Genital hygiene: do’s and don’ts
How do you keep your genitals clean and fresh? What products should you use? And do you really need to smell like roses ‘down there’?
Be thorough but gentle
On the inside the vagina can actually look after itself – it’s a self-cleansing organ. But let’s face it, only a shower or bath really makes you feel clean ‘down there’ – on the outside at least.
If you feel the need to use soaps, use very gentle products, nothing harsh or with too much perfume. Only clean the outside, and don’t scrub the inside of the vagina with soap. This can cause infections and irritation.
The same goes for men. Use lots of water and gentle soaps and be very thorough. There are lots of little skin folds and wrinkles around the penis – make sure you gently get to all of them.
If you’re not circumcised, pull back your foreskin to wash the head of your penis and get rid of any smegma – the white stuff that collects under the foreskin. Just like the inside of the vagina, the head of the penis is a bit like the inside of your mouth, and it doesn’t really need soap. If you do use soap, keep it gentle.
For both men and women, clean your anus last. The same rules apply: lots of water, a bit of gentle soap and no excessive scrubbing. Finally, make sure that you rinse of any leftover soap around the genital area with lots of water, and then gently dry your genital area.Avoid urinary tract and vagina infections
Good genital hygiene is important to staying healthy. Urinary tract and vaginal infections are something that affects mostly the ladies, because their urethra is shorter and their vaginas are more at risk of infections.
Sometimes, infections aren’t avoidable, but some women get them more often than others. If that happens to you, consider changing your hygiene routine.
Again, don’t use harsh cleaning products, as they can irritate your genital area. You should also avoid dampness, so change into clean, dry underwear after you’ve worked out or sweated a lot. And on the toilet, after you’ve finished your business, always remember to wash or wipe from the front to the back. This is to avoid getting harmful bacteria from your anus near your vagina and urinary tract.Notice changes
While you are cleaning your genital area, it’s the best time to look for and notice any changes. Unusual smells or discharge, pimples and bumps or painful areas could all be signs that something is going wrong. Maybe you have an STD or you were overly enthusiastic with cleaning.
If you notice any changes, keep an eye on them for a day or two, and if they don’t improve or get worse, see a doctor to make sure that everything is still healthy around your genitals.
Be afraid of smells, embrace the pheromones
Every vagina and every penis has a certain smell. That’s natural and normal. There are sweat glands around your genitals that cause that smell. They are similar to the ones found in your armpits.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of a smell, and you certainly shouldn’t try to cover it with deodorants or excessive cleaning. Cleaning once a day is enough. And an extra wash before sex – especially oral!
But… instead of using over-perfumed genital wipes or smelly soaps, embrace your natural clean scent. It contains pheromones, which are chemical messengers in part responsible for the attraction between men and women. Which sounds and smells so much sexier than fake scents.
But, if you start smelling fishy or unpleasantly different, go see a doctor. It could be a sign of infection.Douche or bleach
Ladies, don’t douche. Douching can seriously disturbed your vaginal balance and cause itching, irritation and infections. And once you have an infection, more douching can push the bacteria that’s causing it into and up your vagina. That can lead to problems with your uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes.
And stay away from creams and lotions that promise to make your genital or anal area whiter. They, too, can cause irritations and infections.Forget the rest of your body
There is more to hygiene than just genital hygiene. You won’t do yourself or your partner and everybody else any favours if your genitals are clean and well-taken care of but your breath and armpits haven’t had any attention for weeks.
So make sure you brush your teeth twice a day, shower or bath regularly and use deodorant if you sweat a lot or tend to smell underneath your arms. Clean dirt from underneath your nails. Some people like to remove or trim their body hair – whether you like this or not is up to you, but it can be a bit easier to keep clean and smell nice if your body hair is under control.Do you have any tricks for keeping yourself fresh? Leave a comment below or join the discussion on Facebook.
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Recent Comments (117)
Thats very and it is my daily
Thats very and it is my daily routine.
That’s good to hear, Kenneth!
That’s good to hear, Kenneth! Keep it up!
Great & very beneficial info.
Great & very beneficial info…Thanks to admin….
Thanks, Cimarro! We are glad
Thanks, Cimarro! We are glad to hear that the information is useful for our audience!
Great & very beneficial info.
Great & very beneficial info…Thanks to admin….
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Thankyou for the good
Thankyou for the good information
Thank you Damaris, we are
Thank you Damaris, we are glad when your audience finds our information helpful!
Wow fantabulous
Wow fantabulous
We are glad to be of help.
