Healthy and Safe Feminine Washes For Your Vagina

When it comes to taking care of our bodies and hygiene, making sure that your pH Level is balanced and feeling clean and comfortable is of utmost importance. Of course, we always want to smell our best, especially when it comes to our vagina. We always want our vaginal area to smell like a field of daisies all the time, but it’s not realistic. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but vulvas are not actually supposed to smell like a bouquet of roses or a tropical island. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln is a OB/GYN who became famous on Tik Tok by educating viewers on vaginal health, sex, birth control, and overall feminine health. In one of her videos, she talked about how just basic plain water and mild soap is all you need to clean your vagina and the surrounding parts. There are certain vaginal washes that contain fragrances and essential oils that can irritate your vulva, causing mild to severe allergic reactions that can hurt the sensitive skin.

I want to show you which vaginal washes are worth using, and which ones you should throw away.

Use: Vanicream Liquid Cleanser

Source: Vanicream.com — Source: *Vanicream.com*

Vanicream liquid cleanser is safe to use for your hands, face, and body. It is free of any fragrances and chemicals that can be harmful to the vulva and your pH balance. There are always going to be chemicals in products, but it’s about what kind of chemicals are in the product and what they do for your skin. Click here to learn more about the product.

Do not use: Summer’s Eve

Summer’s Eve has a lot of dyes and fragrances that are harmful to your pH balance and vulva. These fragrances cause allergic reactions and irritations. Even the products that say “fragrance free” still have a lot of harmful chemicals in them, like essential oils. Essential oils are not necessary when washing your vaginal area; nothing really should be used other than water and a very mild, unscented soap. Remember that your vagina is self-cleaning, so it should smell like a vagina, not island splash. If you do have any abnormal odor, then that is when you go see your doctor!

Use: Dove

Dove is a great mild soap worth trying to clean your vulva. Women have claimed that soap can be drying, but if it works for you, then there’s no problem. Dove soap can leave your vagina smelling clean while also getting rid of bad bacteria. Dove can be used daily on the face, body, and hands; it is safe for the rest of your body, and you don’t have to spend money on body washes for different areas. It’s best to only use the unscented sensitive skin Dove soap so you can avoid any irritation in your vaginal area. Remember to only use a small amount of soap! Click here to learn more about this product.

Do not use: Vagisil

Vagisil is an infamous product, but still has chemicals that are harmful to your vagina. The chemicals in Vagisil—especially the ones that say they get rid of odor—can kill the bad and the good bacteria. Yet again, it is important to remember that you don’t need your vagina to be scented!

Use: Cetaphil

Cetaphil is gentle enough to lightly clean your vaginal area without irritation. You can use it on the rest of your body, so it’s safe to use and pretty versatile. This wash has moisturizers that won’t make you feel dry and help to retain your natural moisture. Reviews from Cetaphil’s website have customers stating that the body wash is gentle, causes no negative skin reactions, and is very effective for sensitive skin. Click here to learn more about this product.

Do not use: Douches

Douching is a no-go. While cleaning, nothing should be inserted in the vagina except for water. Douching is known to cause reproductive health conditions like bacterial vaginosis. Very Well Health stated, “Research suggests that douching is bad for your health because it disturbs the normal chemical and microbial balance of the vagina. This can potentially lead to BV, or other bacterial infections.” Douching can also cause allergic reactions and seriously mess up your pH balance. As Dr. Lincoln says, “Your vagina shouldn’t smell like sweet romance.” If you have any abnormal odor, it’s truly best to go see your doctor instead of using douches.

Use: Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Bar Soap

Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap is great for sensitive skin, which is perfect for “down there.” Their soap can be used for babies as well, so that’s further assurance that it’s safe. Customer reviews have stated that the soap is gentle, feels clean, is odorless, and not irritating. The soap is made with “organic certified trade ingredients, packaged in a 100% post-consumer recycled bottle.” This soap has many uses, as you can wash hair, body, face, and even your house. Make sure to choose the fragrance-free unscented baby soap. Click here to learn more about this product.

Do Not Use: Queen V

Queen V is another vaginal cleansing product that has chemicals and essential oils that are harmful to your vaginal area and pH balance. It is not at all necessary to have essential oils to clean your vagina. These chemicals can also cause dryness, and even create yeast infections. One of the ingredients for their products is tea tree oil, which should not ever be used to wash your vaginal area. Tea tree oil has a pH level that is a little too high for your own natural pH balance, and will definitely throw off your natural scent.

Wipes To Use: Swipes Lovin Wipes

If you decide to use wipes for cleanliness in your vaginal area as opposed to washes, try Swipes Lovin wipes. These wipes are free of alcohol, dyes, and chlorine. They are made with pure water, they’re cruelty free, and even biodegradable. Also, stick with the unscented wipes to avoid irritation. Overall though, you don’t usually need wipes to clean up—just use toilet paper, water, or a good shower. Click here to learn more about this product.

Do Not Use: Summer’s Eve Cleansing Cloths

These wipes can cause unwanted irritation, allergic reactions, and mess with your pH balance. Even if it says that the product is catered toward sensitive skin, it still has a fragrance which can hurt sensitive skin in your vaginal area.

Wipes To Use: Pure Touch Feminine Wipes

Source: puretouchskincare.com — Source: *puretouchskincare.com*

These wipes are paraben-free, alcohol-free, and hypoallergenic. They aim to reduce irritation more than most wipes, and reviews claim that you should be very gentle when used. Then again, all you simply need to clean your vaginal area is water, but if you choose to use wipes, Pure Touch would be best. Click here to learn more about this product.

Do Not Use: Honey Pot Wipes

Yet again, we find the same issues with these wipes as we do with Summer’s Eve wipes. This brand is plant-based, but just because something is plant-based doesn’t mean you can clean your vulva with it safely. There are good chemicals and bad chemicals, but plant-based can still give your skin a bad reaction. On the ingredients list of this formula, it shows a list of oils put in this product that are not necessary for the vaginal area. These chemicals and oils can cause burning and irritation. In the end, wipes aren’t needed when running the risk of physical health.

It is important to know which brands are on your side and safe for your vaginal health. Your vulva doesn’t need a long list of chemicals, essential oils, and smell like a garden of roses for it to be clean and odorless. Women shouldn’t be so confused on what they should be using to clean their bodies, and hopefully this article helps. Brands create this idea that women should be using strong cleansing products on the sensitive skin that is their vulva, leading women to think that they need to get rid of their natural smell. All you need to feel clean and comfortable is your go-to unscented mild soap, or even just water. Always be aware on what going on with your body—if you have ongoing irritation and abnormal odor, it’s best to see an OB/GYN.

Let’s stop the confusion and be certain on how to safely clean our own bodies.