(no subject)

[eatingjello.livejournal.com]

has anybody ever used summer's eve feminine wash and have any negative or positive comments about it? i've recently noticed that my vagina smells really different than it used to -- like, worse. i've been having a lot of gyno visits and actually had minor surgery down there about a week ago, so i think the aftereffects of that is causing it; i don't think i have an infection because besides a little bit of discharge (which i was told would be normal) i don't have any other symptoms. no pain or itching or anything. plus, i'm assuming my gynecologist would have told me if he noticed anything strange going on while he was in there just recently ;)

i just kinda wanna have some sexy time with my boyfriend, but i'm self-conscious about this new icky smell and want it to go away. i thought the *old* smell was bad enough . . . now i want it back. i use playtex feminine wipes about once a day, but they don't seem to be making much of a difference. do any of the summer's eve products help?

thanks, xx

edited to add: so many people had such great advice on this post, i don't think i could thank you all enough! the consensus seems to be that feminine "hygiene products are neither beneficial nor productive. i'll keep this mind and just talk to my doctor again if the problem persists -- or maybe i shouldn't even be looking at it as a problem. thank you all so much

Comments

[shechoselove.livejournal.com]

Unless a doctor tells you otherwise, you should avoid feminine hygiene products. They can interfere with the pH of a healthy vagina and just aren't necessary.

[https://users.livejournal.com/--biggerpicture/]

so, just not use them?

[shechoselove.livejournal.com]

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, I wouldn't.

[abalone99.livejournal.com]

Your icon is both disturbing and strangely hypnotizing....I can't look away....hahaha

[tokio.livejournal.com]

Your icon is at once mortifying and hypnotizing.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Scented "feminine hygiene" products like Summer's Eve are generally a bad idea. (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Vulvovaginal_Hygiene#Is_it_safe_to_douche.3F) As the above commenter mentioned, they contain ingredients and artificial chemicals that can disrupt your vagina's natural, healthy environment, and that can lead to irritation and infections.

Also, they don't really do anything. They might mask an odour, but a healthy vagina should never smell bad. It's always going to smell like a vagina, and perhaps that's not everyone's cup of tea, but it shouldn't be a foul odour. If the smell is bad, then scented "feminine wash" products don't do anything to "fix" the underlying issue.

If the smell really is foul, then I'd recommend seeing a doctor about that -- even if no symptoms are present, a foul odour is usually sign of an infection. Infections like bacterial vaginosis can often present with no symptoms except for a foul odour, and if it isn't yet very noticeable then that can be easy enough for a doctor to miss on an exam.

Beyond that, make sure you're drinking enough water. Some foods (pineapple is often mentioned) can make the vagina taste sweeter, and I would assume that would affect the smell as well.

[kaz-lynx.livejournal.com]

Also, they don't really do anything. They might mask an odour, but a healthy vagina should never smell bad.

This, but to add; they don't even "mask" anything! Scented ~*~jasmine~*~ tampons and liners? Just make my crotch smell like blood/vagina AND ~*~jasmine~*~, and give me a horrible synthesized-flowers-ick headache on top of it. Besides, [healthy] vagina smell isn't bad, it's just natural.

Why are we as a society so afraid of "strange" but otherwise normal smells?

[slave-stasha.livejournal.com]

i know what you mean! i once by mistake got the scented pad version of the ones i normally use and it was just BAD!

i don't get why society wants us to smell like berries and "ocean air" and shit like that. What is wrong with a vagina/vulva smelling like a vagina/vulva?

[paperispatient.livejournal.com]

Any kind of scented hygiene stuff, I'd be wary of it. A friend of mine used some "feminine hygiene" wipes after working out one time and got a terrible rash all around her vulva. I personally only wash my vulva with water - I make sure to wash all the nooks and crannies. I've noticed that my smell changes sometimes - two weeks ago, it was definitely different and not at pleasant as it usually is. Never figured out why (maybe because it was after my period?) but everything is back to how it usually is now.

