Body

7 Reasons Your New Vaginal Care Regimen Is Dangerously Nuts

Further proof you should never detox your vagina (No. 4 will make you shudder)

by Katie McCarthy | COMMENT

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Our vaginas are dirtier, smellier and more toxin-filled than ever -- or at least that's what the personal-care industry leads us to believe. A quick Google search can acquaint you with more vaginal cleansing products and treatments than you probably knew existed. You can make your vagina smell like fruits and flowers with deodorizing washes, sprays, wipes and suppositories; clean it with probiotic douches; "detoxify" it with herbal sachets; balance its "hormonal levels" with a steam treatment; and "clear" your "chi pathways" by sticking a jade egg in it.

In short, the trendy, rather bourgey obsession with detoxes, cleanses and "natural" remedies has finally extended to how we care for our vaginas. For those of us who hate-read Goop, it's tempting to categorically pooh-pooh these precious vaginal care regimens. On the other hand, is there really any harm in going the extra mile toward vaginal cleanliness? What, exactly, is the problem with f$&#ing with an occasional vinegar douche or vaginal gemstone?

We brought our questions to two experts in lady-parts: Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine; and Barb DePree, MD, OB/GYN with Lakeshore Health Partners. And some of their answers, frankly, shocked us.

Here are seven reasons why you should say "hell, no" to that so-called vaginal detox.

Image via Getty

SEE NEXT PAGE: No. 1: Your Vagina Is the Greta Garbo of Body Parts

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