Growing up, my family - like many families - always used bar soap in the shower or bath. I always wondered why the soap hurt “down there” and why taking bubble baths tended to give some of my friends yeast infections. Now I know that this was because bar soaps have harsh ingredients that not only kill bad bacteria, but also kill the good bacteria that women need to keep their vaginas healthy! Also, most bubble baths have ingredients that kill the good bacteria. This is problematic because the good bacteria in the vagina fight off the bad bacteria that cause issues like yeast infections.

Sadly, whether it’s bar soap, body wash, or feminine wash, most soaps on the market in the United States contain synthetic fragrance, dangerous preservatives, Phenoxyethanol, parabens, and other harmful ingredients that throw off our natural pH.

A healthy vagina is usually pH between 3.5 - 4.5 on the acidic scale.

Vaginal pH is based on the bacteria in our vagina; similar to our gut, our vagina has a bacterial makeup called our vaginal microbiome. It's very important to have enough of the good bacteria because the good bacteria makes lactic acid which keeps our vagina at that healthy pH. Did you know that yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (BV), endometriosis, HPV and cervical cancer are all conditions that are affected by your vaginal microbiome? Essentially, if women have too much bad bacteria, it overruns the good bacteria and may make women susceptible to these conditions.

Thankfully, there is a great solution! Balance Moisturizing Personal Wash is different, because it is fragrance-free and pH-balanced.

Balance is just as easy to use as any liquid soap, but doesn’t contain any of those harsh and dangerous ingredients found in many soaps and douches. It also accurately matches healthy vaginal acidity, which supports the optimal balance of the vaginal ecosystem. We recommend applying it generously to intimate areas of the body, with a washcloth or your bare hands, lathering, and rinsing well.