In this article, you will learn how to clean your lady parts safely.
No, it does not involve steaming or douching.
Let’s get straight into the steps.
Let me stress and reiterate this rule: NOTHING GOES UP INTO THE VAGINAL CAVITY when you wash your lady parts! The second rule is that your hands should be clean. The third should go without saying but if you have long nails, you will need to be even more careful when cleansing your lady bits.
How to clean your lady parts:
Step 1
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business. I recommend starting with the pubic area (mons pubis) – that’s the area south of your navel where pubic hair grows. If you poke it you can also feel a bone behind it. That’s the spot.
You can use a gentle, unscented soap to lather your hands and carefully apply soap to this area only. If you have hair, use the tips of your fingers to massage the area – much like you would when washing the hair on your head.
Just ensure that you are being much more gentle as the skin around your lady area is a lot more sensitive than the skin on your head. Using lukewarm or cold water, gently rinse the soap away using your hands to feel and ensure that no soap residue remains. Do not use hot water on your girlie parts because that can irritate the delicate skin, and upset the pH balance.
Step 2:
Avoid using scented soaps and scrubs when you wash your lady bits as the perfumes and dyes in these soaps can – and most likely will – irritate it and throw your delicate pH balance off.
Scrubs are great for exfoliating the skin on the rest of the body but can be detrimental to your vaginal health. There are many great intimate wash soaps on the market.
Please read the ingredients on the labels and choose a soap that agrees with your skin. I personally use the Vagisil Odor Block Daily Intimate Wash when I’m on my period and the Vagisil pH-Balance Daily Intimate Wash when I’m not on my period.
I also recommend avoiding brushes, loofahs, and exfoliating sponges when you wash your lady parts. You can gently use a soft loofah to exfoliate the mons pubis every once in a while but please ladies: ONLY THE MONS PUBIS. This idea that you need to exfoliate regularly is false and will cause serious damage to the very delicate skin down there.
How to clean your lady parts
Step 3:
After you have thoroughly rinsed away all the soap residue from your pubic area, I recommend moving on to your clitoral hood. Gently pull back the hood if you have a larger clitoris and use the tips of your fingers to rinse the area thoroughly.
You do not need to pull the hood back if you have a smaller clitoris but if you must, please do it gently. Remember there should be no soap. For the rest of the cleansing. I recommend only using clean running water and your fingers.
If you do not have water running from a tap, I recommend collecting the water in a container and using a smaller container to pour the water over your yoni as you clean it.
Step 4:
Next, use your fingers to gently clean the inner and outer parts of the labia majora (the two outer lips). Allow the water to run freely while you gently rub away any residue from sweating or discharge that may be trapped in this area.
Yes, ladies, this can happen and it is nothing to be ashamed of. That’s why it is important to know how to clean your lady parts. Just be gentle and use the tips of your fingers to clean the area. You will be able to tell when the area is clean by the feel. You’ll get used to it and be able to just tell over time, as you pay attention while you wash your lady parts.
Step 5:
Now it’s on to the labia minora (the smaller inner lips). Remember that the labia minora is the part of the vulva that is closest to the vaginal opening and the urethra. It is also even more sensitive than the mons pubis and labia majora.
Please be extra careful when cleaning this area. Remember that only fingers and water should be touching this area at this point. You can gently spread the lips for greater dexterity. But I cannot stress enough how important it is to BE CAREFUL!
No need to insert your finger inside the vaginal opening to clean it. You only need to gently wash away all the discharge that has come down. You will know it’s clean when you can no longer feel the slippery discharge on your finger. Feel free to use a soft washcloth. I personally prefer to use my hands just because I am better able to feel the skin that way.
Step 6:
After following the above steps, gently cup the entire vaginal area and gently rub your hand and fingers up and down. The aim is to check to ensure that there is no more residue or discharge. Now your coochie is clean.
You can do a scent check by running your fingers along the labia majora, then smelling my finger. You can repeat this step for the labia minora. Finally, gently insert a (clean) finger into the vaginal opening and then smell the finger.
You will have to smell your finger before and after inserting it so you can know the difference. Ladies, ladies, please – please please please pleeeeaaassseee – get to know YOUR natural scent. When you wash your lady parts, do smell checks.
Contrary to popular belief, your lady parts do not, and should not smell, like a field of flowers. It should smell like a vagina. Learn your natural scent so you can identify it as soon as something is off.
Step 7:
I don’t think I need to say this but I will anyway. It’s equally important that you wash your anus and perineum (or perineo) because of how close they are to the vaginal opening. Remember to wash from front to back and just as with the vagina, do not insert soap up your anus. Again, I stress, be gentle because the skin here is very delicate and sensitive.
Step 8:
Properly drying when you wash your lady parts is just as important as properly washing. If you leave the area wet, or damp, you are basically creating a breeding ground for bacteria to grow. That completely defeats the purpose of washing it in the first place.
Use a clean, dry rag or towel that’s gentle on the skin to gently pat dry. If you have hair on your mons pubis, you might need to apply a gentle rubbing motion to this area – as you would when drying your scalp – to ensure you completely dry the area.
I’ve said this already but I will say it again, do not rub this area as hard as you would your scalp. You can also air dry if you please – by sitting in front of a fan for example – but be sure the area is properly dried before putting your underwear on or before heading out.
Related: 10 ways to ACTUALLY keep your vagina healthy
I originally had a labeled image of the female anatomy. The aim is to help readers be better able to understand and identify the parts of the vagina. I believe every woman should be able to identify all her lady parts. However, to avoid this post being labeled as adult content, I will share a link instead.
You can view a labeled diagram here: Female anatomy.
Get friendly with your vagina ladies. It’s gonna be a part of you for a really long time. You might as well get to know it and take good care of it. I hope these tips on how to clean your lady parts are helpful and if you have more questions, don’t be shy. Drop them in the comments below or join the discussion in our Facebook group. We would love to hear from you.
Sharing is caring so don’t forget to share with all your lady friends or guy friends that have lady friends.
Catch you in the next post.
–Cheers! ✌