[jeg-elskerdeg.livejournal.com]

I've used Playtex Wipes and they seemed to change my girly bits. Now if I want to use something other than toliet paper, I use Cotonelle Wipes.

I'd stop using the Playtex Wipes and wash either with only water or an unscented plain soap. The wipes could be causing the change.

And like everyone else has said, stay away from douching and smelly products.

[ticklemepiink.livejournal.com]

I love the deodorant spray! I use the green one... I don't spray it right in there but on my underwear and inner thighs and i notice when the clothes come off that it smells quite lovely! Maybe the smell is from the surgery? I don't think the body wash would cause that!

[abalone99.livejournal.com]

As others have said, generally sprays and douches and 'feminine hygeine' products (which, in many people's opinion's is a non-term as the female sexual organs don't need any extra hygeine beyond normal washing as our vaginas are totally awesome self-cleansing systems on their own) are not only necessary but can potentially lead to ill effects like yeast infections or BV. If you've had surgery down there there's a BIG chance that the smell is just from that. Ever taken off a band aid and noticed it smells kinda raunchy? Same thing. Just all the bodily fluids coming to the surface and oxidizing and maybe some bacteria that's present that doesn't smell so great. Especially if you've had recent surgery I would not advice using any wipes or 'feminine hygeine' products as the chemicals in that stuff could more easily enter bloodstream and while that stuff is probably not totally harmful when used topically, it's definitely not meant to be used wholly internally (or at least directly into your bloodstream). I'd really really really urge you to check with your doctor and post-op doc before you take anything other than soap and water to the area. Which leads me to my actual suggestion - just make sure you keep the area clean either with water or with a little bit of mild soap (don't reach up into your bajango or anything, just around the outer areas. As I said before the inside cleans itself) and water. Take a shower or bath as close to the actual event as possible and *maybe* if you're super concerned dust some corn starch or something (I won't suggest talc b/c that's likely to set off a whole crazy discussion about whether that's safe for down there, so I'll just stick to suggesting corn starch) down there on the outer areas to absorb the extra moisture which otherwise will make the bacteria grow more easily that causes odors (same effect as armpit sweat and the like.) Wear cotton underwear if you can or go commando to let the area breathe and get some circulation. Seriously, no need to douche or use the wipes. In fact, using that stuff could be throwing off the natural Ph balance of your area, making for a good breeding ground for the stuff that's making a funky smell in the first place and exacerbating the issue.

[dayglow.livejournal.com]

Your post reminds me of a time at work the other day where a nursing-student friend of mine was discussing underwear with other people (...don't ask me why) and she said that you always need to have fresh underwear on because vaginas were gross and dirty because of the discharge.

And I thought to myself, 'and you're going to be a medical professional?' Not only does she subscribe to the 'vaginas are dirty' stereotype, she seems to be unaware that the discharge is there because IT'S SELF-CLEANING.

[abalone99.livejournal.com]

Woooooooooow.....seriously? SERIOUSLY? A NURSE??!!

ejiaf;jie;aojfeo;ajifa;j;a

That just really upsets me.

Le sigh....well at least the internet exists nowadays and people aren't confined to information they receive like that first hand. In between that and the misinformation I keep reading hear that's being spouted in sex ed classes it makes me sad for the state of our body/health awareness in this day and age.

*resists temptation to march down to local schools to start a pow wow with all the kids about their bodies which would probably get me thrown in jail or at least banned from the premises, haha*

[dayglow.livejournal.com]

Trust me, I boggled just as much as you. Well, maybe not quite so much - this is the same girl who, after I semi-irritatedly made a semi-joke a few weeks earlier about not believing in God, looked at me incredulously and said 'You don't believe in God?' and I looked at her just as incredulously and said 'No..' in that 'why would I?' sort of way.

So perhaps it's a little out of her scope to think that some people may not see their body parts as disgusting but as cool bits of themselves that are, you know, doing their jobs as body parts.

