Vaginal Odor: How To Smell Good Down There
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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. Especally when you consider all of the crazy things women will openly discuss with other women!
Now, before I continue – 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. If you have any extra tips you'd iike to add in the comments section, feel free to do so!
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.
Tips for getting rid of the funk:
- 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.
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Comments
Thanks, Barry! :)
And it seems deodorants stop working after a few months, so it's good to switch brands every now and then. Non-scented laudry detergent helps as well.
Isabella, I just started on HubPages and this was the first topic that made me want to comment. The thought of a foul vaginal odor makes me want to become a virgin again.
Patty - Yeah, I didn't mention those cos they do more harm than good most of the time. Hadn't heard the non-scented laundry detergent one - can you tell us how that works?
Double R - Sorry! It's not really about bad smelling odor, its just about making things smell good, as opposed to "normal".
Isabella!
Great hub. Most of the women don’t pay attention to keeping their private parts clean. It is not only a matter of cleanliness but also paying tribute to our womanhood. Ancient oriental cultures went to great lengths to teach their girls how to keep it clean down under. Read the interesting link and the “recipe” below.
http://w3.iac.net/~moonweb/Santeria/Chapter13.html
To keep a man faithful:
Ingredients: Five coral crosses A piece of amber Honey Ferns A coin Indian lotus
In a jar place 25 drops of honey. Grind the coral and the amber to a fine powder one by one. Take a large leaf of Indian lotus. Place the leaf in the jar and wrap the jar in the ferns. After five days, unwrap the jar. Press out the juice from the leaf and wash your genitals with the juice. Moisten a piece of cotton with the honey mixture and insert it in your vagina. Take the cotton back out and make love with the man you want to tie.
This is tricky territory that was handled tactfully and informatively. I'm not female, but I still appreciate knowledge, especially about topics I may not feel comfortable asking about in person.
Good tip on the shaving, I think that'd work for me, too.
Beachartist - Thanks! And wow.. that's quite a recipe! Thanks for sharing! :)
FTL - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :)
Some men find women who shave a turnoff. Also, I read just today in the newspaper a recommendation that shaving even one's legs be avoided in order to prevent staph infections.
And some women find men who like a lot of hair to be a bit creepy. ;)
Avoiding shaving legs to avoid staph infections is pretty silly, really. Staph is everywhere naturally. Everywhere. Non-immunocompromised persons aren't really susceptible, even to resistant strains.
Keep hygiene.Keep hygiene. Only that you should do. I do.
this is very good information. if u think u have an infection u cant ake plain yogurt coat a tampon and insert it and it will help kill the bad bacteria
That cranberry juice is a good one... I began studying abroad in China the last couple of months, and I realized that I haven't quite been smelling as good. Back home, I used to drink a glass of cranberry and orange juice with lunch and dinner... looks like it did more than just taste delicious :P
Momhence -Yes, I agree! :)
Kris - Thank you!
China - Yes, I think it does wonders, try it again! :)
I have a strong odor,not fishy. I also have a light pink discharge. its been going on for about 1 month....I also feel like my tailbone is broken or bruised. has anyone else suffered from these symptoms before. please help me.....
Christi the symptoms you are describing dont sound like anything Im familiar with, and pink discharge is most probably spotting (blood). If you're experiecing unusal symptoms as youve described and also feel discomfort as youve described, you should see your ObGyn as soon as possible, so they can diagnose and treat whatever is causing those symptoms. Best wishes to you.
Good hub Isabella. Glad someone talked about it. It is always a turn-on a woman or man that smells nicely down there ;-) I do not believe in vaginal deodorants but think that the best strategy is to keep the area clean and ventilated!
Excellent treatment of the subject (thumbs up)
Christi, You should visit your doctor. What you describe can be an ovary problem. An unusual change should be investigated.
Great HUB Isobella. Any way to get people talking about delicate issues is always appreciated.
i know you said cranberry juice will help things stay fresh...what about cranberry pills....i am very prone to bacterial infections if i dont be carefull...i drink cranberry juice but sometimes i get tired of drinking it and ppl have told me to get cranberry pills...will they do the same thing?
i want to make my hair smell fresh and clean.
You're so straight forward it's interesting to read your hubpages Isabella.
