of your personal hygiene regime should be up there with your skincare, haircare, and anything else you commit to on the daily.
Although your vagina does a pretty good job of looking after itself most of the time, there are still steps you should be taking to reduce the chance of unwanted symptoms (like itching, odour, pain after sex, burning, or abnormal bleeding).
It’s important to note that if you do experience any of these symptoms, you should get advice from your GP or another health professional who will be able to rule out any health concerns you might have.
How to maintain vaginal health
Let’s take a look at the best steps to follow for a healthy, happy vagina.
Recommended: Wash gently with a pH-matched cleanser
Should you be washing your vulva and vagina?
Your vagina is actually self-cleaning (it’s cleverly designed to clean itself with natural vaginal secretions), and washing internally can increase your risk of infections, dryness and odour – especially if you use scented washes, which can upset the delicate pH balance of your vagina. Your vulva (the external sex organs) calls for very little cleaning with anything more than water. However, there might be occasions when water alone won’t do, including:
- During your period
- After sex
- After playing sports
A pH-matched wash like YES® CLEANSE can help to remove any sweat or bacteria you might be worried about – keeping you fresh, comfortable, and confident without disturbing your pH balance.
Recommended: Stay hydrated
Did you know that what (and how much) you drink can have a serious impact on your vaginal health? Consuming lots of sugary drinks can affect the bacterial balance of your vagina, as can being dehydrated. It’s incredibly important for your intimate and general health to make sure you’re drinking plenty of healthy fluids throughout the day – so set yourself a water (or herbal tea) target, and try to keep sugary, caffeinated drinks to a minimum.
Your body – and your vagina – will thank you.
Recommended: Safe sex (and peeing afterwards!)
According to gynaecologist Dr Shree Datta, it’s critical that you wee after sex to flush out the problematic bacteria that can cause UTIs. And while we’re on the subject of sex, using protection is one of the kindest things you can do for your vagina. Unprotected sex not only increases the risk of developing sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, warts and syphilis, but it can also cause vaginal infections.
There are plenty of vagina-friendly products that will help you practice safe sex without irritating your intimate area or killing the vibe, including a fantastic range of lubricants, and condoms aplenty!
Recommended: Vaginal moisturisers
It’s extremely common for women to experience vaginal dryness throughout their lifetime, as our hormone levels play a huge part in how lubed up we are down there. This is totally normal, and nothing to be ashamed of. It is, however, uncomfortable – and not something you have to live with just because you have a vagina!
Vaginal moisturisers can be an absolute lifesaver here for easing irritation and rebalancing your moisture levels. Our cult classic YES® VM (with medical device classification and availability on NHS prescription) has smart moisture release to give you up to three days’ relief from vaginal dryness – soothing unpleasant symptoms within one hour to support vaginal health.
Recommended: Seek medical attention
Your vagina deserves a decent level of upkeep, and part and parcel of that maintenance is regular check-ups. Never miss a smear test (that’s incredibly important, regardless of your age), and always seek medical advice if anything looks, feels, or smells unusual for you.
What to avoid for better intimate health
Avoid: Wiping back to front
Wiping back to front (from your bottom towards your vagina) is a huge no-no for your intimate health. If you want to avoid uncomfortable infections and painful UTIs, you need to keep any potentially harmful bacteria from your bottom far away from your vagina – which means ALWAYS wiping front to back.
Avoid: Douching
While washing with appropriate products or water is encouraged, doctors and health care professionals do not recommend douching as part of your intimate care routine. That’s because douching (washing or cleaning out the inside of your vagina) can alter the natural balance of your vagina, and the good bacteria that lives there.
Avoid: Wearing tight clothing around your vulva
We all know that feeling when your jeans are too tight, you’re starting to itch, and you just want to run naked through the fields. Anyone?
Many experts believe that the key to a happy and healthy vagina is to steer clear of tight underwear in favour of breathable fabrics, such as cotton or bamboo. Non-breathable fabrics actually (and rather unhelpfully) reduce air circulation and cause excessive sweating – which in turn can increase moisture levels, lead to the growth of bacteria and yeast, and ultimately cause vaginal infections.
The key? Let your vagina breathe!
At YES, we’re all about making vaginas happy; in fact, we’re positively committed to it. To find out more, take a trip to our well-being hub, or shop our full range of organic intimate health products.
Get 20% off all YES products with code TOTM20. Code valid from 24/5/2024 to 24/6/2024. Code cannot be used with any other discounts; this includes subscription purchases. Code is valid for new customers ONLY.
