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The naturally-occurring vaginal flora stops most infection, prevents irritation, and manages chemical reactions that may cause odor. Why? Your vagina is designed to maintain a healthy and natural pH balance. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that women don’t use douching products at all. Doctors know so much more about vaginal health than they did in the early 1900s, including that douching isn’t healthy. In fact, you can walk into your local CVS and purchase a portable system for one dollar. While doctors and health professionals have, thankfully, wised up about Lysol douching treatments, it’s no secret that douching is still prevalent. Again, YIKES! Fast forward to the 1980s, when health experts realized these Lysol douching products containing cresol caused permanent damage to a woman’s cervix and labia. Yikes! These Lysol douching products claimed to work as a hygienic antiseptic and spermicide to use after sex. The momentum for douche popularity continued through the 1920s when Lysol (Yes, the Lysol that you’re thinking of!) became the most popular douching product. Women went nuts for it, as it promised to treat intimate odor. Douchesĭid you know that douching made its first debut in the mid-19th century? The Éguisier irrigator, consisting of a plunger and a nozzle, made its way into French pharmacies. Let’s take a deeper look into some standard products that are marketed to destroy “vaginal odor,” why these products aren’t the best, and what you can use instead. This is our battle cry! What does this mean? It means that the product you’re looking for to fend off most odor down there should be able to be applied anywhere externally on your skin, and “vaginal odor” is a myth perpetuated by savvy marketers to sell products. So, unless you have an internal bacterial infection which would require an antibiotic prescription, odor is- a vast majority of the time- NOT from your vagina. Bacteria from your backside and bodily fluids like menstrual blood, discharge, urine, semen, and sweat mingle to create odor. Day-to-day, odor down under is EXTERNAL and occurs on the vulva, which surrounds the vagina. The vagina is an internal organ and often confused as having an external presence. The same type of chemical reaction that causes underarm odor also causes the odor found on private parts (for both men and women), under breasts, under tummy folds, and everywhere else on the body. Companies urge women to buy products that, in most cases, they don't actually need simply because no one wants a "stinky vagina." Here’s the truth. The phrases “vaginal odor” and “feminine odor” mostly serve as marketing ploys that capitalize on creating insecurities about the vagina. But, here’s the problem with products marketed as “vaginal” deodorants.
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It makes sense that they would purchase products to conceal odor, especially if it’s for an odor near the private parts. Why is that? Why do I, and so many other women, opt for the self-checkout lane when purchasing these products? If needing these products is just a part of life, what is there to be ashamed of? Maybe it has something to do with the stigma attached to the words “vaginal odor” and “feminine odor?” Considering that perfume is a 31 billion dollar industry, it’s not a big leap to assume that women like to smell good. But I do feel the need to be discreet when casually strolling past the vaginal deodorants in the feminine hygiene section. When I pick up tampons, I don’t hide them under other products out of embarrassment or find a female cashier to not cause male cashiers potential distress. Buying tampons, pads, or even a pregnancy test is as normal to me as purchasing a watermelon in the summer or a pack of cards to take on vacation. You know what I don’t ever think about? My monthly trip to the feminine products section of the nearest grocery store.