...to feel strongly that women should not wash their private parts with soap, nor use feminine freshness wipes?

[Needlesswidow]

And the reason this is bothering me now is because I have had an argument with my (otherwise lovely) "waxing technician" because every time I go for a brazilian she insists on wiping me, inside my vagina after every spread of wax, with these packeted wipes.

How is it that we are in 2014 and the medical profession has not done a good enough job to make women aware that using products which remove the oils/mucous from places like the urethra/vagina/anus, causes problems with bacterial infection?

"I worry that washing internally with soap causes bacterial infections for people. Turns out that there are many women who can use soap up there and it doesn't cause a problem."

OP, we are not washing up there because up there would be the vagina (birth canal, the part with the mucus membrane protected by good bacteria, the "internal" part) or the rectum (the internal part rather than the external chocolate starfish anus). You're right, never douche or use soap in the vagina. Don't put soap up your rectum.

The area between your labia majora (outside lips - the lips with the hair on one or both sides) and labia minora (hairless inside lips) - the vulva (which is not a mucus membrane BTW) - is a breeding ground for oily smeg buildup. Unless you are prone to thrush or other infections caused by soap, it's fine to use soap.

Dr Christian from Embarrassing Bodies definitely said people should wash their arseholes anuses with soap as shit faeces is oily and it won't be washed off properly without soap. So if you only rinse your anus with water it will have a hint of shit to it pity the poor person going down on the dirty wotsit

I was chatting to an ex-beauty therapist friend who was telling us horror stories about her waxing days. She said women would often come in un-clean and she would have to give them a wipe to make it bearable.

I must say I've never been wiped before/during a wax, only given a wipe afterwards to remove any excess. Have you asked her why she feels the need to wipe OP? Maybe she wishes women would use more that water

I needed a laugh today. Upon opening this thread my first thought was "why the hell is this woman being fingered by her waxer?" Had to carry on reading just to work out what the smeg was actually going on.

(Though come to think of it, I'm very glad the OP didn't complain to the woman's manager - prime example of why it's actually rather important to know the difference between vulva and vagina. You could have put her out of a job.)

OP - you do realise that, depending on which wax your salon uses, there is at least one chemical in the wax, very probably more - they don't just melt some beeswax to slather on your bits. You're already having chemicals put 'down there', flapping about other people choosing to maybe put similar chemicals there too seems a little ridiculous.

Plus there is categorically no 'up there' in either of your labia, they're just folds of skin, they don't go anywhere. If anyone is shoving wipes into your/their uretha or vagina then yes, that's not a good idea regardless of what chemicals are involved, same with washing inside your anus. But the rest are outside bits and fine to wash, nothing will go mouldy or drop off - just avoid heavily perfumed/soapy products if you're prone to reactions/infections with them, purely because that's what you'd do with any other part of your body, not because your labia have mucous membrane narnia hidden in them!

Getting to Narnia via your minge...interesting ring to it.

Unless my anatomy is completely deformed... my inner lips (labia minora, thanks to the diagram) aren't sealed shut. They are actually open and expose the opening of my vagina. So when the waxer 'wipes' me after pulling the wax off my outer lips, she does so in a movement like you do with a baby wipe on a female child. Down from my clit/pee hole, over my labia minora (which are open, exposing the opening of my vagina) and down towards my bum.

I hate that she even puts the wipe there because it physically irritates me - even though it may seem to you like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

When I asked her to not do it, she said it is part of the waxing process.

Cakehanded but the wax does not cause me irritation, and it comes off fully. Plus the wax is not going near my vaginal opening, it is just going on the outer lips of my vagina. Whereas when she wipes me, she goes over the whole thing.

I don't understand why you don't just change therapist

Could you ask her if you could just wipe yourself?

Ah now those posts make complete sense. It's a good job you didn't put them first, the thread would never have got going!

Needlesswidow I'm at the stage where I feel I could pick your fanny out of a line up!

Ah, I see what you mean now Needless. I've never had a bikini wax but I read about someone getting waxed where the therapist gives clients a pair of paper pants to wear, and only exposes the parts with hair. The pants are just moved to each side in turn when required. Her labia minora and clit were never touched or uncovered by the sound of it, unlike with your therapist. Not sure why she's wiping the parts the wax hasn't been then.

I understand what you mean now Needless - but my point is if you'd complained to her manager that she was wiping 'inside your vagina' she'd have doubtless been sacked.

