The Concept of Vulva and Vaginal health.

Do you really need to wash your vagina? Have you been doing it lately after reading some article online? Do you often do some little research on genital health and maintaining vaginal hygiene?

Well you don’t need to wash your vagina, yes you don’t.

Vagina has its own natural way of cleaning itself but what you need to clean regularly is the vulva.

What is the difference between a vagina and vulva, you ask? Let’s dive a little bit into some biology. The vagina is the inner canal inside your body. The outer part around the vagina is what we refer to as Vulva.

The vulva is made up of the:

• Clitoris
• Vaginal lips (Inner and outer labia)
• Clitoral hood

As much as you should not clean your vagina, you should clean the vulva regularly, why? Because is a good idea to clean it since it doesn’t have a natural mechanism of cleaning itself.

Maintenance of the correct pH balance and the use of natural secretions to clean itself, is how the vagina cleans ant keeps itself healthy.

The slightly acidic pH balance is often maintained by the bacteria (good bacteria) contained in the vagina. This acidic pH makes it hard for the ‘bad” bacteria to infect your vagina.

When you use gels, sprays or soaps or even water to wash the inside of your vagina, you tend to disrupt the bacterial balance and this can lead to irritations as a result of bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection and other forms of irritation.

Read Also: Why Cant i get Wet?

Washing your vagina can greatly affect your vagina’s ability to clean itself. So if you want your vagina clean, leave it to clean itself as long as you clean the vulva.

How to Wash Your Vulva

Washing your vulva is pretty much easy. I bet you have been doing it just fine.

Wash your vulva with warm water with mild soap what won’t cause an irritation in your skin, though this isn’t necessary.

Spread your vaginal lips apart and gently cleanse around the folds using a washcloth or even using your hands. Avoid as much as possible, getting soap or water inside your vagina.

On top of that, its always a good idea to wash your anus and the area between your anus and your vulva on a regular basis.

The best way to do so is the front back movement. What am trying to say is that you wash your vulva first and then your anus because the bacteria from your anus can spread to your vagina causing infections.

Do you need to use soap to wash your vulva?

You definitely do not need to use soap to clean your vulva. If at all you want to use soap, choose the one which is unscented, mild and colorless. Soaps with fragrance can irritate the very sensitive skin in and around the vulva.

Don’t use the feminine sprays that has for long been said to reduce odor and clean the vagina.

Your vagina doesn’t need any of these items for cleanliness and it also doesn’t need to smell like a garden of roses.

These products are often meant to prey on people’s insecurities regarding their body odors.

But for real, these products you think makes your vagina smell good are both unnecessary and harmful since they can cause irritation to the vulva and vagina.

Whenever there is a odor in your vagina, don’t panic. Nobody will smell it unless your partner does during oral sex. But it is perfectly normal; a vagina smells like a vagina.

No vagina is odorless nor should they ever be. They can smell in variable of ways ranging from coppery to sweat. This might change depending on your diet and menstrual cycle.

If at all it starts smelling strongly bad, like really bad, please contact your doctor. This can be caused by bacterial vaginosis.

Whenever there is a discharge, look at the color. Clear and white discharge is the natural lubrication that the vagina produces to keep tissues healthy and moist.

The clear discharge is most likely due to ovulation and this is a sign that your vagina is doing its job.

If the discharge is green, gray or yellow in color and accompanied by itching, you might need a quick chat with the doctor.

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During your periods, you might still wash your vagina more than once a day.

In conclusion.

Before I finish, here are some things you should also know concerning vaginal health:

• Wipe your anus from the back.
• During sex, use “front to back” rule. This also applies during masturbation.
• Always pee after sex.
• Wear cotton underpants.
• Avoid sweaty or wet clothes.
• Choose your products wisely.