Vaginal Odor: How To Smell Good Down There

This is a topic most women will Google at least once in their lives. And thank God for Google, as this isn’t something most of us would want to ask our mothers, sisters or friends.Amazing how shy we get about this kind of thing, is it not? Especially when you consider all of the crazy things women will openly discuss with other women!

Now then, before I continue – I'd like to point out that this article is being written for anyone looking to smell lovely “down there”. It’s not just for women who’ve had complaints, or think they smell badly. These are little facts and tips that benefit anyone with a vagina who has an interest in feeling clean and carefree about their bodies.

First, let's cover the possible culprits that lead to bad smells.

• Poor Hygiene: Pretty obvious, so I won’t get into this one other than to say you should be washing this area daily. If not, that’s probably the source of your funk.

• Bacterial Vaginosis: This is a bacterial infection that causes a distinct “fishy” smell. It’s pungent and nasty. It’s caused by an overgrowth of natural bacteria – you don’t have to be trampy and sleeping around to get it. It will not go away on it’s on, and you can’t treat it with something like Monistat, cos it’s a bacteria (and Monistat is an anti-fungal). So don’t self-treat if you think you have this, go to the doctor and get a prescription for what you need.

• Yeast Infections: Most of these don’t smell, so I’m not even going to address it. I’m just mentioning it because so many men think they have a clue about a woman’s body, and are keen to diagnose. So I’m just saying – No, nuh-uh, highly unlikely. Next.

• STD’s: These certainly can smell – but most STD’s don’t present symptoms in women. So it’s unlikely this is the source. That said – if the problem persists, or if you know you’ve been exposed, you should still be tested.

Now let’s talk about the more common causes of vaginal odor:

• Funky Urine: The urethra is located on prime real estate, y’all. If your urine is funky, odds are the scent will linger. And that can easily be misconstrued as vaginal odor. Which means you need to figure out what’s making your urine rank. Coffee, tea, asparagus, beets, curry – anything pungent or otherwise strong smelling. What goes in, must come out.

• Sweat: If you think you don’t sweat in this area, think again. If you want to prevent odor from building up, carry some baby wipes in your purse and use them a few times a day. Also, there is often a significant decrease in this scent when a woman is clean shaven around the labia. Hair does hold scent – spend 20 minutes in a smoke-filled bar and you’ll see what I mean. Your hair will hold the scent until you wash it again.

• Baby Wipes: A girl's best friend! Carry a trial pack in your bag, and keep a pack in your bathroom. Use them instead of toilet paper and you'll be glad you did!

• Cranberry juice: Cranberry juice naturally counters bacteria in the urinary tract system. If you have funky urine, this will help. Drink a glass every day and see if you notice any improvement.

• Shave: As I mentioned above.

• Pineapple Juice: I’ve heard it claimed, but personally doubt it – I drink quite a lot of pineapple juice and haven’t noticed its significance. Then again, I’ve been drinking 12 or 15 glasses a week for the last 5 years, so maybe the changes happened so long ago I don’t recall.

• Baby Oil: Note: Don’t use this internally! But you can always use some of this externally if you don’t mind the greasy feeling. You could try cream as well, but, again, not internally.