We are glad to be of help.
very informative .kip up the
very informative .kip up the gud work.
Hi Winnie, we are glad to
Hi Winnie, we are glad to hear that! We will keep it up!
Thanks for that helpfull
Thanks for that helpfull information!
Thanks for that helpfull
Thanks for that helpfull information!
You are very welcome, Antony!
You are very welcome, Antony!
I totaly love this article
I totaly love this article,the admin has good mastery of all subject matter discussed.
ll,d really love to meet him/ her to get a glimpse of who pieces this together…
Pssst, Wanjira, have a look
Pssst, Wanjira, have a look at our ‘About us’ section when you visit the website on a computer, and you will get a glimpse of us :-).
much of a lesson
much of a lesson
Miuya,
Miuya,
a good one, or a bad one?
Does the hair which grow
Does the hair which grow around the groin has its function, if yes are they suppose to be shaved?..
Hi Daniel,
Hi Daniel,
Nobody really knows why humans still have pubic hair. But there is no harm in shaving all or part of it!
Good lesson and example
Good lesson and example thanks admin
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
May almighty lord bless yu:
May almighty lord bless yu:)nice advice
Thank you!
Thank you!
are we supposed to wash our
are we supposed to wash our genitals with warm or cold water
Warm water is good, but cold
Warm water is good, but cold water isn’t bad, either. Avoid very hot water, though.
thanks for that admin…but
thanks for that admin…but on my side is diffrent i have this painful and boil like stuffs at the upper part of my thing,they apper at times but after some prikings they dissapia again wat can that be???help plz
Queen,
Queen,
please see a doctor about this, we can’t diagnose from a distance. Good luck!
i love this thanx somuch
i love this thanx somuch
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Wat mre if i apply detol or
Wat mre if i apply detol or savoln to wash mi privcy izt danger too..anyway thankx for d brilliant information
Noxie,
Noxie,
please don’t do that! They are very, very harsh, and not meant to be used on your genitals.
Nice advice….indeed i am
Nice advice….indeed i am adoctor profetionally and i do agree with you.
Thank you for the vote of
Thank you for the vote of confidence!
Good article indd i love it.
Good article indd i love it. its good to hav personal hygiene
Great!
Great!
Thanks a lot for your
Thanks a lot for your helpfull
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Helpful Information we wil
Helpful Information we wil keep it up
That’s good to hear!
That’s good to hear!
wow its really touching
wow its really touching
🙂
🙂
thats nice i hav e known
thats nice i hav e known something i ddint tthanks.
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
A good n4mation…keep it up
A good n4mation…keep it up.Then what about,when your mouth smells even if you brush regulary…it discourages especially during kissing.please help.
Steve,
Steve,
if your breath smells even though you have good dental hygiene, you should try to talk to a dentist.
Other than that, try to avoid foods that make your breath smell, like raw onions and garlic.
thanks alot.
thanks alot.
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Thanks
Thanks
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
I love this aticle….its
I love this aticle….its very educative. Kip up wd the gd wrk
We will, thanks Terry!
We will, thanks Terry!
mmmmhh!kachumbari vyoote na
mmmmhh!kachumbari vyoote na dania vimo. guys u r the leader I lyk ua advises. kudos.
Asante!
Asante!
I av read all through may the
I av read all through may the lord bless for this
Thank you.
Thank you.
A good lesson for us,,thanx
A good lesson for us,,thanx love matter,,keep it up
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
my thought about Daniel’s
my thought about Daniel’s question is that may be it helps to regulate friction between the two partner while having sexual intercoz
What was Daniel’s question?
What was Daniel’s question?
Hi,I usually sweat profusely
Hi,I usually sweat profusely more so at the armpits.Could you please advise me on what to do so that I can maintain hygiene.
Frederick,
Frederick,
some people do sweat more than others. If it really bothers you, you can discuss it with your doctor and see if there are any solutions that may work for you.
Thanks for the great
Thanks for the great information.keep it up
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
that’s agood lesson keep up..
that’s agood lesson keep up..
We will!
We will!
A very advisable word n a
A very advisable word n a hygienic one love it do it in my daily basis .Thanks admin for a good word big ups.
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
That’s a great hygiene method
That’s a great hygiene method and I hope people will apply it as you said.
We hope so, too!
We hope so, too!
Very important information
Very important information,hop many av got it
So do we.
So do we.
wow! Infact this is more than
wow! Infact this is more than advice
🙂
🙂
Thanks for the info
Thanks for the info
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Thenx for the information.. I
Thenx for the information.. I have learnt something I didn’t know..
