Vaginal pH: not a topic you’d bring up in casual conversation or at a dinner party, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Often overlooked when purchasing body care products - you likely prioritise beautiful scents, shelfie-worthy packaging or just the one on offer that you scoop up at your local Tesco - but finding a formula that will care for the delicate balance of your lady parts matters.
Every part of the body has a different pH level - in fact, every substance has a rating on the scale of acidity (0) and alkaline (14) - and maintaining the vaginal sweet spot between 3.8 and 5.0 is crucial to prevent infection, odour, pain and a whole host of other issues you’d prefer not to have down there.
This disruption can be caused by many different factors, from what stage you are at in your menstrual cycle to medication, but feminine washes designed especially for intimate areas will help to calm and reestablish equilibrium, while also bringing a touch of luxury to your daily hygiene practices. That’s right, these gels and foams don’t need to be the kind of product that you rush to hide away when guests come over, there are non-descript and sumptuous shower essentials that you’ll be proud to display - or at least won’t give the game away.
These are hydrating powerhouses that condition while cleansing where you can rub it all over your skin - even in the most sensitive of areas aka from pits to bits, taking away the grime from the day and leaving your limbs feeling silky soft. This is all without sacrificing a satisfying lather.
Shop the best feminine washes on the market that will elevate your washing rituals.
Elemis Sensitive Cleansing Wash
Harnessing the sensorial power of essential oils, the Elemis Cleansing Wash is a luxury choice that is technically designed as a face cleanser but is nourishing enough to use all over the body.
It is gentle for everyday use for those with sensitivities and combines the goodness of thyme, German chamomile and ladies’ mantle with a base of milk protein to provide an in-shower experience that is thorough, effective yet highly moisturising. The ingredients have antibacterial and calming effects too.
Buy now £26.00, lookfantastic
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Anti-Bacterial Cleansing Wash
This is another product that can be used head to toe - which makes it ideal for those who love a multitasker. The formulation is so delicate and gentle that it can be popped in the shower and used on the entire family - babies included.
The combination of copper, zinc and manganese gets to work ridding your skin of the grime from the day, leaving it fresh, clean and balanced. That’s really where this product shines - it has a soothing, equilibrium-restoring effect on stressed, sensitive or any skin type.
Buy now £13.00, lookfantastic
Femfresh Nourish Shower Foam
Probably the most well-known name in the feminine wash game, Femfresh makes its intentions abundantly clear with its branding and follows suit with its gently cleansing product line-up. The range has had something of an overhaul recently with the release of its Foam Wash.
This gives you the satisfying lather that you may be looking for in a bath product but does so while remaining gentle and suitable for use down there. The formula is pH balanced and contains the nourishing benefits of shea butter and oat milk extracts. All the ingredients are 99 per cent natural origin and there’s no harsh soap in sight.
Buy now £5.50, Boots
Gallinée Prebiotic Cleansing Bar Perfume Free
Harking back to good old-fashioned bars of soap - yet with a formula that’s miles away from the drying products of old.
Use the Gallinée Prebiotic Cleansing Bar to wash your face, body and nether regions where its non-stripping formula dissolves impurities - protecting and reinforcing the skin’s barrier instead. This is thanks to the blend of prebiotics as well as lactic acid that provides a very gentle exfoliating effect.
Buy now £13.00, lookfantastic
Dr. Barbara Sturm V Wash
Dr Barbara Sturm counts the likes of Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian and Oprah among its celebrity fan base who no doubt incorporate the dermatologist’s eponymous brand into their routine for their efficacity.
This applies to not only the formulations for the face but the body care too, an expanding collection for the label that now includes this V Wash. As is alluded to, this is designed specifically to support vaginal health with a cocktail of ingredients chosen for their calming and balancing properties.
There’s a mix of pre and probiotics to nurture the microflora of the intimate area, panthenol for soothing, glycerine and hyaluronic acid for moisturisation and last but not least, purslane extract - an antioxidant selected to combat irritation.
Buy now £55.00, Dr. Barbara Sturm
Australian Bodycare Intim Wash
Look to our friends Down Under for a feminine hygiene wash from Australian Bodycare. The ingredient line-up reads like something you’ll find in your skincare arsenal with natural Australian tea tree oil set alongside lactic acid for its antibacterial properties, while acting as a gentle exfoliant to counteract the likes of red spots and ingrown hairs.
To ensure it is still kind to the delicate area, these components are set alongside kakadu plum, which is rich in vitamin C. The combination has been pH balanced.
Buy now £6.99, lookfantastic
Woowoo Gentle Foaming Body Wash
A pH-balanced formula that has been created with the intimate area specifically in mind. As such, the ingredients are naturally sourced and you won’t find things like sulphates within.
Instead, it prioritises those that will soothe and nourish our lady parts with the inclusion of aloe vera and artichoke leaf peptides. The latter counteracts the effects of free radicals that may cause irritation and is hydrating, which will come welcomed by those experiencing dryness.
Buy now £5.99, Boots
Ecooking Intimate Soap
Danish label Ecooking prides itself on organic skincare products that have a luxury feel and apothecary-style packaging. This intimate wash is ideal for those prone to allergies or irritation with its clean, fragrance-free formula that is low pH, vegan and dermatologically tested.
The product calls on calming aloe vera, nourishing vitamin E, lactic acid and a natural prebiotic fibre to cleanse but moisturise too, all without disrupting the vagina’s delicate microflora.
Buy now £22.95, lookfantastic