I shave rather than wax so I'm not sure what's standard but it sounds to me like a) she's staying external, not going internal and b) the wiping is for her benefit rather than yours.

If you have an issue with products on your vulva (I'll ignore for now that waxes aren't exactly chemical free) then I reckon your plan to change waxer is best: she obviously wouldn't feel comfortable doing your wax if she can't ensure you're 100% cleaned to her standards.

Just come back from Berkshire and rejoining this thread. I am fascinated by the suggestions that bowel evacuations are more efficient and comfortable if done in a squatting position. I don't have the squatty potty or whatever it's called, so I'd need to perch on the loo seat. However, I am wondering if this is wise when one has two metal hips? Would the orthopaedic surgeon be irritated with me if it all went horribly wrong and I had to explain things to him?

I am still hoping to photograph my lady cat's intimate anatomy, to help OP understand the nomenclature of the area. I will have to wait until the four valium I've fed her to work before I can do the shoot.

So - it's clear again from the thread that few people actually know what homoeopathy is and use it as a catch all term for all sorts of treatment. Very few people realise that the term homoeopathy actually refers to sugar pills with trace amounts of a substance in them. This confusion is compounded by practitioners who call themselves homoeopaths when they practise a range of complementary therapies and even the NHS join in with the misuse of terms, they put some money into hospitals with "homoeopathic" in the title when the hospital practices much more than sugar pill homoeopathy (i.e. the Calendula bunion treatment).

It would be interesting to run a large survey and ask people to say what they understand by the term homoeopathy to back up what I just said.

Meanwhile, a lot of humans feel ashamed that they respond to kind, loving care and some humans are so threatened by the idea that they lash out about it. Yet we know from genetics that kind, loving care has actual chemical effects in the body so we should not be ashamed about it. However, kind loving care will not cure all.

Also, now the word herbalism is coming into play, but that's just as inaccurate, not all non-synthetic substances are herbs - i.e. back to the aspirin derived from willow bark, since when was willow bark a herb?
Nice summary of history of deriving aspirin from willow bark on this page for anyone interested
inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blaspirin.htm

since when was willow bark a herb?

Well, Chambers gives the second definition of the word herb as "a plant used in medicine"

And herbalism is described as Herbal medicine! the use of (extracts of) roots, seeds, etc for medicinal purposes

I once heard screams from the shower, my ex had decided to use the original source mint shampoo of mine on his bits, I think its stronger than the shower gel. He couldn't move for ages!

But OP, the title of your thread was "AIBU to feel strongly that women should not wash their private parts with soap, nor use feminine freshness wipes?" which is unreasonable, as already discussed on the thread. Your thread then actually turned out to be more about "my waxer uses wipes which irritate me and she wipes too much of my vulva, aibu that she shouldn't?" which you would not be unreasonable at all about and the answers would probably have been a boring list of "just ask her to stop/ask her to do something different/change waxers". It's absolutely fine to use wipes on your 'private parts' but if YOU don't want to or get irritation with them then it's absolutely fine for YOU not to use them too, it doesn't have to be about all women, plenty of us appear to be fine washing there, but you're allowed to do what's comfortable for you without it becoming a general rule for everyone.

Hair is self cleaning, I wouldn't go any longer than 2 days without shampooing it and conditioner.

Op do you wash your hair.

Fucking wish hair could be self straightening and self colouring as well. Sodding lazy, good-for-nothing hair .

Unless my anatomy is completely deformed...Down from my clit/pee hole, over my labia minora (which are open, exposing the opening of my vagina) and down towards my bum.

Well, it might be completely deformed, ackshurly. Go to the toilet and have a "pee".

My, there are times in this thread I've wondered whether you're actually an alien, who has abducted a male MNer, and who is trying to work out female anatomy by extrapolating from his male subject's anatomy. Good thing the abducted man had an MN account.

Yes, I'm sure there's less ludicrous explanations that don't involve intergalactic scientists using MN to confirm extrapolations!

I wouldn't use proper soap on my vulva as in Imperial Leather, Lux or Palmolive as it makes my skin dry and squeaky on any part of my body. But dilute shower gel, being careful of brand, is usually ok. The odd one makes my skin a bit sensitive, usually the more perfumed they are. I never wash inside my body though - doctor at family planning clinic told me that when I was 17.

I think I'll just carry on with gentle topiary of lady bits at home, anyway.