What is the specific purpose of them? How do they differ from normal shower gels? Why do women need/should use them (because I’ve only seen them advertised to women) and do men need/should use them?
In: Biology
Honestly it’s just another gimmick to make women feel ashamed and grossed out by their own bodies and feel like they have to scrub their lady parts blue with all sorts of scented bullshit products. My gynecologist has maintained for as long as I’ve known her that you only ever need to wash yourself with water and as long as you do it regularly, you’re fine.
Vaginas have a ph level that prevents yeast infections and bacteria from getting in there. Really you shouldn’t be putting soap or even water up in there at all but I guess brands know they can market toward women’s insecurity about it smelling or something so they sell soap for it that is probably ph balanced (I would hope). It’s just marketing.
No one needs to use them. They’re just marketed in a way that’s meant to prey upon women’s insecurities about their natural smells, or else play into the idea that their nether regions need special care to be healthy or attractive…. When the truth is that any gentle, non-irritating soap or cleanser is totally enough. Some health practitioners even say to use only water, to maintain the delicate skin’s microbiome. And all of them above goes for men, too. If there’s a truly offensive odor down there, for anyone, what’s needed is a doctor, not fancy shower gel.
Women don’t need to use them and according to my doctor shouldn’t. Vaginas have a specific ph and if you mess with it you can get a range of problems as a result. It’s a marketing ploy to sell more products, a normal mild soap is all that’s needed to be clean.
The specific purpose of them is to sell something people don’t really need.
They do differ from normal soaps; they are supposedly “pH balanced” to match the pH of the vagina.
Except no one really needs a special soap to take care of vaginas. As others have said, normal proper hygiene is enough, and the vagina takes care of itself.
If there’s some odd smell, that’s either a general hygiene problem or a disease, not the lack of use of intimate soaps.
They have actually tried to try and get money from men too, by selling the same product, rebranding them to be masculine and pricing them even higher, also preying on men’s hygiene and sexual insecurities.
It totally doesn’t do anything in terms of hygiene.
I’m a guy and I do buy the women’s version. Specifically the minty one.
Why?
Not for hygiene, but because they feel nice. It’s like having AC in your boxers for about half the day. It’s a luxury for me and I don’t need it and neither does anyone. I just need soap and water to keep my balls clean.
You don’t need them – a lot of them can actually *wreck* your natural ph balance.
While washing, don’t put *anything* inside of the vagina. Use either water or very gentle soap on the outer bits. Avoid fragrances. No need to be fancy.
For vaginas, nothing but water, but Lume has a shower gel that’s for the vulva to maintain a healthy pH.
I use a face cleanser and then toner to help keep a healthy pH on my face, I don’t know why it’s a problem for a shower gel to do the same for the nether regions.
It’s just marketing to use shame and insecurity to sell more stuff.
Vaginas are self cleaning. You don’t need to wash them at all, not with gels, not even with water.
Vulvas should be washed with water and mild soap. You don’t need any special products.
Penises and scrota are like vulvas – wash with mild soap and water, no special products needed.
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It’s just a really mild soap, in fact. Even read from one expert in cosmetics that they can generally be used as a face washer because they are so mild, they won’t dry out your facial skin.
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