World Toilet Day-Let’s Talk About Feminine Hygiene

From being spoken about in hush-hush tones, the topic of female hygiene has now come out in the open thanks to the awareness raised by movies, campaigns and media. While we wax eloquent on the dos and don’ts of feminine hygiene, there’s a need to get some basics cleared first. On World Toilet Day, let’s take a pledge to be better informed about the A to Z of women’s hygiene so that the next generation doesn’t have to suffer like our predecessors did.

Urban girls first get to know about the female reproductive system while studying. As they cross the threshold of childhood into puberty and adulthood, mothers and then the internet plays a role in educating them. But girls hardly ever talk about the topic of feminine hygiene with their friends for fear of being made fun of. Simple tasks like how to clean, how much to clean, when to clean and what to clean is hardly discussed among peers. The general idea is that girls will figure this out on their own. But that’s not always the case. Here are some handy tips to enlighten you gals and clear doubts about feminine hygiene:

What to clean with?

There’s no need to buy all fancy products that claim to make your area down there smell like flowers. Such perfumed products can actually irritate the skin and also damage the pH level of the sensitive skin of your lady parts.

When to clean?

Whether you take a long or short bath, don’t forget to wash the area DAILY.

No matter which feminine hygiene product you use – disposable/reusable sanitary pads, tampons or menstrual cups, know that anything like this cannot be used for long hours or you risk contaminating your blood. So keep changing them often and always dispose them off properly after use. This means no flushing them in the toilet. Just wrap and put in trash. Be responsible!

Read more:Tips On Feminine Hygiene During Festivities

Where to clean?

Remember to wash thoroughly between all the skin folds to clean any secretions. Only clean the external genitalia.

How to clean?

Wash with a mild soap and warm water. Rinse the area properly and pat dry with a soft cloth or towel. Never spray deodorants, put bath oils or wipes on your vagina if it smells different than usual. Rather, take notes on the colour of the discharge and the kind of smell. If this persists for some time, head to a gynaecologist for an assessment.

Douching or rinsing your vagina till its insides after period is never required as the body cleans itself automatically.

Why to clean?

Like any other exposed body part, this too needs cleaning. Itchy and smelly lady parts are not funny! But itching doesn’t always mean infection. Sometimes it can be because of hormonal changes or because you decided to use some fancy product to clean down there.

The overgrowth of Candida fungus can leave your vagina smelling bad but garlic or yoghurt cannot cure the infection as many people claim. If you won’t like to pop pills then wait it out till your next period when the pH levels get balanced or your immune system fights back.

Hopefully, this answers some basic queries and busts common myths about feminine hygiene for you. Watch this space for more such information and spread the word.

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