It’s an unfortunate fact that many women feel like they have to constantly consider whether they feel fresh or not. It’s also an unfortunate fact that many women feel that their vaginas contain more bacteria than any other part of their body—even though the human mouth has more germs in it than a vagina does. As a result, feminine washing products have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few decades, helping women feel as fresh as they can feel as they go about their day.
However, a quality feminine wash is only the first step in a proper female hygiene regimen. There are also a few other things that women can do to maintain their freshness and to ensure their feminine wash works well. That’s why we’ve created this guide. A guide that we hope will help all women feel as confident as possible throughout their entire day.
Step One: Maintain A Clean & Dry Environment
One of the first steps in ensuring absolute freshness is to maintain a clean and dry environment for your vagina. This means wearing underwear made of breathable fabrics such as cotton. Cotton is an especially good material for this because it wicks moisture away from the body and allows air to circulate. On the other side of the equation, synthetic fabrics such as satin tend to hold onto moisture and can cause irritation due to friction. This can lead to an increased risk of bacterial growth and yeast infections.
Step Two: Use Douche Sparingly Or Not At All
Another thing that you should consider is avoiding douche products or at least using them sparingly. The inside of the vagina doesn’t need to be cleaned, and cleaning it can disrupt the vagina’s natural pH levels and lead to bacterial vaginosis. It’s okay to clean the vulva with a quality feminine hygiene product such as Lemisol Plus Gentle or Vagisil, but the inside of the vagina doesn’t need to be cleaned.
Step Three: Don’t Reuse Washcloths Or Towels
Although it might be a common practice for some people to reuse their towels or washcloths after taking a shower or bath, the practice isn’t very advisable. Even after one use, bacteria can begin to grow on washcloths and towels and potentially be reapplied to the body when the person uses them again. And this can lead to an infection. It’s better to use clean towels and washcloths every single time you bathe or shower to prevent this from happening.
Step Four: Maintain A Proper Diet
Diet can have a dramatic effect on feminine hygiene, although some people don’t usually think of it that way. Eating foods that contain live cultures of good bacteria such as yogurt can help a woman maintain good vaginal health. Women who are prone to urinary tract infections might also want to add a cranberry supplement to their diet or drink cranberry juice every day.
Step Five: Keep Everything Clean
The next step to proper vaginal health is to practice proper hygiene. This means wiping from front to back to prevent bacteria from being swept into the vagina and changing sanitary tampons or pads regularly during your period. It’s also a good idea to regularly change your underwear and your panty liners.
Step Six: Use Safe Sex Practices
Another thing that will aid in you maintaining good feminine hygiene is to practice safe sex procedures. The CDC has stated the correct and consistent use of latex condoms reduces the risk of STDs being transmitted including but not limited to diseases such as trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. When condoms don’t provide protection from these infections, that usually means it’s because they were used incorrectly or weren’t used consistently. Condoms should be worn by the male during the entire sexual act and not just prior to ejaculation.
With that said, however, women should also keep in mind that condoms don’t protect against all sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms provide less protection against diseases that spread by skin-to-skin contacts, such as syphilis, genital warts, and genital herpes.
Using Feminine Hygiene Products Properly
Now that we’ve covered some of the things that women can do to ensure that they remain fresh all day, let’s turn our attention back to feminine hygiene products. Although these products usually get a bad rap and are lumped into the same category with douches, the fact of the matter is that feminine hygiene products and douches are two very different products. If feminine hygiene products are properly used, they are extremely effective.
First, Choose A Proper Feminine Hygiene Product
The first thing a woman is going to want to do is to choose the right feminine hygiene product available. Even though there are a lot of different products on the market, not all of them are suitable for regular use and some of them may even be harmful. When choosing a feminine hygiene product, be sure to use one that’s pH-balanced and doesn’t contain artificial fragrances. It’s also a good idea to choose one that’s recommended by gynecologists and/or dermatologists.
Second, Clean Only The Vulva
The next thing to mention is that the feminine hygiene product should be used to clean the entire vagina. The vagina is very much like a self-cleaning oven. It will regulate itself naturally and has a slightly acidic pH level to it that helps to prevent the growth of bad bacteria. Therefore, douches or other cleaning products should never be used to clean the vagina.
Best Feminine washes are instead used to clean the vulva. This is the external part of the vagina that includes the clitoris, clitoral hood, and the inner and outer labia. That are can be safely cleaned with a clean washcloth and a non-scented feminine wash. After cleaning, make sure to properly rinse the area to prevent irritation. When the area has been cleaned and rinsed, always be sure to dry the area thoroughly using a clean towel. If you do all of these things, then you’ll stay fresh all day long.
