Knowledge of vaginal hygiene is essential for every woman to keep the genitals and reproductive tract clean and healthy. Regardless of age, you have to follow vaginal hygiene rules and adopt washroom habits to increase your life.
Wipe Your Vagina after Urination
Many women do not wipe their vagina after urination, which causes wetting of the panties. Wet panties not only result in a foul odor but also increase the risk of vaginal infections. Hence, to follow good washroom habits, you must wipe the wet area by using a soft cloth or a piece of toilet paper to keep your underwear dry.
However, you must avoid excessive vaginal wiping or applying talcum powder and similar products. You have to remember that vaginal discharge implies a healthy vaginal environment. Indeed, excessive wiping leads to vaginal dryness and itchiness.
Wipe Your Vagina in the Right Way
Merely, wiping your vaginal area is not enough to avoid vaginal infections. Instead, you have to learn the right way to clean your vagina. Accordingly, you must move the wet wipe from the vagina to the anus and avoid applying it in the opposite direction. If you wipe in the opposite direction, you may drag harmful bacteria to your vagina.
Make Sure to Clean Your Vagina after Intercourse
Cleaning your vagina every time after intercourse is one of the essential washroom habits for good vaginal hygiene. The reason is that body particles and fluids from the penis and condoms irritate. Moreover, not cleaning after the activity may make you prone to various vaginal infections. Hence, you have to clean your vagina after sex by water to avoid urinary tract infections and other related problems.
Make Sure to Change Sanitary Pads Regularly
Women must change their sanitary napkins every 6 hours to 8 hours if they have a normal blood flow. The rule is also applicable when a female has light blood flow. In contrast, if you have heavy menstruation flow, never forget to change your sanitary pads every 3 hours to 4 hours. If you use tampons, you have to change them after every six hours without any failure.
Simultaneously, you must clean the genital area every time you go to the bathroom during your menstruation. If tampons or sanitary napkins remain unchanged for a long time, you may suffer from bad odor and skin rashes. In some cases, napkins used for long hours put you at risk related to vagina or urine infections. Alternatively, you have to wash and dry the reusable cloth pads properly before using them next time.
Strictly Avoid Using Soap to Wash Your Vagina
You must strictly avoid using any harsh soap or scented soap for cleaning your vagina. Soap-laden contains many harmful chemicals, like perfumes, glycerol, and antiseptics. Each of these may affect the bacterial health balance in your vagina. Besides, soaps may change the pH level in your vaginal area, which causes irritation and results in unhealthy bacterial growth. Hence, you should choose lukewarm water for washing the vagina and its surrounding area.
Avoid Wearing Tight Panties
Other than cleaning-related washroom habits, you have to avoid wearing tight panties or undergarments to maintain good vaginal health and hygiene. Instead, you have to buy and wear panties designed by cotton and any other breathable fabric. Wearing tight inners consisting of synthetic fabrics causes excessive sweating because of limited air circulation.
Excessive moisture from sweating leads to yeast and bacterial growth leading to vaginal infection. Besides, you should never wear tight spandex, leather pants, and wet bathing suits for a long period. Simultaneously, you have to change your undergarments after exercise, working out and other similar activities, which cause excessive sweating.
Never Apply any Scented Hygiene Product
Many women apply scented feminine products, like vaginal deodorants and scented wipes/scrubs on their vaginas to avoid the foul vaginal smell. However, scented products may make your condition worse and the vagina becomes prone to several infections. Other than that, vaginal scrubs peel the surrounding skin leading to infection. If your vagina smells very badly after washing it with water, consult your gynecologist immediately.
Avoid Shaving Pubic Hair
A few women prefer to shave public hair, as they perceive that it looks unclean and gross. However, researches have revealed that public hair is a type of safety net. The hair protects the outer area of the female genital i.e. vulva, which surrounds the vaginal opening from all sorts of bacterial infections. Other than that, applying razors and similar other non-electric shaving appliances on public hair causes genital injuries. Even if you want to remove public hair at a beauty parlor, you have to check the instruments and chemicals used by the beauticians for a bikini wax.
With this in mind,
Vaginal health is crucial for women and overlooking problems related to vaginal hygiene may cause further complications in the future. Hence, women must follow certain bathroom-related rules to avoid any adverse effect on vaginal health.
