Personal hygiene: the right steps

You have probably been confronted at one point or another in your life with situations of doubt about how to proceed in terms of intimate care. You have undoubtedly also been exposed to a lot of solutions and miraculous cleaning rituals advocated by influencers or pseudo-scientists who are all as wacky as each other.

What strikes us is that search queries for “intimate cleaning” concern the entire vulva, or even the vagina.

The Internet is full of methods for having impeccable "intimate hygiene", that you have to clean your vagina thoroughly, or even deodorize it all day long. This is totally false! On the contrary, over-washing your genitals is harmful to your sexual health. Of course, this does not mean that you should not wash your genital area, but you should not do it haphazardly, or with just any type of cleaning product. Below we provide you with everything you need to know about intimate care.

What you need to know about vaginal and vulvar sexual health

Whether you have pubic hair or are completely or partially shaved, you should know that Nature has done things well and that what some call "personal hygiene" is in fact excessive.

The vagina is "self-cleaning"

The vaginal mucous membranes get rid of the impurities that clog them up themselves, in particular thanks to the secretions they produce. It is therefore not useful to clean them in depth, or even several times a day. Even within a cisgender couple, in the event of sperm in the vagina, it is not necessary to carry out an internal cleaning. In reality, the vagina should never be washed! The more you try to clean it, the more you risk stripping it and destroying its natural defenses.

To avoid intimate disorders and vaginal odors, it is necessary to protect the intimate flora

The vagina and vulva are protected by the intimate flora, that is, by "good bacteria" that prevent contamination by microbes, viruses and fungi. When you suffer from intimate itching, white discharge, painful intercourse or your vaginal odor is unpleasant, it is because one of these microorganisms has managed to take over the flora.

If you wash too often, you risk destroying your genital microflora and leaving the vulva and vagina defenseless. In the end, it is the overly thorough intimate care that will have caused problems when it was supposed to solve them! This is why you should avoid antibacterial and antiseptic products for your intimate hygiene at all costs. Whether it is in the case of sperm in the vagina, because you have a hairy vagina or because you suffer from vaginal pain, there is no justification for using this type of product without a medical prescription.

Frequency, products to use: how to do your intimate hygiene?

The right actions

To preserve your daily comfort and maintain the effectiveness of your intimate flora, only a few simple actions are necessary:

• Wash your vulva, but not your vagina, only once a day, or only if necessary,
• Use an intimate gel, an intimate cleansing foam or an intimate care product that respects the natural acidity of the genital mucous membranes, organic or not,
• Dry the crotch and vulva properly to avoid maceration,
• Clean your sex toys with specific products ,
• Wipe from front to back when using the toilet.

Our Intyessentials intimate cleanser with organic aloe vera is ideal for personal hygiene. It can be applied as often as desired (even daily) to refresh your intimate areas, soothe irritation and maintain comfort.

What to avoid

There are a whole bunch of things you should avoid to keep your intimate area healthy:

• Intimate wipes that contain chemicals,
• The use of a scented intimate gel, a chemical intimate cleansing solution, an antibacterial treatment or one that modifies the pH of the intimate mucous membranes, even if they are supposed to be organic,
• Perfumes and deodorants for the vagina and vulva,
• Body shower gel which is unsuitable for intimate hygiene,
• Vaginal douches which strip the mucous membranes and destroy their defenses,
• Grandma's remedies made from everyday ingredients like lemon, vinegar, yogurt, etc.,
• Steam cleaning: it is useless and you risk burning yourself as well as damaging your intimate flora!

If you suffer from vaginal pain, painful intercourse or if your vaginal secretions are abnormally thick or smelly (fishy smell, for example), you should consult a doctor or a gynecologist, because you may have an infection or a mycosis. Do not try to wash your vagina to get rid of the problems, in any case, this will only make the situation worse if you need specific care!