The subject of vaginal health can still be controversial and because of that it’s largely not spoken about. While it might seem like an embarrassing topic, it is an important one, so here we aim to tell you what we think about it…
The pH of your vagina is less than 4.5 while the pH of the rest of your skin is above 5.4. Any changes in the vaginal pH can upset your natural balance of bacteria and potentially lead to infections such as thrush and BV.
Washing inside the vagina (douching) can strip away the natural vaginal bacteria and lead to imbalances and is therefore not recommended. For washing the vulva (the external part) it is recommended to use a pH balanced wash to help maintain the natural vaginal acidity levels that help to prevent infections.
There’s a long list of other things that can upset the pH balance of your vagina…
Antibiotics, sweaty workout gear, drinking alcohol, too much sex, using regular soaps and shower gels are just some of the things that can disrupt your pH and cause irritation.
It may seem like a long list of things to avoid but using a pH balanced cleanser will help maintain your natural balance and a pH balancing serum will restore the vaginal pH to back to where it should be when things feel a little off. What we mean by that is that you start to sense there is some irritation – this doesn’t mean you have thrush but at times things feel they are heading that way.
We spoke to Dawn Harper from Embarrassing Bodies to see what she thinks about the subject of vaginal health and care..
“Generally, good vaginal health is maintained by making sure your overall health is in good shape, which includes healthy diet and exercise, and a good intimate care regimen.
The vagina contains lots of good bacteria (lactobacilli) which help to keep the vagina’s pH balance at an even, healthy level, and these produce bacteriocins (naturally occurring antibiotics) to reduce or kill harmful bacteria entering the vagina.
However, if the balance of bacteria is off-kilter this can result in embarrassing and uncomfortable infections such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) or thrush, which can cause symptoms including itching, irritation and abnormal discharge.
"To keep the vagina’s pH balance at its normal, low level it’s a good idea to avoid heavily perfumed soaps, and even your regular shower gel as these can affect the healthy balance of bacteria and pH levels in the vagina, and cause inflammation and itching. Instead use a very gentle, pH balanced wash to cleanse the area around the vagina every day.”
Dawn Harper
Try the SASS Intimate Purifying Cleanser for a pH balanced daily wash and SASS Intimate pH Balanced Serum to rebalance your pH when things feel a little off.
