Intimate wash products have become increasingly popular, but what exactly is an intimate wash, and what should you look for when choosing one?
Feminine Wash Products Facts
1. Intimate washes are cleansers designed for lady bits!
An intimate wash can be best thought of as a cleanser especially designed for your lady bits. We use specialist cleansers for just about every part of our body, including our hair (shampoo), our bodies (body wash) and our faces (facial cleanser). Intimate wash is simply a cleansing product that is designed especially for women’s intimate areas. Just make sure you choose one that is natural, pH balanced, and free of harsh chemicals to freshen and protect naturally.
2. The causes of feminine odour
Most vaginal odour is caused by sweat glands around the outside of your vagina and normal, healthy secretions. If you are noticing excessive or different odour, then check with your doctor to make sure you don’t have an infection that needs to be cleared up.
3. You’re like a tomato!
Your vagina’s healthy pH range is anywhere from about 3.8 to 4.5, which is about the same acidity as a tomato. Your good bacteria are helping to keep that pH in balance all the time.
The external parts of your intimate areas (the vulva), has what’s known as the acid mantle, a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin. This acts as a barrier to microflora attaching themselves to the skin. It’s important to maintain the skin’s acid mantle, especially in intimate areas to help keen microflora in balance. The pH of the skin’s acid mantle varies on each part of the body. For topical intimate wash products, look for a product that is formulated to be mildly acidic – around pH 4.5.
4. How to clean the area
The good news is that your vagina is expert at self-cleaning. But when you do want to clean down there, washing the outside of your intimate areas (the vulva) with warm water and a gentle, natural, pH balanced cleanser should be sufficient.
It is important to avoid using any perfume, additives or strange chemicals that may upset the natural pH balance. Be sure to check labels on any intimate wash products you buy. Ditch any scented soaps, shower gels and wipes. If you are unsure about a product, consult your healthcare professional.
5. Only clean the outside
Using bought products or home-made concoctions inside the vagina is known as douching. This usually involves some sort of hand held pump which pushes a liquid solution up into the vaginal canal. Experts highly recommend that women avoid douching. Your vagina has a delicate balance of pH and healthy bacterial that line the vaginal walls, which helps to keep the area healthy. Douching disrupts this balance, and can flush away good bacteria, leaving you more vulnerable to infections.