It might be easy to think that just because you’re a woman, you’ll know exactly how to take care of your feminine health and hygiene. Well, as a woman who’s made this mistake too many times, I’m here to tell you… there might be some things that you’re doing that aren’t healthy and might not even be safe. Lucky for you (and me), I recently attended an informative event at Mundipharma, the maker of Betadine®, and Dr Quek Swee Chong shared about the daily use feminine wash and foam. I’m thrilled to say that I came away with a better understanding of the “do’s and don’ts” of feminine hygiene and can pass them on to you!

9 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong

Douching

Did you know that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ? That means that it doesn’t need your help, that means no douching! Douching will nearly always do more harm than good and will mess with the delicate pH your vagina works so hard to maintain. So, once again, unless directed by your gynaecologist, don’t douche.

Wearing Underwear that Isn’t Cotton

I know, I know, that Lycra/Rayon/Mystery fabric underwear is so cute and you just have to have it. I hate to be a downer here, but…no you don’t. Anything other than cotton is not breathable enough or absorbent enough to be healthy for your vagina. So check the tag and make sure that your daily-wear underwear is cotton. If you decide to wear panty-liners, you’ll need to make sure to change them every 4-6 hours.

Not Doing Kegels

If you’ve ever had a baby and then done squats, you’ve probably wished you had done some kegel exercises. Kegels are essentially tightening and releasing your pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them. Not only does this keep you from peeing your pants when sneezing, it also helps prevent things like prolapse and improves sexual function, major bonus!

Poor Diet

Yeast thrives on sugar, and if you’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with a yeast infection, you’re probably willing to do what it takes to avoid getting another one. Avoiding too much sugar will help keep the yeast in your vagina from getting out of control. You’ll also want to promote good bacteria throughout your body and plain unsweetened greek yogurt is a great way to introduce beneficial probiotics that help prevent yeast infections.

Too Many Antibiotics

We’ve all been there, you get prescribed an antibiotic for (insert illness here) and you’re finally starting to feel better. Then out of nowhere you start to feel the itching and get the discharge of a nasty yeast infection. Yikes. Unfortunately, too many antibiotics can kill off a lot of the good bacteria in our lady parts, allowing yeast to take over. If possible, it’s best to only take antibiotics when you really need them. If you do have to take an antibiotic, ask your doctor if you can take a probiotic at the same time to promote healthy bacteria growth and try to keep that yeast at bay.

Not Using a Condom

Nobody really likes using a condom, but you know what’s worse than using a condom? A sexually transmitted disease. Nothing shouts “my vagina is unhealthy” quite as loudly as chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea and all the other STD’s and STI’s that are lurking out there. Do yourself a favour, and use a condom…it’s not worth the risk.

Not Using Lubrication

Chafing is not sexy or comfortable or healthy. Using a great water-based lubrication can make sex more comfortable and keep your vagina healthy and happy. Chafing can cause damage and discomfort and make you more susceptible to infection.

Missing Your Annual Appointment with Your Gynaecologist

You may feel fine, and that’s great! But your gynaecologist will be able to tell you if everything is truly as it seems. Many gynaecological problems can be caught early or prevented with the right well-woman care. Practice proactive feminine health, not reactive feminine health.

Washing with Soap

Thought soap was the only way to clean things? Think again. When it comes to feminine hygiene, soap can actually strip your intimate areas of beneficial bacteria and mess with your vagina’s pH. It’s best to use a non-soap feminine wash that’s mild and works to help maintain feminine health.

Washing Using the Right Feminine Wash

So what is the “right” feminine wash? As we mentioned before, the right wash won’t use soaps, chemicals or heavy scents. Ideally, you’ll want to find a wash that contains antioxidants and prebiotics to really promote the growth of healthy bacteria and to keep your vagina’s pH well-balanced.

I was excited to attend the Betadine® event because, on paper, the Betadine® daily feminine wash and daily foam meet all of these criteria. However, I wanted to try it myself to make sure that it live up to all of the hype and provide you with my personal opinion on the product.

My Thoughts: Betadine® Feminine Wash and Betadine® Feminine Wash Foam

Betadine® Feminine Wash pours out like a body shampoo, while the foam dispenses similarly to foaming hand wash. Which product you decide to purchase really depends on personal preference. I prefer the foam because, in my opinion, it’s a little more convenient and quick and I always know exactly how much I need…just one pump. Since I only need one pump each time, the foam tends to last a little longer. The wash works great as well, but I felt that it would be easy to over or under-use the product in this form.

Both products had a very mild floral fragrance, so mild that after washing my hands I could hardly smell it. This tells me that there aren’t any crazy, strong, chemical perfumes added to this product, which is a huge bonus.

After using this product, I really did feel clean all day! Much to my surprise, I felt that I had less discharge as well. That could have been due to the time of the month, but hey, I’ll take it! With ingredients like Syricalm™ CLR (PC) (naturally reduces itching and redness), Deoplex® (naturally reduces odours) and prebiotics, what Betadine® calls their TRI CARE+™ formula, I feel good about using this product, and I know I’m only promoting healthy bacteria growth instead of throwing off my pH balance.

Major Takeaways

Great Feminine health starts by avoiding our 9 “don’ts” of feminine care. Feminine hygiene is all about prevention first which means avoiding infection, maintaining comfort, and getting seen every year by your gynaecologist. Follow all of that up by washing with the best non-soap feminine wash you can find and you should be feeling clean, fresh and healthy in no time.

Try it for yourself and redeem a FREE sample from Betadine today.