Female Hygiene

Your Guide to Female Hygiene

Making the humungous change from being a girl to being a woman brings with it a whole lotta new responsibilities. One of the biggest changes that will happen to you is puberty. Some parts of your body will re-shape and grow to be more womanly – like our hips which go curvy and our breasts which get larger. You might also notice hair starting to sprout under your arms and in your pelvic area. With all these things going on ‘below the belt’ you might start to worry about strange new smells coming from your body? Never fear cos we are here to let you know the best way to feel clean and fresh, every day. Let U by Kotex® be your guide through the tricky subject that is female hygiene.

BO? No Dramas

Let’s start off with BO – AKA body odour. As your body develops those fab new curves (these hips don’t lie baby!), the processes that take place (known as puberty) cause the chemicals in your body to make you sweat more than you used to. This is perfectly normal and there are some dead easy ways to make sure you smell like roses, not the netball locker-room!

Pop to the supermarket and find the shelves with deodorant – it’s next to the hair shampoo in case you need to ask – and spend time checking out all the different options. You can get either a normal deo that will mask any bad smells already there by covering it with a new smell (like perfume) or you can get an antiperspirant which actually prevents you sweating as much. There are also sprays that come in cans or bottles or roll-on’s that can be liquid or cream sticks. Try some different types to find the one that is right for your body.

Female Hygiene Care

Many girls question if they smell “down there” — or whether their friends will notice when they have their periods? The reality is, pretty much nobody will be able to notice any kinda vaginal odour, even though you might think they can. What might smell strong to you is unlikely to be noticeable to anyone else and if you are showering each morning and after doing sport or other physical activity you should have nothing to stress about. However, if there is a super strong smell down there and it’s something totally different to what you are used to you might wanna get your doc to check it out cos it might be a sign of an infection.

Fem Hygiene Tips and Tricks

What follows are some of the best things you can do to be clean and healthy around the va-jay-jay area:

• After going to the bathroom, make sure you wipe from front to back to help prevent any nasties that cause infections
• Wear pure cotton underwear as much as possible, this will help keep things dry because the fabric ‘breathes’. If you do notice things are a lil damp it is worth changing into a clean pair
• If you can, avoid very tight fitting clothes (like stockings, tights, synthetic leggings or pantyhose) for long periods of time as these can cause you to sweat and increase the chances of some very uncool infections down there
• Take a daily shower or bath. If you are a sports nut then consider showering after you are finished your training. Sports will increase the amount of sweat our body creates so it’s best to wash it all off when you’re done
• When you are in the bath or shower make sure you give yourself a good wash with soap or shower gel and water. Use a sponge or washcloth and be sure to clean under your armpits and around the vaginal area
• Make sure all soap is rinsed off before you get out the bath/shower, any soap left on the skin can cause it to dry out and get itchy
• Keeping your vagina clean by washing the outside areas only. The inside parts (like where you insert a tampon) have their own cleaning system – so how cool is that!
• Change pads and tampons very regularly to avoid any nasty infections
• Finally, don’t spray deodorant onto your vaginal area – deodorant has chemicals in it that will affect the PH levels down there which won’t be comfy

You might hear your friends talking about other things that they use to make themselves feel cleaner, things like douches and feminine hygiene sprays. Normally these things can actually do more harm than good, so only use something like that if prescribed by your doc.

Any mucus coming out of your vagina (i.e. not urine or your period) is called vaginal discharge and it’s normal to find some clear or slightly milky discharge in your underwear. You only need to worry if the discharge changes colour (to yellow or green) and you start to feel itchiness or burning. If this happens, you might have an infection and should go see your doctor.

Female hygiene is definitely not rocket science but it is something that us girls should get on top of. As our bodies change they start to let off different odours that come from the glands under your arms and around your pelvic area. Sorting out these smells is easy – just shower daily and keep some deodorant in your bag if you’re worried. When it comes to your vagina all girls have their own unique smell, but it’s not something anyone else will be able to notice (we promise!). So get your body under control, after all boys smell – not girls!