Don't Put This Up There Either!

What is it with the vagina cures lately? I cannot open a browser without finding some story about things to do to your yoni and why it is or isn't a good idea.

I saw this one awhile ago and just left it alone but apparently it's picking up steam (pun intended). Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow thinks you should steam your bits. She recommends a spa in Los Angeles that will (for a hefty price I imagine) sit you on a pot of steaming Mugwort. It should go without saying, but it seems it doesn't, that this is a bad idea. Sitting on a pot of boiling water will obviously make the vulva and vaginal canal quite hot. Heat changes the ph balance. That leads to an imbalance in the bacteria which leads to infections. Doctors actually warn people who are quite prone to yeast infections to limit the hot baths and hot tubs.

I have no idea what mugwort does to the vaginal environment. I just know you don't need it.

Gyneth Paltrow is neither a sexual health educator nor a gynecologist. She is not qualified to tell people what they need to do to take care of their reproductive health. Please do not steam your vagina, no matter what she says.

Also in the land of 'don't put that up there', it seems the herbal detox sticks are not going anywhere. Remember these? I wrote about this way back in 2012 and just last February. Here's a recent article discussing, yet again, why sticking pumice stones in your vagina is not a good idea. The article quotes Dr. Jen Gunter, who's been very critical of all the vaginal detox crazes, in particular, the infamous tea bags.

Let me repeat, because it seems to need repeating, your vagina doesn't need to be cleaned or detox. It's awesome all by itself. Leave it alone. Don't put anything in there that shouldn't go in there.

Here for easy reference, is a list of things you can safely put in your vagina:

clean fingers (yours or someone else's, totally up to you)
clean penises
clean, body safe sex toys (go here to find out what's body safe)
tampons (although we could certainly have a discussion about this)
lubricants with body safe ingredients (go here to find out what's body safe)
medically approved contraceptive devices
condoms over top of clean penises or clean, body safe sex toys

Anything else is at best unnecessary and at worst, dangerous. Your vagina doesn't need your help, it's great all by itself. Relax and enjoy it.