There are all categories of cleansing vagina products flying
around the place right now and of course a lot of ladies in a bid towards
giving their vaginas the best cleansing are quick to buy without first finding
out if they really need it or not. Many of the ‘networking’ schemes are not even
helping matters as a good number of people who are involved in some of these
schemes are all about making money with no idea whether the products are (un)healthy.
Now, hear this!
Don’t waste your money any longer. There is no such thing as ‘vagina
cleansing cosmetic’ as the vagina is self-cleansing and the best thing you
could do to keep it healthy when it comes to cleaning is simply by washing with
ordinary water.
Not scented or perfumed or soapy water but simply ‘plain’ or
ordinary water. That’s the safest way to clean and nothing else as the vagina
takes care of the rest by cleansing itself out from within.
Vaginas have their natural cleansing secretions and so do not
need any help with perfumed products to make it any cleaner. The ONLY
assistance it needs from you, as mentioned above is to use plain/clean water in
making it cleaner while washing up.
According to a post on SELFhealth by Zahra Barnes, Dr Lauren Streicher, an associate professor of
clinical obstetrics and gynecology was cited that “you never wash your vagina
under any circumstances. The best thing to cleanse with is plain water. Anytime
you use any soap or anything else, there’s a chance of causing irritation”.
And many of us know from experience that once this irritation
starts it could lead to more problems if it’s not handled properly.
She also added that one ought not to be deceived by any
cleansing products out there that claim to help with pH balance even though “inside
the vagina pH is critical, but pH inside and outside are completely separate”.
She likened it to one who is told to use toothpaste to wash his/her face
instead of brushing the teeth in a bid
to stop bad breath, it definitely won’t do anything for the person’s bad breath
at the end of the day.
However, Dr Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor at Yale
Medical School another expert who was also mentioned in the same post, suggested that you can “gently” use an unscented or unperfumed
cleansing bar to wash around the vagina or inner thighs (if you so wish) but
NEVER the vagina. “Washing” according to Dr Minkin “can deplete the
lactobacilli bacteria that will keep your vagina at an acidic pH and prevent
infections”. This means that when this “deplete” happens, the vagina could be
susceptible to infections such as vaginosis, leading to burning sensation
during urination and also foul smell from the vagina. And most of the time,
when this occurs, one is tempted to wash harder or more which could make the
situation even worse. Thus it's best to use just water.
Dr. Minkin also added that the discharge from the vagina is
meant to cleanse the vagina and also that although the vagina has its own odour,
but if it becomes unusually too strong or discharge changes overtly, the best
bet is to see a doctor as it could be signs of simple bacterial infections to
serious diseases.
So ladies, do away with those cleansing bars or douche items.
Save your money for other things.
And oh! Did I also mention that you really may not need that ‘vagina
steaming’ process? Perhaps we’d talk about that some other time. Until then,
wash with just ordinary water.
©Stella Ene – Inyang
