Here are our top tips:

Don’t douche

Douching is the act of pulling water into the vagina. Bad idea. Douching may cause issues with the delicate PH balance and natural acidity of the vagina. This can lead to infections and various other problems. 

No need for scented soaps

Your vagina is amazing with its own cleaning mechanism. But for some reason, probably a marketing ploy, we are led to believe our vaginas are unclean and require specialist soaps. 

You know what, they actually need no soap. They don’t need your high priced fancy vagina soaps. All you need is some warm water on the outside of your vagina to keep the perfect PH balance and good bacteria intact. 

If you want to splash out on something fancy for your period to make you feel fantastic then check out period pants, plastic free tampons or reusable pads. 

Change your pads/tampons on the reg 

Whether you choose run of the mill pads, tampons, cups, period pants, reusables – make sure you change them often. Even if you have a super light flow you should be changing pads every 6 hours and tampons every 4 hours. 

Thing is, it’s pretty warm in your undercarriage and when mixed with sweat it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. This might lead to things like UTI’s and infections. 

Leaving a tampon in for longer than 4 hours could cause something called Toxic Shock Syndrome which is as serious as it sounds. 

Dispose of your products correctly 

If you are using pads then make sure you always wrap them up in the wrapper of the new pad, in toilet paper or a biodegradable nappy sack. This helps to reduce odor and risk of spreading any infections. 

Remember, don’t flush sanitary products down the toilet. It isn’t a good idea for the waste disposal system! 

Wash your hands

Before and after you change a tampon or pad, wash your hands with soap. This can help to avoid any contamination of bacteria on your hands into your vagina. 

Get some sleep and rest

Okay so this one isn’t about keeping clean as such. But, good sleep hygiene around your period is very important. It will give you the energy during a time when reserves might feel a little low and moods can be down on the ground too.

Rest is important. However, if you fancy doing a workout, you might try yoga, gym workout or a power walk to get your endorphins going. You can read all about exercising during your period here.

Wash your cup! 

I know not everyone reading this will use a cup but I thought it was an important one to include in our menstrual hygiene tips. Make sure you wash your cup with water at least 2 times a day during your period. You don’t need any fancy soaps. Just warm water will do the trick!