DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor...yet. As of now I'm only a self proclaimed doctor so any serious questions you have about vaginal health should be consulted with a physician. These are just my own personal tips for vulva care :)
1.) STOP DOING THE ABSOLUTE MOST FOR NO REASON
A lot of women have no idea that their vaginas are a self cleaning organ. Therefore, the only thing that you really need to use to clean down there is warm water. There's no need for douching or usage of any products that are not intended to be inserted intravaginally. Also be careful of soap too, especially the scented ones. Any of this can alter the pH balance your vagina needs to stay healthy and stabilize the good and bad bacteria. And I know...right now you're probably thinking "But Dr. King, typical situations like periods, other changes in my cycle, exercise, and even sex can throw off my pH balance as well so what should I do in those cases?" One product that I personally recommend is the RepHresh Vaginal Gel which eliminates vaginal odor and discomfort or the RepHresh Pro-B Feminine Supplement which balances yeast and bacteria for overall vaginal health. Both products can be found at your local Walmart, Target, and Walgreens.
2.) MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET & EXPLORE WHAT FOODS AFFECT YOU THE MOST
Have you ever heard of the phrase "You are what you eat"? Well, it's true to some extent. Whatever you eat will affect how you smell and taste down there. Don't be that person who thinks they can get away with only eating fast food everyday without it causing your vagina to smell like battery acid and boiled hot dog water. That's why it's good to limit the amount of fats and processed foods that you eat on a daily basis and add more fruits and vegetables. There is one caveat to this belief though. Eating one or two servings of pineapple won't necessarily automatically make your vagina smell and taste fruity right that instant. At the end of the day no matter what you eat, your vagina is naturally still going to smell and taste like a vagina. However, maintaining a healthy diet will at least assure you that your vagina's natural scent won't be too pungent. For me personally, I like to experiment with different foods and pay closer attention to the way I smell afterwards whether it be right after I eat or an hour or two from then. I've come to find out that oranges affect me the most, making me have a citrusy scent almost immediately. Other things that I've benefited from are organic cranberry juice and Chobani non-fat greek yogurt.
Many of us already spend so much time on our hair to make sure it looks perfect and healthy. As soon as we wake up and right before we go to bed most of us even have some sort of skin care routine. I think we should also put that kind of effort into the lower half of our bodies too! Now this can mean a lot of things, but the important message I'm trying to convey is that you should set some time out of your day to become one with your vulva/vagina. One of my personal rituals includes rubbing coconut oil onto my bikini line, pelvic region, and labia majora (aka the lips) before I go to bed. Not only do I love how it makes my skin feel, but it helps even out my skin tone in general. This is especially important for black women and other women of color who are more prone to getting razor bumps or burns. Other rituals can include but are not limited to masturbating regularly, admiring your vagina in the mirror, making a commitment to discovering reasons why you love your vagina, getting checked for sexually transmitted infections and other irregularities, drinking plenty of water to make sure you stay lubricated, using the period tracker app to monitor your hormonal cycle, letting your vagina breathe by going commando, and doing kegel exercises.
4.) READ!
Let's face it. Vaginas are complex. Some days I love it and other days I question why God even made me a woman to begin with. Despite all of the myriad of emotions that come with having a vagina, I cannot express how much of a difference it makes in a woman's life when they're unapologetically informed about their own bodies and sexuality. Below are some book recommendations for those of you who want to become more informed on more of a science and research based level.
Emily Nagoski is literally one of my favorite sex educators and bestselling authors. Her book, Come As You Are, explores the science behind female sexuality. Also, her analogies and metaphors for certain aspects of arousal make it easy to digest and explain to others.
Paul Joannides' Guide to Getting It On is perhaps the most down to earth sex-ed book I've ever read. Basically anything you want to know about sex is in this book. It has many comedic yet informative illustrations throughout. It also includes personal anecdotes and interviews from multiple people
Quite a few of you might already be familiar with Shannon Boodram and her amazing YouTube channel. Her book, Laid, involves compilations of different coming of age stories that deal with topics such as virginity, positive and negative sexual experiences, and western sex culture.