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
Thanks for the important
Thanks for the important information
You are most welcome!
You are most welcome!
point absorbed
point absorbed
Great!
Great!
Thats great have learnt mo
Thats great have learnt mo kip it up.
We will, thanks, Sophy!
We will, thanks, Sophy!
nice one,buh plz weneva am
nice one,buh plz weneva am menstuatin i notice dis unplesant smell,wat could dat be plz??
Amuche,
Amuche,
what kind of smell is it, like iron?
You can try to change your pads more frequently, or use tampons and cups that absorb the blood inside the body.
wow! wow! wat a sweet info. i
wow! wow! wat a sweet info. i’ll alwez keep it in heart, and teach others who dont have a clue….thenx guyz
That’s great!
That’s great!
Informative, kip it up
Informative, kip it up
we will, thanks Steve.
we will, thanks Steve.
Wow..i like this helpful
Wow..i like this helpful article..
That’s great to hear!
That’s great to hear!
thankyou for your teaching.my
thankyou for your teaching.my issue is i have a loose gum wich makes me bleed even if am not brushing my tooth make me spit blood, half of my upper teeth are bleeding and not been involved in any form of accindent.What may be the course?
Frankie,
Frankie,
sorry, we are not dental expert. It would be best to see a dentist.
thanks alot. I like your
thanks alot. I like your advise,but wat if u r fat & ur thing appears to be small always feeling pain,how can I loose some weight so as to enjoy sex?
Lin,
Lin,
when and where do you feel pain?
Hi,can one notice if a lady
Hi,can one notice if a lady have had sex with another man immediately through orgasm smell?
How would you distinguish
How would you distinguish between the smell of an orgasm from masturbating and the smell of an orgasm from sex?
Thanks alot, keep it up
Thanks alot, keep it up
You are welcome Emmah.
You are welcome Emmah.
pls wen ur pubic hair changes
pls wen ur pubic hair changes colour in to grey around ur testicles is it an infection n what kind of infection is that. Thkx
Hi Edmond, just like the
Hi Edmond, just like the other hair in your body changes grey it simply means that one is aging. It does not mean one is infected in any way.
How do one control pimples
How do one control pimples and boils on the vagina
Hi Ivy those are normally
Hi Ivy those are normally signs of an infection and one needs to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Please which soap should I …
Please which soap should I use to wash vagina?
Hey Comfort, you don’t…
Hey Comfort, you don’t really need to use soap, warm water is usually sufficient. If you feel the need to use soaps, use very gentle products, nothing harsh or with too much perfume. Baby soaps maybe ideal for this. Only clean the outside, and don’t scrub the inside of the vagina with soap. This can cause infections and irritation. Have a look at this article for additional information;- https://lovemattersafrica.com/our-bodies/female-body/vulva-and-vagina
So, for women what king or…
So, for women what king or color of discharge should be worrying?
Hey Chuchu, vaginal…
Hey Chuchu, vaginal discharge is perfectly normal and healthy. However, what may be normal for one woman may be completely different for another. If you however, see any drastic changes in smell, colour or quantity, especially in combination with itching, pain or redness, it could be a sign of infection and in that case one needs to seek medical attention. Check out the following article for additional information on vaginal hygiene;- https://lovemattersafrica.com/our-bodies/female-body/vaginal-discharge-and-odour-top-facts
Good job,should also talk…
Good job,should also talk about masturbationvery soon.
Hey, we already have…
Hey, we already have multiple articles on Masturbation. You could start with these;-
https://lovemattersafrica.com/making-love/ways-to-make-love/masturbation-top-five-facts-part-1
https://lovemattersafrica.com/making-love/ways-to-make-love/masturbation-top-five-facts-part-2
Any effect as a result of…
Any effect as a result of pimples arising during pubic hair growth? They are usually painful but temporary
Hi Dommie, other than the…
Hi Dommie, other than the discomfort they cause they do not have serious negative effects. To help prevent ingrown pubic hairs, a person can take the following steps:
Hmmmm interesting, much…
Hmmmm interesting, much appreciated kudos
Hello Ofonime, thank you for…
Hello Ofonime, thank you for your positive feedback! Remember to keep safe during this time and have a blessed Easter 🙂
Pls I have being having…
Pls I have being having atches on my around my via Virginia and whenever I urinet I fell some pains .pls what could be the cause?
Hello Merit Modhio, thank…
Hello Merit Modhio, thank you for reaching out to us. Since this seems like a medical issue we strongly advise that you see a medical practitioner for a comprehensive diagnosis and advice on the way forward.