Don’t get us started on what all women need to experience right from puberty to menopause! Our bodies change so much as we grow older. Hormones change, skin changes, body shape changes, body hair appears (oh gosh!). Our intimate areas undergo so much change too. Menstruation days are just the toughest, and if vaginal hygiene isn’t maintained, it’ll lead to unnecessary and unwanted infections. To maintain everyday intimate area hygiene, using an intimate wash that suits you best is paramount. An intimate wash for women is a gentle solution, specially formulated to treat dryness, irritations, itchiness, and other skin problems in intimate areas. Daily intimate wash usage also minimizes the chances of acquiring an infection down there during period days.
But there are some women who still say “Just use water”. Well, if ‘just rinsing’ your body was alright, why use shower gels and soaps, right? No ma’am, just like how you don’t ‘just rinse’ the rest of your body, your intimate areas can’t cleanse effectively with ‘just’ water. Here’s why women these days need to understand the benefits of using an intimate wash for women and why they actually need it daily.
Know the Vulva and Vagina
Let’s start from the very basics: What are the vulva and vagina? And what’s the difference? The vulva is literally anything you can see, it’s the entire exterior portion of the female genitalia which includes: the outer labia (all parts that have hair follicles), the inner labia (the inner ‘lips’ of the female genitalia), the clitoris and clitoral hood (the skin that folds around the clitoris to protect it), and last but not the least, the urethra opening (hardest to see most of the time).
The vagina or the vaginal canal is the internal canal leading to a part called the cervix where tampons are inserted and where babies come out from.
So which of these do you cleanse? Vulva or Vagina?
This is the most frequently asked question and it’s surprising how confusing this could be to some women cause it’s an easy one to know! The vagina is a ‘self-cleaning’ part of the female genitalia. It secretes fluid/discharge that helps the body naturally clean and ‘flush’ off unnecessary bacteria, yeast, sperm, or anything else out of the vaginal canal daily. Since this interesting part of a complex female reproductive organ is self-cleaning. It’s not mandatory to use intimate area wash inside the vagina. Plus, using an intimate cleanser inside the vagina would disrupt the natural vaginal pH and health levels of bacteria and yeast that already exist inside a healthy vagina. This pH imbalance could lead to bacterial infections, yeast infections, and more dangerous skin problems. So, are we now cleaning inside the vagina? No way!
On the other hand, the vulva is where cleansers, feminine washes, or soap are supposed to be used. if you assume the vagina to be a self-cleaning oven then essentially the vulva would be the oven doors. And we all know how oven doors need cleaning with a cleaning agent. It’s the same with the vulva. It needs regular maintenance of intimate area hygiene. So, we’re cleaning the vulva then? Yes, ma’am!
Now that we know what exactly needs cleansing, how must women make the right choice for an intimate area wash? Here’s where it’s a bit tricky. There’s an endless list of feminine products in the market, making it super hard for women to figure out what’s best for them.
Here are 5 quick tips on how you can find the best intimate wash for women for your daily intimate area hygiene routine:
1. Ensure the feminine wash you use is pH balanced. Regular soap is highly alkaline in nature while the vulva skin and the vagina prefer to be acidic with a pH between 3.5 to 4.5. An intimate area wash with a pH balance is formulated to be more acidic and would be more gentle to the vulva at the same time.
2. Choose an intimate wash for women that’s definitely unscented or fragrance-free. Most artificial fragrances are made from chemicals that are known to irritate sensitive vulva skin. The vulva and vagina were never made to smell like fruit or like some toothy-fruity candy. Unscented is the right way to go!
3. Pick an intimate area wash that has a gentle formula. No woman wants to experience burning sensations or feel dry like sandpaper down there. An intimate area wash that’s gentle on the skin will feel moisturizing and soothing, just like Namyaa’s Intimate Hygiene Wash with Green Tea and Cucumber Extracts.
4. Keep an open eye for an intimate wash for women that’s free from parabens and SLES (Sodium lauryl ether sulfate). There are many choices most of Namyaa’s intimate hygiene products are made from natural ingredients and do not contain parabens and SLES at all!
5. Avoid feminine washes that have glycerin and do not use soap. Sulfates and parabens have been researched to be linked to skin irritation, ovarian cancer, and more. Glycerin is a sugar product. And we all know yeast feels on sugar and glycerin in soaps potentially increases yeast production and eventually causes yeast infection. We definitely want to prevent that at all costs!
And when someone tells you ‘Just Use Water’, you know what to tell them. Make them realize what they choose for their hygiene routine. Are they just rinsing, using soaps, or have they finally found an intimate wash for women that’s gentle, safe, and moisturizing just like how you have!