Thumbs up* ;)
i think i have a bacterial vaginosis.what can i do to treat it???pls help me.
Very interesting
Your hub is interesting for both sexes.
Pineapple juice is advised to men, too...considering sexual desire...from the opposite side
wow really awesome hub. izy.
I ve heard -but didnt try- " green banana is a real good thing..
try it then inform me :P
Great advice. My girlfriend actually follows several little routines to stay "fresh," so to speak, including: shaving clean and completely bare, which reduces sweat big time; using baby wipes regularly during the day, especially after using the bathroom; and drinking cranberry juice regularly (with or without vodka, but im not sure how that factors into it haha). If good hygiene is observed and obviously there is no infection, I really don't see the need for applying a deodorant. I know for a fact that these measures are enough to keep her smelling and tasting appetizingly fresh. Your boyfriends will love you for it, and you'll surely benefit greatly from that one as well, trust me :). Remember, it's not necesary to kill ALL of the odor. Many women think if they smell at all it is a turnoff or terrible, but remember, we're talking about eliminating excess/abnormal odor here...all women have their own unique natural scent and in many cases this can be a turnon for men while they please you. Enjoy!
Good advice. I'll try some of it. One thing though: I'm very reluctant to shave/wax the hair off completely (although I trim/groom bikini line). I like having the hair down there. Some of us prefer to be a bit natural in that way. I had a boyfriend who didn't really mind, and I suspect most men worth more than 2 seconds of your time won't really mind either. I try to keep that area clean, and I think the most important advice here is what to put, and what not to put in your body. Thanks agin.
one of my guy friends just experienced his first time with his virgin girl friend and he ate her out and said she taste and smell like strawberries. how could i get that taste and smell in my vaginal area?
ITS A GREAT HUB I LIKE IT
What a surprise..
All the comments were given by only Females.. Males not interested to comment about this Hub?
Good job Isabella! I never thought anyone would write on such a topic here. Hygiene is something everyone should have.I remove the hairs down there once in 15 days and use a perfume on the panties and change undergarments atleast twice a day. I also prefer cotton panties to nylon and wash the area throughly after passing urine.
Haha:D Love ur blog!
Bought new Cosmo mag and it claimed that vagina can smell and taste sweet like honey, pungent like vinegar, or earthy or musky like a mushroom! Anyway, we joke around at the bar where I work that if my co-worker keeps on drinking pineapple juice long enough (I said for 3 months;) I will mess around with him (LOL note its a joke) and now I was looking for something that claims to make my downunder smell sweeter - so be it cranberry juice! How convenient at work!
There is some girl I go to school with who seriously needs to read this blog. That girl smells like fish!
Who knew shaving and cranberry juice will do the trick! I believe I ought to do that now.
Another good one! My grandma always taught me to keep myself smelling nice down there. She used to crack me up with her stories about young girls that smelled like "fish" back when she was in school. I have to say, the best thing I've found out there are those feminine sprays by Eve. They smell great and are nice and subtle! Cranberry juice definitely works wonders.
drinking kefir(best mixed with young coconut water) and taking probiotics is amazing for the vagina inside and out. Not wearing underwear is really great too, for keeping a good air flow (not sweating) REALLY helps. My obgyn has agreed with me on this by the way. Keeping it trapped up in panty hose and undies for hours makes it build up an odor. Gotta let that girl get some air. I dont recommend anykind of spray unless its natural essential oils.
I work with a naturopath and a excellent solution to help fend off the yeast that causes odor is adding acidophillus or bifidophillus to your daily routine.
Very very nice hud Isabella! I was trying to find a solution for strong odors for a friend of mine and I ran across your hub! Work of art!
I've heard the cranberry juice one too but i can't seem to find a cranberry juice that doesn't have more sugar in it than actual cranberry juice! Doesn't too much sugar in the diet create the smelly odor down there also? Because apparently the more sugar you intake, the more your vagina tries to counter-act with that by producing the pungent smell.
working
barryrutherford says:
12 months ago
nicely worded block. Oner of the issues that most of us face is we dont smell our own odour. At least I dont thats because ive had several nose operations. I can smell but only when i deep breath through the nose. Anyway i keep clean & spray with anti- perspirant. I have yet to find the ideal product...