How to Actually Clean Your Vagina and Vulva, According to Ob-Gyns

Knowing how to clean your vagina can be a bit of a mystery. Maybe you’ve come across questionable advice or ads for expensive vaginal washes, sprays, deodorants, and wipes (because…what else would keep this £2 billion industry afloat?).^1,2

The messaging around these products is pretty damaging — it perpetuates the idea that vaginas are dirty.² That might cause you to not only feel self-conscious about your natural scent but also over-clean your body in the pursuit of freshness, even if it means neglecting your vaginal health. ^2,3

Luckily for you and your wallet, your vagina is self-cleaning and your vulva only requires gentle washing.² (Oh, and if you need a quick refresher: Your vagina is part of your internal genitalia and your vulva is the external part, a.k.a. the outer lips where hair grows.) So throw out your flowery scented soaps and get ready to keep it simple: Here’s how to “clean” your vagina, for real.

How not to clean your vagina | How to clean your vulva | When to see a doctor

The best way to clean your vagina? Don’t.

There’s no need to stress if your vagina has a natural scent—because vaginas do. Your sweat and the fluids that come with sex, your period, and bathroom breaks can create a melting pot of smells — and that’s totally normal.

Your vagina regularly releases a mixture of mucus, fluid, and cells, which you probably know as vaginal discharge. Thanks to this substance, there’s no need to do anything fancy to wash your vag, Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale Medical School, insists. Discharge helps your vagina clean itself and maintain its normal pH level (between 3.8 and 5.0, a fairly acidic environment that kills harmful bacteria).^2,4 Washing your vagina with soap, on the other hand, can eliminate the good bacteria (known as Lactobacilli) that help maintain its acidic pH, Dr. Minkin says. And when your pH gets thrown out of whack, it can lead to smells that aren’t normal (for you), discomfort, and other not-fun symptoms.

Feminine hygiene products won’t help in this case, Lauren Streicher, MD, an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells us. Using what’s marketed as “feminine washes” may only disrupt your pH further — and this opens the door to infections like bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria that can lead to burning when you pee; gray, white, or green discharge; and a “fishy” vaginal odour.^4,5

And while you’re here: Don’t douche or steam your vag, either, no matter what’s going on with it. Vaginal douching (e.g. flushing your vagina with fluids that can contain vinegar, iodine, or baking soda) and v-steaming (when you squat over puffs of steam) can lead to BV, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and yeast infections, among other problems. Avoid those “feminine hygiene” wipes you can find in most drugstores too; they can contain a host of ingredients that can irritate your skin, in addition to screwing with your vagina in the ways above.⁶

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You can clean your vulva — just be gentle.

Okay, so you’re staying away from soap and douching products. So what should you use to freshen up? According to Dr. Streicher, “The best thing to cleanse [your vulva] with is plain water. Any time you use any soap or anything else, there’s a chance of causing irritation.”

But if you want to use a little something extra, gentle cleansers are the way to go — especially if they have a creamier consistency, which can help keep your skin moisturised.⁷

Opt for products without scents or perfumes, Staci Tanouye, MD, FACOG, a board-certified ob-gyn at Women’s Care, says. ^7,8 She suggests that you “limit the use of any cleansers” — even unscented ones — “to a few times a week and use water most of the time.” When you feel like you need a cleanser, Dove’s Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar, CeraVe’s Hydrating Body Wash, or Vanicream’s Gentle Body Wash are good options.

Pay special attention to how whatever products you decide to use affects your skin. If a cleanser makes your vulva burn, stop using it right away and switch back to just water, Dr. Minkin says.

With Dr. Tanouye’s help, here’s a step-by-step guide to cleaning your vulva:

Gently wash with warm water. First, use your fingers to spread your labia to wash away any debris — or smegma, a buildup of oils and skin cells that typically appears white or yellow — from the lips. Gently pull back the clitoral hood and use your fingertips to delicately sweep out and wash away smegma from the inside of the lips. You can also use a washcloth — just make sure it’s soft.
Rinse thoroughly. Thoroughly rinse the entire vaginal area. Dr. Tanouye says it’s okay to use a shower head if you prefer.
Dry everything off. Use a clean towel to pat (don’t rub) your vulva dry. You can also let it all air dry.⁸

Bonus cleanliness tips for your day-to-day: When it comes to the areas around your vag, like your pubes, cleaning with water is still your best bet. “Usually, letting soapy water run down from washing the rest of the body is enough to clean pubic hair,” Dr. Tanouye says.

What about cleaning up after sex? Once you’re done, feel free to linger and enjoy your postcoital bliss, rather than rushing to the shower: Again, your natural discharge sweeps away bodily fluids, so you don’t need to do anything special to wash the inside of your vagina after you have sex. (You can wash away lube or cum from your vulva if you want, though — just follow the advice above.)

To keep your vulva clean during your period, change your pads and tampons regularly (every four to eight hours), because bacteria are a big fan of dark, moist environments…like your vagina.⁹ (Menstrual cups last a bit longer—up to 12 hours.) Wear cotton underwear and breathable clothing so that moisture and heat don’t get trapped. (It might surprise you, but thongs are totally fine here, too—research shows that they do not increase your risk of a vaginal infection.)¹⁰

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If you’ve cleaned up and things still smell funky or feel bad: It’s time to see your doctor.

When you’ve washed with water (and possibly an unscented cleanser), and your vagina still feels itchy or smells…off for longer than a few days, call in some help from a medical professional, Dr. Minkin says. Discomfort, unusual scents, or discharge with a funky colour or texture might be a sign of BV, a yeast infection, or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The good news? In most cases, antibiotics, antifungals, or other prescription medications may be all you need to feel better—but a gynaecologist can let you know what the right next steps are based on what you’re experiencing.

If you’re not dealing with symptoms that are stressing you out: Remember that your vagina doesn’t need to smell like “spring lilac” or “clean cucumber essence.” Just stick to water, and let your body take care of the rest on its own.

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This article originally appeared on SELF.

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