Intimate soap - How to keep your genital area healthy
Is the vulva supposed to smell like roses? Or how do you take proper care of it? Get the answers in Josefine Valentinas guide here
The natural pH-level in the genital area
The daily hygiene in and around your intimate areas are important of course, but it can actually create problems if you do it too much. Frequent washing, improper drying and bad hygiene products can lead to itching and irritation. Normally, you will have a pH-level of 4,5 - 5,5 in the vulva and 3,5 - 4,5 in the vagina. In the period leading up to ovulation the pH-level rises, which for example makes it possible for sperm to survive in the vagina during that time.
Soap for intimate use usually has a pH of 4, which is pretty close to the pH-level of the vulva, but still too low. Therefore it can disrupt the natural bacterial flora if used on a daily basis.
If you, for example, get thrush and wash with intimate soap "to get rid of it", your pH-level and the natural bacterial flora of the vulva will be further disturbed, which makes you even more susceptible to thrush in the future. It can create a vicious cycle of unbalance in the genital area, where the thrush will keep coming back if you don't use intimate soap.
The smell of the vulva
Many intimate soaps today are without perfume, but you can still purchase some variants with the smell of flowers. Who came up with the absurd idea that the vulva is supposed to smell like flowers? Just to make it clear, it's completely fine that your vulva has a smell. That means everything is as it should be. A bad smell can be a sign of infection, so it can be a good idea to keep track of the smell of your vulva.
What can you do instead to keep your vulva clean?
The vagina is self cleaning, for example through discharge. This means that the only thing you need to do when showering, is to wash your vulva with a little water. You can also use intimate soap, but not on a daily basis.
Another good thing for the health of your vulva is to let it breathe. For example you can skip wearing underwear at home, sleep without underwear and also take a little break from wearing tight fitting clothes.