[abalone99.livejournal.com]

I grew up in Texas and was also met with similiar astonishment to my 'radical' beliefs. My favorite reply I got when it 'came out' in middle school that I wasn't Christian was, "I just want you to know I don't hate you, I just feel sorry for you that you're going to hell and I'm not." She said it totally sincerely and not mean at all. It was all I could do to say "Thanks" with a straight face and not bust up laughing.

It just makes me sad to think some unfortunate girl is going to be receiving advice about her body and health from her. Well I take solace in the fact that you said nurse IN TRAINING and hope that something occurs between now and when she starts actually practicing.

[slave-stasha.livejournal.com]

iawtc

[http://users.livejournal.com/_knivesxout/]

advice about feminine 'hygiene' products? avoid using them at all costs.

[tokio.livejournal.com]

Besides what everyone else is telling you, pick up a jar of probiotics and take them as directed. Also, if you can find any handmade soaps made with vinegar, these should help as well.

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

feminine hygine products have no medical or hygenic value whatsoever. they were created to capitalize off women's insecurity about the natural vaginal odor. douches in particular are awful for you. some of the first advice i ever got when i hit puberty was never to use one and only wash my vulva with lukewarm water. i've done just that and never, ever had any issues.

our naughty bits aren't supposed to smell like flowers. so accept that and learn to like your natural scent! :) it should go without saying that any boy who can't appreciate the natural smell of your vag is a weenie and doesn't deserve to have his face down there anyway, so don't worry about it!

[shechoselove.livejournal.com]

Yes! Thank you! I dislike how the media makes vaginas seem like foul, fishy things. A normal, healthy vagina should have a musky scent. It's perfectly natural. We weren't designed to smell like flowers down there.

[jeg-elskerdeg.livejournal.com]

exactly. i don't have a giant daisy between my legs.

[kaz-lynx.livejournal.com]

Flower-scented feminine products are the worst thing in existence. They smell a whole hell of a lot more "disgusting" than a vagina, IMO :(

[tsepnraiynag.livejournal.com]

So many have said to wash with only lukewarm water. Does that mean no soap? I'm super sensitive to it, but, you know, I feel like I need soap. No?

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

It depends on the person -- some people can use soap with no problem, other people get yeast infections from doing so. Personally I just rinse everywhere thoroughly with water, no soap whatsoever, and my boyfriend says things taste/smell fabulous *g*

[kaz-lynx.livejournal.com]

Scented products on delicate vulval tissue is bad enough, but I can only imagine that using them on post-surgery tissue would be muchmuchmuch worse. The chemicals used to scent those types of products can be very irritating, especially if you have sensitive skin or skin prone to drying out frequently, and putting it on healing tissues that are already pretty sensitive to begin with is trouble with a capital T. Even if there's no itching or discharge yet, the change in smell could mean something not-so-fun is going on, or about to go on.

I suggest you stop using that stuff immediately and just wash the vulval area with plain old water and unscented mild soap (something like regular Dove or Ivory) in the shower. Stop douching if you do (douching = BAD, as many others have said), and leave your vagina be. It's designed to be self-cleaning, and it does that very well when left alone.

If you find you still 'need' to wipe down in between showers, damp down a washcloth with warm water and use that instead. That'll get rid of the sweat/etc. that collects there naturally during the day (which causes part of the smell) without irritating or drying out the tissue with chemical scents. If you don't shave/wax/trim already, I've found even just trimming pubic hair down under 1/4 inch helps reduce the scent quite a bit.

I used to think that my vagina was really weird and gross (it had hair, the skin was different colors from the rest of me, it smelled strange), but once I realized that vaginas aren't supposed to be porn-clone copies or some kind of mythical fleshy flower of perfection, and did a little anatomy research and exploration, I got used to it. I daresay now I like its funny colors and smells and everything else about it :D

[marieskye.livejournal.com]

i had never used any of the summers eve products,until recently when I stayed the night at a friends house and she had some in her shower. it was that "feminine wash" stuff and I figured it was harmless,so I tried it out ONE TIME. OMG it burned and itched for like 3 days after that. I will never use that stuff again! and i really dont think it made any difference in the smell,either.