To ask how you wash your 'bits'

[NotTheBelleoftheBall]

I'm not using the word 'bits' as some vague twee-ery to describe my vulva, I mean, everything under your knickers.

But I've got to 38 years old and suddenly wonder if the way I do it is the established norm (spurred on by recently hearing about douches and various online comments about how soap should never do much as touch your undercarriage).

For me: I always shower (bath about one a year), wet whole area (externally) wash external area with mild soap (including mons pubis, groins and bum crack), then using hand held part of shower rinse including rinsing inside a bit (vulva not vagina). So although I don't actively soap my vulva I use mildly soapy water to cleanse it. Then rinse well.

So far it's worked for me, my 'bits' are not prone to infection, but am I doing it all wrong? Should I be avoiding any water/vulva contact at all?

Ahem. Do we thoroughly dry inside (labia, not vag) and out, or just outside? My method may be contributing to my recent thrush issues and I hadn't really considered that before this thread.
Such things were never mentioned in our house growing up, so I have a serious lack of knowledge about them.

Some of us do, @Sparklingbrook. I had no idea until joining Mumsnet that you shouldn't generally use soap or shower gel on your vulva. I obviously still don't know fully how to keep healthy in that area.

Really Beauty? You needed a parenting website to tell you that? Did your GP not tell you when you saw them about the thrush?

I didn't discuss these thing growing up either as I had no need to.

"With dettol and a brillo pad!" has done me in!!! 😂😂😂 (showofhands on page 1.)

What a weird question OP!

I generally just do mine when I shower (I shower every day, sometimes twice if I've been for a long walk or bike ride or a swim!)

I don't really want to explain how I wash tho!

Nobody needs advice about this though
Some do according to a tale or 2 I've been told. There are some stinkers out there! Oh yes, stale urine smell, smeg between the labia, whiffs of shit. Unfortunately some parents just don't teach their kids to wash properly.

Do we thoroughly dry inside (labia, not vag) and out, or just outside?
Dry between your labia majora and your labia minora. Otherwise you're creating a lovely warm and moist environment for fungal infections like thrush.

Fly spray. Sandpaper. Five minutes in the blast furnace. Repeat annually

I read that as 'repeat anally'.

Oops.

BTW I love your username IAMNOMAN perhaps I could steal yours?

Knock yourself out.

*Really? I have been here since 2011 and don't remember there ever being a multitude of threads like this.

Maybe one or two in General Health if there was an issue.*

Me too, I don't think I see every thread though.

"Questions like this used to be totally normal on here"

Did they really? That's news to me.

I guess a lot is.

I do have a lot of Topics hidden. Maybe it's rife in Relationships/Sex?

Hahahahahahahaha. This thread.

@Sparklingbrook Yes, really, unfortunately. I've never had thrush before, so it wasn't something I really thought about or looked into. The gp did ask about soaping habits, but I'd already read on here about not soaping (a couple of years back), so was able to rule that out as a cause. Nothing was mentioned about drying though, and it is embarrassing to be ignorant of these sorts of facts.

Steam cleaner to remove the toughest muck but have a window vac that is good for a daily going over.

@WhatALoadOfOldBollocks Thank you for answering my question. Duly noted! 😊

IAMNOMAN you are a prick in every sense of the word.

User, I'm really not. You suggested stealing my name and I told you to go ahead. I'm actually a pretty nice person and most of my irritated posts are usually around defending an OP who seems to be getting an unnecessarily hard time - troll hunting etc.

But you're probably right that it's time for a little break if I'm really coming across as that.

Off topic - tf is a douche?! growing up where I am its always meant idiot

Honestly, after having bastarding BV a couple of times I wish I knew not to wash me bits with imperial leather foam burst ☹️

So Op, to answer your Q.
Now I slather on some aqueous cream which will act like a barrier (I hope) then use nice smelly shower gel all over the rest of me then wash of the aqueous cream from my inner lippage.

If anyone has any better methods to keep the BV at bay please let me know

If it's working it's working. Do you have flocks of birds following you? You're probably doing it right then.

I lay Down in the garden with legs up, then dh uses the garden hose on superjet mode.

Alot bit unneccessary there, user1490465531. Your posts show you are suspicious of such threads, but there's no call for personal attacks. Particularly unwarranted personal attacks.

so it's OK to tell me to knock myself out then? Double standards?

I think you're reading tone into the words that wasn't there.

different strokes for different folks, there is no right or wrong way, but do not wash inside your vagina as it is harmful.

I give mine a good swill around with my DHs toothbrush

Kidding