10 Feminine Hygiene Tips You Need To Know

Being a girl is really hard. We got a lot of stuff to go through. We got a lot of stuff to be worried about.

And I’m here to give you 10 tips on female hygiene that you need to know, just so that I can make your life a little bit easier so that you know this information, and so that we can all smell and fresh! 🥰

⚠️ DISCLAIMER

I’m just gonna say this now: as a female you’re going to have a smell. Everybody has a natural smell, that’s just the way it is. You cannot make your V smelling flowers. It’s just not gonna happen. So when you start smelling a little funky and things are just out of the norm, that’s when there’s a problem. But if you're concerned just because you’re having a slight smell, that’s something that’s totally normal.

TIP #1:  INGROWN HAIRS

My first tip has to do with ingrowns, and that is something that I’ve been through and learned from. Trust me, it’s not pretty and it’s so annoying. Every single time I shaved, I would get ingrowns. Every single time. I figured out what the problem is and I don’t get any ingrowns anymore but it was just something that I struggled with and I had no idea what was causing it.

Back in the day, I used to wear skinny jeans every single day. Like very, very tight skin jeans. The ones that kind of just suck you in. And basically you shave, and the hair is trying to grow out but there's so much pressure from the jeans, from the underwear....

So if you’re noticing you’re getting a lot of ingrowns, I definitely recommend you maybe switch up your jeans with looser jeans. Don’t get them super tight or just don’t wear them so often.

Something you should also be doing is exfoliating your bikini line 2-3 times a week to remove dead skin cells and prevent future ingrowns from happening. You can use Ingrowns Out scrub, which is a natural and gentle exfoliator specially made for pubic hair and skin. 

TIP #2:  YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR PUBES DRY

What I mean by that is if you go to the gym or if you’re a swimmer, you don’t want to keep those items of clothing on. Like the wet underwear from sweating at the gym or staying in your bikini.

When you leave it wet like that for an extended period of time, it just makes you prone to infections and it’s just not good. So keep it dry, change the underwear quickly, take a shower, get out of the swimming suit as soon as possible. Don’t just sit in it and wait in it. You just don’t want to stay in wet clothes.

TIP #3:  COTTON UNDERWEAR IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

So this is a pair of underwear that I just bought and it’s a tongue. But I didn’t realize that it was made of silky material 👇

Basically, this silk doesn’t allow you to breathe. In comparison, this pair is a lot more open. It’s lace. It has these holes so air can get in. It also has a cotton piece inside👇

You want to avoid silky underwear. If it gets wet it won’t dry. You want to get the cotton type of underwear. The more breathable your underwear is, the better. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still use my silky underwear, but just not everyday. It would be something like once a week, if that.

TIP #4:  SLEEP WITH NO UNDERWEAR

“What? OMG, I could never do that” 

It’s really good for your confidence. It actually boosts your confidence. It really does. 

And it makes your bits breathe. 

If you’re constantly wrapping your V up and there is no air, no freshness, no breeze, no nothing… that’s just not good. Try it! Go to sleep with no underwear. You don’t have to sleep completely naked if you don’t feel comfortable. You can wear an oversized t-shirt. You can also use cute little shorts without underwear. But I’m telling you, it’s something that definitely helps. 

TIP #5: TAKE A DAILY PROBIOTIC

In order to help with smell and yeast infections, take a daily probiotic. 

You can take probiotics from foods or you can also take a probiotic supplement each day. 

I’ve had a doctor tell me that the more billion good bacteria in the probiotic, the better.

These products are kind of like vitamins, they don’t promise you to cure anything or treat anything. But it can aid in certain things. There are good bacteria and there are bad bacteria. And probiotics give you the good ones while balancing everything out. I’ve had people telling me that probiotics have helped them with smell, discharge and not really get infections.

There’s a lot of brands out there but my favorite is PREBIOTIC + PROBIOTIC from The Nue Co (available on Cult Beauty).

TIP #6: DON’T WASH INSIDE YOUR VAGINA

You can use feminine washes but you don’t want to use anything INSIDE. It can give you an infection because a lot of these feminine wipes are not unscented, they have perfumes in them.

A good alternative is our fragrance-free cleanser Keep It Clean for pubic hair and skin to stay clean and fresh without worrying about disrupting your ph balance.

TIP #7: EAT SWEET THINGS

“You are what you eat”

Let me tweak it to: “You smell what you eat”

It’s not scientifically proven but some people say that eating sweet fruits like pineapple and things like that can help make your odor smell better or make things just more appealing. They say if you’re gonna get with someone, then you should be eating pineapple a few hours before. I haven't personally tested that theory out but, I think it’s worth the shot. What you’re putting in your body is being reflected in everything else. I don’t know for you but when I drink water all day I just feel much cleaner. Skin, nails, and hair look better. Pee doesn’t stink. Like everything is just so much better when you drink water. So naturally, your vagina will also be affected by what you’re eating and putting in your body whether that’s soda, coffee, water… All of it has an effect on your body.

TIP #8: WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE & AFTER GOING INTO THE BATHROOM

You go about your day and you’re touching your phone, you’re touching all of these things like door handles… and then you use the bathroom, right? It’s a very good idea to use some hand sanitizing really quick, wash your hands really quick BEFORE you use the bathroom, and then AFTER. Because you have all these bacteria on your hands… that isn't clean… potentially putting that near the vagina…It’s just not a good idea. 

Especially if you’re a girl who's prone to infections, you might have to take that extra step to make sure you’re all clean.  

TIP #9: BIRTH CONTROL

Birth control can be really beneficial for a bunch of reasons, but it can also have negative effects like making your downstairs very, very dry.

It’s important to talk to your doctor and get on the right pill. Your body has a natural level of estrogen, so when you’re getting on a pill, you’re getting it to yourself every day and your body isn’t really producing estrogen. It’s relying on the pill. It can make you dry, it can make you prone to infections, it can make things irritated, uncomfortable and that’s just not good.

So it’s really good for you to be able to talk to our doctor and see what pill is right for you.

TIP #10: MAINTAIN UTMOST HYGIENE DURING YOUR PERIODS

Aside from making you feel more comfortable during your period, cleanliness reduces the risk of bacterial infection and vulva irritation. Naturally, your Vaginal pH is a bit raised during your period due to the flow of blood; as such, you are more vulnerable during the red days. You've got to be extra careful.

Change your period protection regularly:  Depending on your flow and type of protection, get changed at least every 4 hours or 6 hours. Leaving it for too long may cause the growth of bacteria in the blood, and this may lead to infection and bad odor. 

Clean up more than once a day.  It's advisable to use just warm water to clean up but if you must use soap, avoid soaps with harsh ingredients and perfume. Of course, do not douche! 

BONUS TIP: HAVE A HEALTHY SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR YOUR PUBIC AREA

Adopt OYO 3-step skincare system for pubic hair & skin as your regimen. It contains a mild cleanser devoid of fragrance to keep the vulva clean—an exfoliator to keep ingrown hair off your bikini line—finally, a moisturizer to soothe the V skin and keep it fresh 👇