1. Use Soaps With Parabens
We first want to point out that “cleaning” down there doesn’t need to be a huge process. Using harsh soaps and cleansers can disrupt your vagina’s pH level (which is naturally acidic) and cause irritation and discomfort. The vagina is a self-cleaning part of the body that does a great job at keeping things regulated.

That being said, sometimes you do want to freshen up down there. If you feel the need, just make sure the product you use is mild and paraben-free, like these Afterglow Freshening Wipes. Why paraben-free? Here’s the low-down:

Parabens are a type of preservative used in cosmetics to prevent bacterial growth. Now parabens have been around for a long time with no recorded health risk but some people think that they are not safe because they have been classified as xenoestrogens, meaning they mimic the reproductive hormone estrogen. Why could this be dangerous? Fooling around with your body’s hormonal levels has been linked to breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer.

2. Douche
Again, we recommend staying away from harsh products down there. Douching is just about as harsh as you can get. When you douche, you are disrupting the body’s natural balance of bacteria, good and bad. The result can be a case of bacterial vaginosis or other irritating conditions.

Douching is also bad if you’re trying to conceive. Some studies have shown a link between douching and infertility and/or an ectopic pregnancy.

Lastly, douching can be down right dangerous. If you do have an infection that is resulting in a foul odor or discharge, when you douche you’re just pushing that bacteria up towards the fallopian tubes and ovaries, which can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Do yourself a favor and go see a doctor if your exhibit such symptoms.

3. Use Lubricants That Contain Glycerin
Lube is a wonderful thing. Lubricants that contain glycerin are not a wonderful thing. Glycerin is a sugary substance found in a lot of drugstore lubricants. Because glycerin is a sugar it can promote yeast growth when used internally. In addition to causing yeast infections, glycerin can just be down right irritating. Sliquid is a great brand of lubes that don’t contain glycerin and parabens.

4. Use Spermicide
Spermicide, which contains the chemical nonoxynol-9, is great at killing sperm but might also kill your vaginal tissues and put your health at risk in the process. Nonoxynol-9 can damage vaginal tissues and cause vaginal lesions, ouch! Another problem is that when these tissues are damaged, it increases the risk of contracting HIV and other STDs. If you want to use birth control without hormones, talk to your doctor about a non-hormonal IUD or other similar methods.

Check out Planned Parenthood for more info on the pro’s and con’s of using spermicide.

5. Use Sex Toys Made Of Jelly Rubber
There’s nothing wrong with sex toys, except when they’re made of materials that are harmful to your body. Never buy one that is made of jelly rubber because this material contains a lot of questionable materials. In fact, most of the time it’s hard to figure out what is actually in jelly rubber. Phthalates are just one of these harmful chemicals. Phthalates are plastic softeners that are used in a variety of plastic products, including water bottles, shower curtains and kids toys. Unfortunately these substances have been connected to obesity and insulin resistance AKA diabetes.

The downside is that jelly rubber toys do tend to be the cheapest option. If you’re on a budget, go for a phthalate-free rubber or hard plastic material that is inexpensive and body-safe.

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1. Use Soaps With Parabens
We first want to point out that “cleaning” down there doesn’t need to be a huge process. Using harsh soaps and cleansers can disrupt your vagina’s pH level (which is naturally acidic) and cause irritation and discomfort. The vagina is a self-cleaning part of the body that does a great job at keeping things regulated.

That being said, sometimes you do want to freshen up down there. If you feel the need, just make sure the product you use is mild and paraben-free, like these Afterglow Freshening Wipes. Why paraben-free? Here’s the low-down:

Parabens are a type of preservative used in cosmetics to prevent bacterial growth. Now parabens have been around for a long time with no recorded health risk but some people think that they are not safe because they have been classified as xenoestrogens, meaning they mimic the reproductive hormone estrogen. Why could this be dangerous? Fooling around with your body’s hormonal levels has been linked to breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer.

2. Douche
Again, we recommend staying away from harsh products down there. Douching is just about as harsh as you can get. When you douche, you are disrupting the body’s natural balance of bacteria, good and bad. The result can be a case of bacterial vaginosis or other irritating conditions.

Douching is also bad if you’re trying to conceive. Some studies have shown a link between douching and infertility and/or an ectopic pregnancy.

Lastly, douching can be down right dangerous. If you do have an infection that is resulting in a foul odor or discharge, when you douche you’re just pushing that bacteria up towards the fallopian tubes and ovaries, which can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Do yourself a favor and go see a doctor if your exhibit such symptoms.

