Washing "down there" could do more harm than good, especially you're using harsh soaps or feminine washes.
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You’ve seen the countless washes, soaps, foams and wipes marketed as vaginal hygiene products, and it makes sense to want to keep things clean and fresh down there, but your vagina never requires washing. And we do mean never.
“There is no need to clean the vagina — it is self-cleaning,” says Lauren Streicher, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, host of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information Podcast, and author of Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina.
It’s important to clarify anatomy: People often refer to the entire vaginal area as the vagina, but this isn’t accurate, says Dr. Streicher. “When people talk about their vagina, sometimes what they really mean is the vulva.” The vulva is the outer area, including the clitoris, clitoral hood, labia-majora (outer lips), labia-minora (inner lips) and the urethra (the small opening leading to the bladder). While the vagina should never be cleaned, the vulva does require routine gentle cleansing.
Your vagina doesn’t require washing because it is equipped with over 30 different microorganisms, including “good” bacteria, to help maintain a specific, slightly acidic pH, says Sherry Ross, M.D., an ob/gyn, women’s sexual health expert and author of she-ology. “These organisms produce secretions to naturally clean the vagina, much like the mouth does with saliva and the eyes do with tears,” she says.
Gently washing your vulva when you bathe is good hygiene. In general, cleansing the area gently when you are washing the rest of your body should be sufficient.
When you’re in the bath or shower, gently wipe or rinse in and around skin folds with a clean washcloth or your hands. Be sure to wash your anal area too, and wash from front to back, to reduce the chances of wiping bacteria from near your buttocks into the vagina.
If you’d like to use a soap, choose a cleanser that’s mild and fragrance-free. “Ideally, you want to use science-backed, dermatologically and gynecologically approved formulations made to protect the delicate skin of the vulva from harmful bacteria, dryness, itching, irritation, infection and breakouts,” says Dr. Ross. Just make sure that the product doesn’t enter the vagina when you’re sudsing up.
And if you have very sensitive skin, a vulvar condition or any itching or irritation, it’s probably best to stick with plain warm water. “Even if a product is intended for vulva use, that doesn’t mean it’s not irritating,” says Dr. Streicher.
You may want to wash your vulva more often when you have your period, to keep the skin clean and reduce the number of additional bacteria in the area.
Using a douche, soap, spray or another cleansing product inside your body disrupts this delicate balance and puts you at increased risk of irritation and infections.
You may see a discharge that’s clear to white as part of your vagina’s routine cleaning process, when it sheds cells and maintains its bacterial flora. It could be watery and sticky, or thick and pasty, or somewhere in between. “Depending on the time of the month, vaginal discharge will change in consistency, texture, and smell,” says Dr. Ross.
The vagina is not supposed to smell floral or fragrant. But it does have a scent – and there’s nothing wrong with that. If your vaginal odor changes drastically, however, or you notice a strong unpleasant scent, that could signal a problem.
“A strong, foul, fishy vaginal odor with a thin, grayish-white discharge is a classic symptom of bacterial infections,” says Dr. Ross. Bacterial infections occur when there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bacteria vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal condition in women ages 15 to 44. Symptoms can also include pain and a burning sensation, and usually require antibiotics from a healthcare provider to resolve the infection. A thick discharge with a cottage cheese appearance, itching and a burning sensation during intercourse or while peeing, are classic symptoms of a yeast infection (candidiasis). Treating this type of infection depends on the frequency and severity of your symptoms, but yeast infections can often be cleared up with an over-the-counter anti-fungal medication.
An unpleasant odor can also be a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) like chlamydia or gonorrhea. If you notice an unusually strong odor, or changes to your discharge that are different than you’re used to, be sure to see your doctor.
Karen Robock (she/her) has been reporting on health news, wellness fads, parenting trends, and beyond, for over 15 years. She has been published in Prevention, Reader’s Digest, and dozens of other magazines and websites.
Karen’s side passions include walking her dogs, buying more books than she can read, playing Barbie with her youngest daughter, and attempting to keep her houseplants alive.
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