Take a moment to consider your self-care routines. The things you do daily or often to support your wellbeing.
Face, eyes, and lips. Arms and legs. Teeth and gums. Hair for going out. Hair for staying in. Hair for daytime. Hair for nighttime. Grooming, if that’s your thing. Nails and cuticles. Mani’s and pedi’s. Shower or bathe every day, or at least most days. Maybe shower again if needed after a workout, after a long hot day, or after a long hot night.
A good diet. A little exercise – or a lot. Maybe some vitamins or a supplement or a probiotic. Together time. You time.
All play a role in how you feel. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually.
Regimen makes for good habits and good habits make for better health. Ultimately, we choose routine because maintaining our good health and hygiene is easier than doing repairs when things go south. Good health and hygiene, in turn, help us live and feel our very best, or close to it most of the time.
So how about your vaginal health routine?
Your options run the gamut from inserting odd objects that promise to deliver some sense of the spiritual but have zero scientific basis that relates to vaginal health to “Don’t do anything! It’s a self-maintaining organ.”
The Complex Vaginal Microbiome
The vagina does have a process for maintaining a naturally healthy environment, no question. But it’s a highly complex microbiome, much like your gut or your mouth. That environment can and almost assuredly will change due to a seemingly endless number of factors – age, hormonal changes, menstrual cycle, interactions with intimate partners, pregnancy, post-partum, medical conditions, treatments or prescription drugs, trauma, etc. When the biochemistry balance gets tipped in the wrong direction, you may experience pH imbalance, UTIs or other conditions like bacterial vaginosis, vaginal dryness or atrophy, unusual discharge, or vaginitis. All are common causes of the symptoms you prefer to avoid: itch, irritation, inflammation, unusual odor, and pain during sex.
We offer a simple recommendation for avoiding those symptoms as much as possible. Develop a daily routine for good vaginal health.
Start with wash and wipes to feel clean, refreshed and nourished, at the start or end or your day. You already know to avoid the harsh soaps and potentially harmful ingredients when it comes to washing your vulva area. Our Balance Feminine Wash is used daily by tens of thousands of women not only because it cleans gently and nourishes sensitive skin. Balance is carefully formulated to closely mimic and support naturally healthy conditions for the vulva – the proper pH, proper salt levels and just the right touch of lactic acid. Used daily or as needed, Balance supports good vulva health with premium aloe and soothing botanicals while combatting dryness, odor, inflammation, and irritation.
The same can be said for our Rebalance cleansing wipes. Available as singles for on-the-go convenience or in a bulk pack that’s perfect in your bathroom, Rebalance cleans and refreshes while helping to reduce odor, dryness, and discomfort. Combined with Balance Wash, our pH-balanced wipes are the foundation of a daily better-for-you wellness routine to support vaginal health.
Of course, feeling clean and fresh is wonderful. Good for both mind and body. But clean, fresh, and dry…ugh. Vaginal dryness may be experienced by women of all ages, with a long list of causes. The symptoms of itch, irritation, and unusual odor can be disruptive to our daily lives.
Moisturizers For Vaginal Dryness
If you’re suffering from daily or frequent dryness, consider adding a vaginal moisturizer to your wellness routine. If your elbows are dry, you apply a nourishing lotion. Just as how you nourish your elbows and legs with lotion when they’re dry, treat your vagina to the same care as often as needed to keep dryness at bay. Good Clean Love’s Restore® Moisturizing Vaginal Gel or BioNourish® Ultra Moisturizing Vaginal Gel are ideal additions to your wellness regimen.
Both vaginal moisturizers nourish tissues that aren’t producing enough natural moisture, leaving you feeling “right” down there. Restore soothes with organic aloe and mimics your natural chemistry with a pH-balanced formula that includes supportive levels of salt and lactic acid. BioNourish also mimics natural vaginal moisture with the addition of ultra moisturizing and long-lasting hyaluronic acid. Both are gynecologist recommended as part of a regular regimen for maintaining your sensitive vaginal ecosystem by preserving and restoring vaginal pH levels which when elevated can lead to increased bacteria growth and other health concerns. Both offer lasting relief for women experiencing natural vaginal dryness due to menopause or resulting from medical conditions and treatments or other causes.
Bacterial Vaginosis is the most common vaginal issue for women under the age of 45. One in three women will likely experience BV at some point and many women struggle with recurring symptoms. Good Clean Love’s Flourish regimen offers a 3-step process to help relieve vaginal dryness and discomfort associated with BV.
"All the products in this bundle have been great, but the suppository in particular is incredible. I've had recurrent infections for years and after about a month using the suppositories I've had more "good" days than I have in a long time." -- Louisa O. |
Our Flourish Vaginal Care System® combines three products – Restore Moisturizing Vaginal Gel, BiopHresh® Homeopathic Vaginal Suppository and Balance Feminine Wash. The wash provides daily cleansing, deodorizing, and nourishment of irritated external tissues. Restore moisturizes internally, with soothing organic aloe, in a pH-balance formula with salt levels and lactic acid that mimics your body’s natural moisture. Those together help create an environment where lactobacilli – the beneficial bacterial prevalent in the vaginal micro biome – can thrive and overcome problematic bacteria. BiopHresh supports the relief of recurring BV symptoms by lowering the pH of the vagina and delivering a homeopathic base of beneficial lactobacilli.
The science behind the Flourish regimen sounds complicated. But your body is complicated. The routine of vaginal care, using multiple better-for-you products that are made to work with your body and not against it, is the most effective way to overcome symptoms of BV and reduced instances of recurrence.
Make Personal Lubricant Routine
What about a personal lubricant as part of your vaginal wellness regimen? We say, yes!
For many, a quality lubricant is a must. Reducing friction during sex a path to more comfort and increased pleasure if you deal with chronic or even sporadic dryness or pain during intimacy. But even if your body produced adequate lubricant and sex is usually comfortable, a lubricant that’s designed to work with your body can help ensure you avoid micro-abrasions or internal micro-tears that can make your delicate tissues more susceptible to infection or irritation.
Almost Naked® with 95% organic aloe has been the top selling natural lubricant in the United States for several years.* Like our other vaginal care solutions, it features propriety Bio-Match® Technology, is pH appropriate for vaginal use and adds beneficial salt and lactic acid. For people with particularly sensitive skin, we offer BioNude® Ultra Sensitive lubricant – all the same better-for-you benefits in a hypoallergenic, water-based formula without the aloe.
Lubricant as part of your routine is even more vital if you participate in anal sex. The rectum doesn’t naturally lubricate the same way the vagina does. So, to keep intimacy comfortable with less risk to injury, it’s critical to always use a lubricant for anal play. We recommend our Hybrid silicone and water-based lubricant with hyaluronic acid – because it’s a blend with silicone, it won’t absorb into the skin quickly and provides a gentle cushion to reduce friction caused by penetration and thrusting.
If you’re like us, feeling healthy often leads to feeling happy. If only that happened with little to no effort. We wish! But often, living our healthiest lives and enjoying all the benefits is the result of a tried-and-true routine with better-for-you products used daily, occasionally, or even only as needed. Your wellbeing is worth the investment of your time and effort, and perhaps no part of you needs dedicated TLC more than the delicate but resilient vagina.
