What on earth is THAT smell wafting up from your nether regions?

Now THAT is NOT what you ever want to have someone tell you. Am I right? I mean, not only is vaginal odor embarrassing and makes you self-conscious but it can definitely ruin the mood if you catch my drift. No one wants to offend “down there.”

When I was in high school, I remember girls teasing each other for smelling like something akin to what you might find swimming in the ocean. You all know what I’m referring to. The boys weren’t any better. But I won’t repeat their catch phrases. We’ll just stick with round objects that smell like a locker room. Oh genital odor humor.

Is this post fun or what? Ok….back to business.

So vaginal odor happens to the best of us and for a variety of reasons. And it isn’t all “bad.” Body parts that are typically cooped up day in and day out are bound to get a certain scent. I mean, with little airflow what do you think will happen? No, a rose garden won’t grow and if it did, you need to see a doctor STAT. Genital odor does happen. Big deal? Or is it?

What Causes Vaginal Odor?

• Bacterial vaginosis (a simple overgrowth of bacteria which may be related to gut health, unprotected sex, tight cloths, or frequent douching/cleaning with harsh products)
• Yeast infection
• STDs
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Poor hygiene
• Diet
• Excessive perspiration
• Stress
• Hormones

And what about men? They can rock the funk too! Funk in the junk in men is often caused by:

• Sweat
• Poor hygiene
• A buildup of smegma
• Recent ejaculation
• Buildup of shed skin cells
• Bacteria
• Balanitis
• STDs
• Diet
• Stress

Ok, so now we know why your Southern Hemisphere isn’t all sunshine and roses. But what to do about it? Hmmm…..

How To Get Rid Of Vaginal Odor

Let’s talk about how to get rid of vaginal odor as well as odors our male counterparts are working with.

It is actually quite simple and yet we make it so complicated. First, if your genital odor is health related you need to get yourself under the care of a medical practitioner. I’m not a professional nor do I play one on this blog. And honestly, I don’t want to know about your funky stuff. Please do NOT feel included to keep me in the loop on all that. I’m cool.

If your issues are related more to general hygiene, stress, sweat, and possibly hormones, there are ways to mitigate the intensity with which embarrassing genital odor wafts around. And I’m ok talking about those. So let’s do it shall we?

1. First – make sure you are keeping things neat and tidy down there. Ahem, do I need to get more specific? You know….clean up after you go to the bathroom. Don’t leave things hanging around after intimate moments. If you spring a leak of any sort of leak, clean it up. Don’t leave fluids or solids on your lady-bits or man-parts. Recipe for disaster. So make sure you are cleaning up nicely.

2. Don’t over wash. I know, you are programmed to scrub-a-dub-dub but you honestly don’t want to do that. The more you scrub the more funk your body produces. It does this as a protection mechanism. Instead, wash gently with a soft cloth. Better yet – hit it with the shower nozzle. A steady stream of water is really all you need.

3. Along similar lines, don’t use harsh soaps. Your intimate areas are super sensitive. They don’t like chemicals. They rebel against them. Use a truly natural soap. I happen to love this one. It has probiotics in it. This will help. Trust me.

4. After bathing, make sure things are dry down there. Trapped moisture won’t do you any favors. It’s like a petri-dish for genital odor.

5. Try to get some air to your loins. Go commando when possible and to your comfort level. After bathing, hang out all natural for a bit. It’s good for your whole body, not just your southern hemisphere.

6. Get a little sun. Seriously. Get those lady bits and man parts out into the great wide open. A few minutes of vitamin D will help. If the sun can take the stank right out of cloth diapers, it can take the stank right out of your most tucked away areas.

7. Work on your flora and fauna. You know – gut health. Make sure you are taking a good probiotic or eating probiotic rich foods/drinking probiotic rich beverages like Kombucha. This can help tremendously.

And here come the comments and the emails about genital odors still lingering…

“But Jennifer, I have tried all that. I still get a little waft of odor and I’m not cool with that.”

I get it – sometimes, despite our best efforts, a little bit of nose-scrunching, where-is-that-coming-from-please-tell-me-it-is-not-me happens. I got your back.

Odor Be Gone Vaginal Spritzer

Don’t ever use those chemical laden feminine sprays. And for you men, don’t fall prey to dude spray or dude wipes. Awful ingredients for a lot of money. Plus they disrupt your natural PH. Instead, make this easy spritzer!

Are you experiencing vaginal itching? No worries, I have some great tips for you! Check out 10 Natural Treatments For Vaginal Itching.

Usually I like to end my posts with a questions but I think I will go ahead and not do that. I’m not sure there are any questions on this topic I really want to know the answer to. 😉