ASK YUH VAGINA!

Now say VAGINA like Steve Ballmer at that Microsoft developer conference, so the person next to you starts feeling a little uncomfortable.
Getting a little awkward?
Well just start saying PENIS over and over again! Heck! It's a part of our body and we are most times afraid to say it, or call it by another name. I dont know why we are so 'ashamed' of calling our private areas by their actual names, but that is a post for another day. This is part two to my bath time routine.

What I really want to talk about is vagina care.
How do you take care of your pussssyy?
Yuh tight tight?

Illustration - Club Clitoris

For starters not a lot of you know exactly where your vagina is. What you actually call your vagina is actually your VULVA!

Thanks to this illustration by
Lucy Han via an article by Teen Vogue, I came across this splendid drawing of the VULVA.

Look familiar? Well I sure do hope so! May not look exactly like this but you get the general idea. All vaginas are not the same and dont let porn tell you any different!

Cleansing the vulva

According to who you ask, different women will tell you know they were taught to wash or cleanse their vulva. Now I am no gynecologist and I blog from experience and what works for me. If you have your method how how you do it, feel free to comment below!
I HOWEVER, use a very simple method:

Running water
Soap (currently my Ivory body wash in Aloe)

THAT IS IT! No Summer's Eve, no whatever else there is on the market! Dont go adding perfumed items to your vulva as these can affect the healthy balance of bacteria and pH levels and cause irritation. Please for the love of god do not spray your vagina with perfume!
Take your fingers and gently part your outer and inner labia and cleanse the area using minimal soap and lots of water.
Wash your butt last! Front to back, not back to front, especially when using a wash cloth. Your ass has germs boo, and you dont want no UTIs!
After you had a bath, I advise washing your bath cloth thoroughly before next use.

When should I cleanse my vulva?

Ideally you should have a bath twice a day, and I hope to god you wash her every time you do.... like that is supposed to be normal.
When you are on your period, it's like your vagina needs all the pampering in the world so make sure to wash her good!
After sexual intercourse is a good time as well, but if you wanna cuddle up right after, use a fragrance free baby wipe until you can shower.
Ever heard about peeing after sex? Again, we dont want any urinary tract infections. As much as the private areas may be 'clean' before sex, a lot of activity goes on during adult time so PEE (then shower)!

LEAVE YOUR VAGINA ALONE!

Listen Linda! Your vagina is also called the birth canal which leads to your uterus.
This is the area that YOU DO NOT WANT TO CLEANSE! The vagina is self cleaning and you should know that from the daily normal discharge that you get.

This means no douching, no trying to 'get up into your vagina' to wash it, just dont put any feminine perfumed things up there! If you find that you have irritation or unusual odor (like a fishy smell) that is cause for concern, PLEASE SEE A GYNECOLOGIST!

Additional care

Some women may not agree with me here, but panty liners are life! Again, everybody's body is different and may react differently to this.
Panty liners or panty shields, are great for managing discharge,keep you feeling clean down there, catch surprise menstrual flow and even urine. Just imagine not wearing a panty shield and experiencing one of the listed..... ugh!
If you sweat a lot, I advise wearing cotton underwear additionally, so it doesnt trap moisture (NO YEAST INFECTIONS THANKS!) We dont want smelly vaginas!

By the way, it's ok to look at your vulva! See how she is doing from time to time!
I for one like to take a hand held mirror and look at her to see "How she doin'??" I have heard some women actually say that they dont know what their vulva looks like!
HOW??
There is no shame girl, it's yours!

I know this is not my usual beauty blog entry, but hey, vaginas are beautiful, we are beautiful and we need to care of ourselves. There is just so much misconception out there about the vagina so Im just putting my 2 cents out there.
Thank you for reading, make sure to like, share and SUB!

########AskyuhVagina
XOXO Shaina
IG @strawberrieblack

References and credits:
Teen Vogue -
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/vagina-anatomy-diagrams

Lucy Han-vagina illustrations https://instagram.com/lucy.han

Shared Illustrations: Club Clitoris - Follow on IG @clubclitoris
society6.com/clubclitoris

NHS.UK -
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/vagina-health/Pages/keep-vagina-clean.aspx

Always.com -
https://always.com/en-us/tips-and-advice/daily-freshness/5-reasons-to-wear-pantiliners-every-day

KOTEX-
https://www.ubykotex.com

Cover photo-
https://brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/2017/01/25/the-adventures-of-yoni-1-yoni-2/

Additional Vagina photos: Destiny Godley, Nell Anderson (pic not up yet but soon!) and the world wide web.