Winter Vaginal Self-Care 101
Winter brings in new challenges. The biting cold, deteriorating skin, a crumbling fashion sense. Amidst all these little problems, should vaginal upkeep also figure on your list of priorities? We say yes! Luckily, there are a few tried and tested ways that people use to keep their vaginas healthy and happy. Ready to check them out?
Why Vaginal Self Care?
For the same reasons, you dress up in shawls and sweaters to protect yourself against the cold or eat warmer foods to relieve your sore throat. Just as other parts of the body exact a different care routine as the season’s change, the vagina also has needs of its own.
Here are some ways to keep your vagina happy this winter:
- Keeping your vulva dry: Covering up with various layers of clothing ensures that your vulva isn’t exposed to the cold. This reduces the chances of it staying moist and contracting yeast infections. However, increased dryness makes the vagina more prone to itchiness, redness, and rashes.
- It was letting pubic hair grow: Surprise, surprise! Keeping it bushy down there might not be as nasty as shaving cream advertisements claim! Letting your pubic hair grow a little help preserve heat near the vagina. Moreover, this is also a convenient method to avoid all the bother that entails hair removal near the groin area. Say goodbye to razor burns or in-grown hair for the winter season.
- Swapping in natural products: As a general rule of thumb, opting for natural products over others is a good idea. On top of the unrelenting cold, you do not want to deal with allergic reactions because of using products that do not suit sensitive skin near the vagina. Try and test out different products, find your match and use it regularly to keep your intimate area, hygienic and healthy. For instance, go for healthy botanical oils to moisturize the external skin. An efficient one would help maintain favorable hydration levels.
- Altering diets: A diet with foods rich in fatty acids (like salmon) keeps the vagina and vulva from drying up more than necessary. Foods high in isoflavones can also increase estrogen levels!
- Be gentle: Skin in your intimate region might become more sensitive during the winter, the same way it does during menstruation. Using a pH-friendly wipe will help your vulva stay hygienic and soothed. Furthermore, during this time, comfortable cotton underwear will help that area breathe freely.
- Always keep the option of approaching your gynecologist open. They are best equipped to help you narrow down a routine that’s best suited for your vulva. This is also the easiest way to eliminate the possibility of Sexually Transmitted Diseases or allergies.
Conclusion
Giving your vagina the care it deserves will ultimately save you the stress of taking multiple trips to the gynecologist in the future. Dealing with problems in the future when they are exacerbated could only do your body harm. Therefore, take this winter as your chance to kindle a relationship with your vagina as healthy as the one you share with any other part of your body!
Cover Illustration: Healthline
Author
1 thought on “Winter Vaginal Self-Care 101”
Great tips for winter vaginal self-care! It’s refreshing to see such essential advice shared openly. Can you explore more about the impact of seasonal changes on vaginal health in your future posts? Looking forward to it!