Dr. Jackie says... NO SOAP
How do you keep your vagina as healthy as possible in your 30s and beyond?
DR. JACKIE: First and foremost, quit putting soap down there and don’t douche. The vagina is a self-cleaning oven. The vagina has it’s own pH level, so it’s supposed to be acidic [and the level should be] no less than 4.5. When we start adding all of the antibacterial soap what happens is you kill off the bacteria that is supposed to be there that creates the eco-system for the vagina and controls the acidity. When you destroy the normal pH of the vagina then you now have vaginal dryness and you’ve allowed yeast and bacterial vaginosis to overgrow, which of course creates discomfort and in a lot of cases odor.
So you just need hot water to keep your vagina clean?
DR. JACKIE: Well, not hot; lets make it warm. Just really clean the exterior of the vagina and in the crevices and folds. What I recommend is to make [your vagina] the first thing you clean when you get in the shower. Before you get the soap or the sponges out, just self clean the vagina with your hand and water only. The vagina was never designed to smell like a flower or fruit. We’re really big on putting smell-goods in the vagina. It’s supposed to have a particular odor, but not an offensive odor, and as women we really want it to smell like perfume. Don’t try to change the odor of the vagina; it is a God-given odor. Throughout the day yes we sweat and you notice it more, but please don’t use perfumes and especially powder. Powder creates an increased risk of ovarian cancer. So keep the powders out of the vagina too.
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