To douche or not to douche????????

[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Ok, I finally understand what they mean by "that not so fresh feeling". Huge thanks to my co-worker Lucas who is explaining that no matter how well woman take care of themselves they are still rank for the first 4 days right after their period. He gets more graphic but I'll leave it as that. Of course I'm appalled even though I'm laughing. God, I think I know what he means. I usually have this 3-day pre-and post-period uncomfortable phase so what can I do about it???? The anti-bacterial soap and a bald eagle approach aren’t cutting it. SO douche right? But I heard that that is really bad because it kills off the good bacteria needed in the vaginal environment and I've also heard that ingredients such as vinegar "dries" you up. So is there anything else I can do or is douching really it? And if so, is their maybe a home recipe for douching that substitutes the vinegar for something less harsh? Please help!!

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I shower in the morning and use baby wipes for wiping my vulva after using the toilet, and I am not rank during my period.

[the-marionette.livejournal.com]

Baby wipes, excellent idea. I'll have to give those a shot.

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't use baby wipes all the time, but they were definatley a lifesaver when I had my period while at Glastonbury festival, I was using pads at the time, and baby wipes were really the only way to keep clean, MUCH better then trying to clean up with tissue.

[isolt.livejournal.com]

I would hardly say that I am "rank". My cunt certainly smells like a perfectly normal cunt, but I don't really have a problem with that, and I think I'd have an issue with any man who did.

yes, douching is really bad for you, especially the more frequently you do it. The vagina is a self-cleaning, self-regulating environment. It doesn't need any help from you.

If it will make you feel better, though, I'd recommend doing as Mactavish does -- wash your vulva in the shower with a low ph soap, and use baby wipes after using the bathroom. This will cut down quite a bit on odor, and will be far less destructive to your vagina's ecosystem.

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[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Thank you Isolde and Mactavish

[raticus.livejournal.com]

ooooooh I have to try that baby whipes trick, I know that when I drink something I shouldn't and my urine gets quite acidic, no matter how much you wipe..... you get that smell.... its icky

[faerymistress.livejournal.com]

put down the douch,,,,,,,step away from the the douch, the douch is the devil invented by men.

here's a hint, a woman should smell like a woman. some more so then others....but i wouldn't call it "rank" you feel unfresh, summer eve's makes a wonderful "femmine body wash" and fresh whipe cloths ( babywhipes for grown ups)
have vagina pride!

check out the comunity
Woman_pride

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[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Thank you FaeryMistress :).



I seemed to have offended the community with the word rank. My apologies on the word "rank". Maybe not rank but undeniably unfresh. It doesn't make me a non-feminist to admit that I find the metallic taste/smell disconcerting and want to avoid that.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

It's okay to avoid tasting it. :) And it really is hard to smell unless you stick your nose down close.

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[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Haha ok so I let the cat of the bag on what I really was worried about. lol

[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, but everyone is right... a babywipe container in your bathroom, a few in your purse, and life is better. Douching will lead to other problems all togheter :(

a bit of vinigar in the bath water, however, that doesn't hurt, and if nothing else seems to be working, use that. (I have to periodically)

Re:

[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Does baking powder have the same cleansing affects? I hear a lot of people talking of baking powder in there water- could that be a decent substitute for vinegar?

[risingentropy.livejournal.com]

and if you use baking soda and vinegar, you can make your cunt into a little fresh-smelling volcano!

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[visualparadox.livejournal.com]

Haha good thing you warned me!

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[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

baking SODA helps absorb and cleanse odors, lol.

I know it helps to sprinkle it in the panties, and some pads even contain it.

works kind of the same way it does in the fridge, actually, lol!

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

I don't like that metallic smell of blood either (in much the same way that I hate the taste of blood if I cut the inside of my mouth for some reason) so I'm happy with my keeper because it keeps me odourless.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Yeah the summers eve washes and such are nice.

And I keep thinking, as I am sitting here enjoying (HA!) Leukorrhea, I think -- oh are some of you in for a BIG suprise if you ever decide to breed! ;)

I do notice, and this is odd if you ask me, that when I have my period, my sense of smell is off. I smell this wierd vinegar smell THAT NO ONE ELSE SMELLS. And I mean people I can trust to ask and who would be brutally honest with. ANd I know at least one other person with the same problem.

Hhhhm. I should post about that!

[ailbhe]

You may find that just wiping with wet tissue or cotton wool helps. And I have found that sometimes when my pre- or post-menstrual discharge is particularly unpleasant, seriously washing my ahnds, rinsing _all_ the soap off, and then wiping the inside of my vagina with a wet finger - NO SOAP! NO VINEGAR! - can make the rest of the day much pleasanter.

But cunts that don't smell or taste like cunts aren't amusing in the slightest. Ever licked a deodourant stick? Stay away from vaginal deorourisers.

Cool, someone else does that too.

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

yeah, I do the clean wet fingers thing frequently, its very good, especially after sex, it stops me from dribbling semen all over myself afterwards LOL and yeah, its also good for that post menstrual ickiness.

[the-marionette.livejournal.com]

I've moved from tampons and pantyliners to <a href="http://www.keeper.com>the keeper.</a> I found once I got rid of the moisture/odor holding pantyliners that "rank" smell after my period vanished.

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

I found that too, I think most unpleasant smells are caused by the chemicals in pads and panty-liners reating with fluids rather than a woman's vagina. I'm willing to bet that washable cotton pads are much fresher.

[the-marionette.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point, hadn't thought of that. I attributed it to the fact that the pantyliners and pads hold in the moisture and allow bacteria to grow. Pads and pantyliners would make me so raw. The moisture of the pads would make it worse.

[hissyfit.livejournal.com]

is lucas a man? i'm guessing so. and if so, what does he know about how vaginas are supposed to smell? even if he has a steady female partner and goes down on her every single day, he still won't know. vaginas don't get rank. they don't stink. they smell natural. they clean themselves. and yes, sometimes after a period there is the blood odor that lingers behind, but it's natural and normal. it's just part of the cycle.

i suggest leaving the douche at the store and learning to love yourself the way that you are. read "cunt" my inga musico and you'll see what i'm saying.

[hissyfit.livejournal.com]

is lucas a man? i'm guessing so. and if so, what does he know about how vaginas are supposed to smell? even if he has a steady female partner and goes down on her every single day, he still won't know. vaginas don't get rank. they don't stink. they smell natural. they clean themselves. and yes, sometimes after a period there is the blood odor that lingers behind, but it's natural and normal. it's just part of the cycle.

i suggest leaving the douche at the store and learning to love yourself the way that you are. read "cunt" by inga musico and you'll see what i'm saying.

[littleredhead.livejournal.com]

honestly, any of those "feminine cleansers" can be problematic - they upset the ph balance of your vagina (wich causes yeast and bacterial infections), and could cause other problems - making the "rank" smell worse in the long run.
You run the same risk using any sort of baby wipes, etc.

i'm in complete agreement. part of my job involves mixing paint, and we use baby-wipes to remove latex and oil paints and chemicals from our hands, etc. judging from the job they do, i wouldn't want to let them near either my bits or my (theoretical) babies.

[tinystar82.livejournal.com]

"Always" makes a baby wipe type of thing to use while youre on your period. They come in a resealable package and theyre wrapped in 8packs so theyre easy to lug around