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Authors: Debby Herbenick, Vanessa Schick
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and other cloths meant for scrubbing can irritate the genitals.
Avoid soaps. Harsh soaps and cleansers can cause irritation or itching of the genitals. If you feel you must use some type of cleanser on your vulva, consider using a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil (sold over the counter in many drug stores) along with water and your hand.
Turn down the heat. Opt for warm rather than hot showers, as hot water can dry skin all over one’s body. Of course, most people opt for warm-to-hot bath water. If you’re planning to have sex after a bath, try spending longer than usual in fore-play, as the vagina may be dry (due to the warm water) and may need time to get its lubrication going. You may find it helpful to keep a bottle or packet of personal lubricant nearby in case you need a little assistance with post-bath sex.
Don’t put any bath products up inside the vagina. Only the outside parts (the vulva) should be cleaned with water and one’s hand. The inside parts (i.e., the vagina) do not require any special cleaning.
Grooming
When grooming your pubic hair, try to choose a kinder, gentler method—something that won’t make your genitals run for cover in the other direction. Take care, for example, to groom carefully and not to nick your sensitive, curvy genital parts with razors or scissors. And while we don’t think you need pubic hair dye or labia dye, we understand that some women may want to use such products, either to cover gray pubic hairs or to have a little fun with their pubes or labia. We get it. If you go this route, please take care to follow package instructions, to patch test dyes on non-genital parts before using them on genital parts, and to avoid doing anything that doesn’t sound right to you. As pubic hair and labia dyes are not approved by any health organization that we know of, the instructions may contain inaccurate information—so please, ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about whether a product is safe for your cooch or whether you should adjust the instructions in a particular way.
Genital Odor
Most vaginas do not smell like fish—but some do. It is common for women’s genitals to have a slight scent to them, sometimes smelling a bit yeasty or like sour milk. This can be normal, healthy, and nothing to worry about. If you have questions about your genital odor, we encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider who can examine you and see if you may have a vaginal infection, such as trichomoniasis, that can result in a strong and often unpleasant odor. In some cases, women may have strong genital odor as a result of overactive sweat glands (this is sometimes treated with Botox). There are tons of sweat glands in the vulva, which is why you may have noticed a damp crotch during exercise. Having sweat glands down there is a good thing. The vulva is full of blood vessels, which means that as blood flow increases to the genital area, it may feel warmer. Sweat allows the warmth to dissipate, which is useful because it will help you feel comfortable as you cool off. In other words, your sweat glands have an important role to play, so try not to be too hard on them.
Douches, Sprays, and Powders
The vagina is a self-cleaning body part. As such, feminine-hygiene products such as douches, deodorant sprays, and powders are not needed to keep the vagina smelling or looking clean (more on this in chapter 5). As this chapter is about health, we’ll go a step further and tell you a few additional icky facts about douching: not only can douching not prevent pregnancy or STIs, but douching may make a woman’s genital odor and discharge worse instead of better. Why? Because it may promote more bacterial growth. Some research also suggests that women who douche have a greater risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and of ectopic pregnancy, which is when a pregnancy begins to develop outside of the uterus (such as in the fallopian tube). Bottom line: avoid these kinds of feminine
Avoid soaps. Harsh soaps and cleansers can cause irritation or itching of the genitals. If you feel you must use some type of cleanser on your vulva, consider using a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil (sold over the counter in many drug stores) along with water and your hand.
Turn down the heat. Opt for warm rather than hot showers, as hot water can dry skin all over one’s body. Of course, most people opt for warm-to-hot bath water. If you’re planning to have sex after a bath, try spending longer than usual in fore-play, as the vagina may be dry (due to the warm water) and may need time to get its lubrication going. You may find it helpful to keep a bottle or packet of personal lubricant nearby in case you need a little assistance with post-bath sex.
Don’t put any bath products up inside the vagina. Only the outside parts (the vulva) should be cleaned with water and one’s hand. The inside parts (i.e., the vagina) do not require any special cleaning.
Grooming
When grooming your pubic hair, try to choose a kinder, gentler method—something that won’t make your genitals run for cover in the other direction. Take care, for example, to groom carefully and not to nick your sensitive, curvy genital parts with razors or scissors. And while we don’t think you need pubic hair dye or labia dye, we understand that some women may want to use such products, either to cover gray pubic hairs or to have a little fun with their pubes or labia. We get it. If you go this route, please take care to follow package instructions, to patch test dyes on non-genital parts before using them on genital parts, and to avoid doing anything that doesn’t sound right to you. As pubic hair and labia dyes are not approved by any health organization that we know of, the instructions may contain inaccurate information—so please, ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about whether a product is safe for your cooch or whether you should adjust the instructions in a particular way.
Genital Odor
Most vaginas do not smell like fish—but some do. It is common for women’s genitals to have a slight scent to them, sometimes smelling a bit yeasty or like sour milk. This can be normal, healthy, and nothing to worry about. If you have questions about your genital odor, we encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider who can examine you and see if you may have a vaginal infection, such as trichomoniasis, that can result in a strong and often unpleasant odor. In some cases, women may have strong genital odor as a result of overactive sweat glands (this is sometimes treated with Botox). There are tons of sweat glands in the vulva, which is why you may have noticed a damp crotch during exercise. Having sweat glands down there is a good thing. The vulva is full of blood vessels, which means that as blood flow increases to the genital area, it may feel warmer. Sweat allows the warmth to dissipate, which is useful because it will help you feel comfortable as you cool off. In other words, your sweat glands have an important role to play, so try not to be too hard on them.
Douches, Sprays, and Powders
The vagina is a self-cleaning body part. As such, feminine-hygiene products such as douches, deodorant sprays, and powders are not needed to keep the vagina smelling or looking clean (more on this in chapter 5). As this chapter is about health, we’ll go a step further and tell you a few additional icky facts about douching: not only can douching not prevent pregnancy or STIs, but douching may make a woman’s genital odor and discharge worse instead of better. Why? Because it may promote more bacterial growth. Some research also suggests that women who douche have a greater risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and of ectopic pregnancy, which is when a pregnancy begins to develop outside of the uterus (such as in the fallopian tube). Bottom line: avoid these kinds of feminine
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