Taking Care of Your Vagina is Important to Your Overall Health: Suggestions for Sisters

I grew up with village mentality that health is wealth. You could have all the money, material things but if you disrespect and maltreat your body it will reject you and most times send you six feet under. That is why, it is important for ladies (sisters) that we take care of our vagina,it is an organ with important functions it: births, flushes out waste, gives us supreme pleasures etc! Below I provide you ( us) with village knowledge- suggestions on DOs and DON’Ts…

1. Wash your vagina,

Whenever you used the toilet (latrine), make sure you wash yourself.Keep rubber kettle or steel bowl in your bathroom for that purpose only so that you don’t spread germs. Use toilet paper only if you are out running errands and the moment you get home wash yourself.

2. Avoid feminine products,

DO NOT use any product beside your bathing soap ( unscented would be best) to clean the outer layers of your vagina. While the inner layer could simply be cleansed with plain water. Just because something is out in the market doesn’t mean you should buy it.Your vagina is self cleansing, therefore you don’t need to douche or use any feminine scented products to distort nature. Research shows those products are cancer causing, because in an attempt to remove odor they kill good bacterias leaving you vulnerable to diseases.

3. Your vagina is supposed to be odorless ( when you are not ovulating and or having your period)

if it smells depending on resources available to you: talk to a female herbalist usually they would provide you with herbs to bath with, seek help from your “modern” doctors, ask for direction from respectable women elders in your community, don’t suffer alone.

4. For yeast infections,dryness especially burning use plain yogurt thrice a day ( to those in Mama Africa, you can get fresh plain yogurt from Fulani, Pël women). If it persists see female herbalist or “modern” doctor.

5. Avoid wearing extremely tight underwear, it produces heat and causes you to sweat and smell. Wear underwear that is made of cotton, it would allow you to breath.

6. Avoid wearing underwear daily,
if you are a woman of all ladies and know how to sit down gracefully, this is the way out. (Side note, this is great for couple…smile)

7. Instead of soft drinks ( soda ) drink a lot of water daily, if your urine is colorful it means you are not clean and not drinking enough water. Your urine should be clear, not yellow. I drink more than ten large cups ( medium size calabash ) of water  a day.

8.When on your period ( menstrual cycle):

a.Drink a lot of water as usually but this time hot ( as you would tea ) with few drops of lemon or tamarind. It eases cramps/ pains, so you wouldn’t have to take pain killer.

b. Use reusable cloth made with organic cotton for your pad. Yes, you have to wash it but it is better than using “always pads”, tampons etc they are cancer causing, expensive and do not decay. Go back to basics for health, wealth and environmental reasons. It is the way out, be a responsible custodian of the earth!

c. Find time to rest, as my mother would say “you are not made of iron, even iron gets hot”. Take care of yourself,so that you could have more energy to perform your duties effectively.

Photo by Yoknyam Dabale

9. Take bath ( shower) at least once a day.

10. If you are sexually active make sure you wear condom. Female condom or have your partner wear male condom at all times.

Persist on safe sex like the woman in the picture below. I don’t care how much trust you have for your partner, if you are not in a committed relationship insist on condom if he/she refuses, run and never look back. No protection, no sex!

here is a video by a sister teaching us how to wear female condom for those that have access to it

Or, male condom

Photo by Think Stock

and make sure you get tested for Sexually Transmitted Diseases ( STDs)

Have a good time…

Photo by Saddi Khali

11. For something extra, wear colorful tiny waist beads like the ones in the picture below. The smaller they are the better because you could have them on permanently and wear your fitted/ body hug dresses without them showing… ( It helps you maintain your figure and or form it esp if you gained weight and lost your shape…) The best quality beads are from Africa especially those from Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe etc.

For further information:

1.Dap at sister Tonya Tko for sharing wonderful ideas to taking care of our Vagina and anus. Watch it here…

2.Yes, Women Should Carry Condoms

3.Feminine Hygiene: Cleaning Up “Down There”

4. So what are the rules of intimate hygiene?

5.Vaginal Candidiasis

6.The Truth About Tampons & Pads

7.Back to Nature

8. How to kill yeast infection naturally….