I'm sure you've seen products in the feminine hygiene aisle at the supermarket with the label "pH balancing." You know that's a good thing, but do you actually know what it means?
Let's start by discussing what pH is exactly. pH refers to a scale that tells you whether something is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. For instance, stomach acid is about a 2 on the pH scale, whereas 7 is considered neutral (not acidic or alkaline), and soapy water is about a 12. The higher the number, the more alkaline the substance. A healthy vagina typically has a mildly acidic pH level of 3.8 and 4.5 depending on your age and where you are at in your menstrual cycle.
Ok, awesome! Now what? A vaginal pH level that is either too acidic or too alkaline can cause a variety of health problems from bacterial infections, yeast infections, and offensive odor. Here is a list of things that are known to throw your vaginal pH off kilter:
Douching
Please, please, please, PLEASE stop douching! Seriously! This is one of the most surefire ways to completely throw your vaginal pH out of whack. It's like a yeast infection in a bottle. And for those of you wondering, "but how else am I supposed to clean my vagina?" The answer is, you aren't. The vagina is self cleaning. There's no need to spray ANYTHING up there to make it more fresh. It's totally normal to have some discharge with a faint odor almost all the time. And the consistency and odor of the discharge typically changes as you move through your menstrual cycle. Vagina's aren't supposed to smell like roses and cupcakes, ok? Please step into the 21st century.
Scented Body Wash and Bubble Baths
Any artificial scents placed near or into your vagina can throw off your pH balance, this includes body wash, bubble bath, shaving cream, lotion, perfumes, bath bombs, etc. I know we all love the bath bombs that fizzle and they make the bath water sparkle and smell like an enchanted garden, but they are not good for your pH levels! My advice? Keep the sparkly baths to once a week and rinse off with warm water afterwards. If you use scented body wash, keep it away from your vagina. Even when washing your vulva, all you really need is some warm water. If you're looking for a great body wash that is pH balancing, check out HeLi Lavender and Chamomile Shower Gel and Bubble Bath.
Tightly Fitting Panties and Pants/Skirts
I get it. You wanna show off that booty. Me too, girl. But let me tell you, our vaginas do not like to be suffocated! When there is restricted air flow to the vagina, it suffocates the good bacteria which helps to keep your pH in balance and fight off the bad bacteria. When there's no good bacteria, the bad bacteria is free to run rampant and cause infections. Big problem! For your day-to-day wear try to wear loosely fitting (as in not cutting in) pants and undergarments that are comfortable and that breathe well. Save the skin tight pleather pants and pencil skirts for date night.
Wearing Panties That are Anything But 100% Cotton
Whether you wear bikini, boy short, thong, cheeky, or french cut undies, make sure that they are 100% cotton. Any other fabrics like spandex, vinyl, leather, lace, polyester, etc. all limit the breatheablility of the garment and thus can suffocate your vagina and throw off your pH (remember what we just talked about in the last section?). Again, those sexy lace undies that make you feel like a snack are great for date night, but stick to something more breatheable for day to day wear.
Sex
This is a big one. Sex with any partner, doesn't matter if they are male or female, can and will affect your pH balance. Oral sex will too. The reason being is you are introducing foreign bacteria into your body. At best, your pH will be mildly off. At worst? You run the risk of bacterial and yeast infections or possibly STDs or STIs if your partner is a carrier. All I can say is be safe. Make sure your male partner is using a condom (especially if you are unsure of their medical history), use a pH balanced personal lubricant (read about why I love Just Like Me by Pure Romance), and make sure that you wash up (with warm water) after intercourse. And yes, I do mean every time.
Medication
Certain medications, especially antibiotics can throw off your pH balance for a number of reasons. Make sure to talk with your doctor about any medications that you take and how you can counteract the effects that they have on your pH balance.
General Personal Hygiene
This one is kind of obvious, but I'll elaborate for the sake of clarity. If you don't change your underwear daily, if you only shower once a week, if you wipe back to front when you poop, if you sweat all day and don't shower, if you don't wash your toys before and after each use, etc, your pH balance is going to be off. So remember when I said you don't need to wash your vagina? I didn't mean you don't need to wash ANYTHING. You still need to shower and change underwear daily and stay hygienic to preserve your pH balance.
I hope this helped to clear up any questions you had about vaginal pH so that you can live a more comfortable and balanced life! If you have other tips or if you liked the article, let me know in the comments section below!
If you have any concerns about any odors or discharge or pain or any other symptoms please talk with your doctor or gynecologist about your concerns. While these tips can help to keep your vagina healthy, I am not a licensed physician and I cannot provide advice for medical conditions.