3. Use Lubricants That Contain Glycerin
Lube is a wonderful thing. Lubricants that contain glycerin are not a wonderful thing. Glycerin is a sugary substance found in a lot of drugstore lubricants. Because glycerin is a sugar it can promote yeast growth when used internally. In addition to causing yeast infections, glycerin can just be down right irritating. Sliquid is a great brand of lubes that don’t contain glycerin and parabens.

4. Use Spermicide
Spermicide, which contains the chemical nonoxynol-9, is great at killing sperm but might also kill your vaginal tissues and put your health at risk in the process. Nonoxynol-9 can damage vaginal tissues and cause vaginal lesions, ouch! Another problem is that when these tissues are damaged, it increases the risk of contracting HIV and other STDs. If you want to use birth control without hormones, talk to your doctor about a non-hormonal IUD or other similar methods.

Check out Planned Parenthood for more info on the pro’s and con’s of using spermicide.

5. Use Sex Toys Made Of Jelly Rubber
There’s nothing wrong with sex toys, except when they’re made of materials that are harmful to your body. Never buy one that is made of jelly rubber because this material contains a lot of questionable materials. In fact, most of the time it’s hard to figure out what is actually in jelly rubber. Phthalates are just one of these harmful chemicals. Phthalates are plastic softeners that are used in a variety of plastic products, including water bottles, shower curtains and kids toys. Unfortunately these substances have been connected to obesity and insulin resistance AKA diabetes.

The downside is that jelly rubber toys do tend to be the cheapest option. If you’re on a budget, go for a phthalate-free rubber or hard plastic material that is inexpensive and body-safe.

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Crazy, right?

Not yet.

The “Black” vagina is an afro-wearing, sassy, “girl!” & “mm-hmmm”-using vagina that’s about to hit the cluuuub. She goes by the name of Lady Wowza and spells wonder with a “u.”

The “Latin” vagina introduces herself with an “Ay-yi-yi” before admitting to wearing a leopard-print thong and rambling off in rapid-fire Spanish, “boo.”

The “white” vagina, however, is a basic, statistic-knowing, educated broad who calls herself your “best friend.”

Please take 3 minutes to enjoy these ads in all their ridiculousness and let us know what you think!

“Lady Wowza”

“Leopard Thong”

“BFF”

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While talking to a male friend of mine, he made a statement: “Women like (their stuff) perfectly manicured and freshly washed but as a man, I will say that it has a natural smell that I want to smell.” I sad, what? He explained even more,  ”don’t get me wrong a sticky (stuff) is nasty, but (the stuff) has a smell that most men love; women need to stop shaving it and keep it natural.” My mind started to wonder, so then I did a bit of research:

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72% of women feel self-conscious about their taste and odor according to alternet.org, while it seems that the majority of men love the natural smell. It seems that advertising companies have woman fooled, once again, into thinking that the natural smell of the vagina is offensive to the opposite sex. In the 18th century the vagina’s odor was considered seductive.

Rachel Sobel, an undergraduate at Harvard, now [July 1998] doing research at MUM about the tampon industry for her senior thesis, mentioned that menstrual odor was once considered seductive in the odor-rich 18th century. Ads embarrass Americans into being odor free by buying underarm odor killers, menstrual pads with baking soda, tampons with deodorants, etc

In other words, in the 21st century, we douche it to make it smell like a spring breeze and shave it bold to look like a child’s unmentionable. Now we are hearing that the regular scented, bush is all that a man needs-who knew?

So tell us what you think?

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For a woman, there are few things more embarrassing than having to announce (or having your body do it for you!) that Aunt Flow has come to visit. In other words, it’s that time of the month. And all you really want is to be as discreet as possible about the discomfort you’re experiencing because of cramps and pads. Carrying your purse to the bathroom is a dead giveaway, as are the neon plastic tampon wrappers that catch everyone’s eyes and ears.

Moxie Products has arrived to be the solution to all those problems. Their feminine product packaging is glamorous, in a 1940′s sort of way. Picture romantic scripted letters, pink stripes, and black satin bows. The tin cans that contain tampons are compact, crush-proof, and reusable. You no longer have to feel fatigued while on your cycle; in fact, you can feel fancy. Moxie Products will make you want to say “boudoir,” instead of “bedroom.” And that’s just where your feminine hygiene products can stay – in plain sight. No need to hide your cardboard tubing and maxi-size wings under the bathroom sink and behind the cleaning products, because Moxie’s packaging is pretty enough that even your boyfriend won’t shudder at the thought of touching it. It’s also 100% recyclable.

Sure, Moxie may not “protect” you better than your average maxi, but the question still remains: why not? After all, if a feminine product ever falls out of your purse again, you won’t be so embarrassed.

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