Disclaimer: I will mention the vagina a lot in this post.

YEP. This is a topic that we girls often don’t want to talk about since no one wants to mention the “v-word” and it’s “embarrassing”. I can remember my high school teacher telling our class (I went to an all girls school), “Girls, what do you call your private parts? VAGINA! Not flower! Say it! Vaggggiiiiinaaaaa” and since then we were never uncomfortable anymore whenever we talked about it.

Today I would like to share some very important information about feminine hygiene. It is vital for us to be aware of this topic because it concerns our health. Let’s talk medical and let’s talk scientifically. So girls, listen (read) up! 😊

Let’s start with some facts. First, our vaginas are self-cleaning and we don’t really need to “clean” it. Second, it is also supposed to be pH balanced, wherein the pH score is somewhere between 3.5 to 4.5 pH. This means that our potential of hydrogen (pH) is neither acidic nor basic. Third, it is also self-lubricating, meaning there should always be moisture and we shouldn’t feel dry.

But how come we sometimes feel itchy or dry and sometimes, even smell an odor coming from it?

The reason behind this is because of something called bacterial vaginosis (BV). This is the effect of having a high pH level, and this causes odor. The problem is that 2 out of 5 women have it, and 84% don’t know they have it. Even a bigger problem? Women who have the BV are 60% more susceptible to STDs and HIV infection and are 3x more likely to infect their male partners.

What do a lot of us do when we feel dry and itchy, or if we smell a bad odor coming from our vaginas? We go to the supermarket and buy feminine washes off the shelf. However, what we don’t know is that using these chemical-based feminine washes have a very high concentration of petrochemicals, which increase the risk of BV in women up to 13x. For your information, petrochemicals are 30x harsher than tissue, and they suck out all the moisture of your vagina–it actually dries you out. Resulting in our vaginas releasing more odor and us feeling even itchier. It is truly a vicious cycle if you think about it. We smell bad odor -> we wash it off with a feminine wash -> it smells okay for a while -> it releases bad odor again later on -> we wash it off again …. And this continues on and on until we become used to it being a part of our routines. Furthermore, the colors, fragrances, and chemicals (like parabens and propylene glycol) found in these products are also contributing to bacterial vaginosis.

With this, I’d like to introduce an organic brand I recently came across, called Good Clean Love. They are an American company who are committed to providing natural well-being products and essential educational resources.

I tried three of their products—the Balance moisturizing wash, the Rebalance cleansing wipes, and the Restore gel. All of their products do not contain any petrochemicals, but instead, they use natural and organic ingredients and are 100% vegan and gluten-free, biocompatible and recommended by medical professionals.

BALANCE MOISTURIZING WASH

Balance is great for daily use to help pH balance, moisturize and deodorize. First thing I noticed was how fresh I felt after just using it one time. It doesn’t leave you feeling dry at all. In fact, it makes you feel very moisturized, so it’s great for everyday use, and its especially great for menopausal, pregnancy and postpartum. Women who have bacterial vaginosis may also treat it using this wash every day.

REBALANCE MOISTURIZING CLEANSING WIPE

Rebalance is basically like balance but in wipes form. This is great to carry on-the-go–in our bags, or while we are on travel. Since these are individually wrapped, they maintain their freshness. They also used biodegradable organic cotton which is great for the environment.

CREDITS to the Good Clean Love team for sharing this information, visit their website at www.goodcleanlove.com

*This post was originally published at LineaOrganica’s Managing Director Mikee Federizo’s blog Organicaholic