If you’re douching or steaming it, you’re doing it wrong.

Let’s talk about cleaning your hoo-ha.

Because you probably can’t go a day without seeing an ad for something that your vagina desperately needs in order to stay sanitary.

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Actually, your vagina needs you to just leave it alone. It can clean itself, thank you very much.

“For vaginal health up inside, you don’t need to do anything,” Dr. Jennifer Gunter, Bay Area OB-GYN, tells BuzzFeed Life. “Leave it alone. It’s like a self-cleaning oven.” But instead of an oven cleaner, you’ve got tons of good bacteria called lactobacilli working to keep everything spotless.



“They make the vagina acidic so that it makes it difficult for pathogens to grow,” explains Gunter. “And they produce different substances that can be toxic to different bacteria and viruses.” Basically, they do all the cleaning for you, so they really don’t need your help. (FYI: We’re strictly talking about the vagina here — not the vulva, which is the outer layer of your genitals. We’ll get to that in a minute.)

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But Gwyneth Paltrow says vagina steaming is the best! Won't that make it sparkly clean?

No. Definitely not. So much nope. Even though Goop recently raved about the uterus-cleansing powers of V-steams, Gunter explains that this is just unnecessary — and potentially dangerous. “It’s not based on any understanding of physiology. Steam isn’t going into your vagina, and if steam could get in there, it would be harmful,” she says. “Your uterus doesn’t need to be cleaned.”

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HOWEVER, you can (and should) be cleaning your vulva… but you’re probably doing it wrong.

Obviously occasional washing below the belt is necessary, and in most cases, plain old water is all you need on the outer area of your genitals. Really. Like, no soap at all. So if you’re already in the shower, use your hand or a washcloth to gently clean the area with water, suggests Gunter. Easy peasy, right?

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