How 5 Real Women Give Their Vagina The “Self-Care” Treatment

Self-care is now the status quo for just about everything from our workouts to our beauty habits, in part because the message is so simple: Take care of yourself, whatever that means to you. The same is true for vulvas and vaginas (quick anatomy lesson: “vagina” is sometimes used as a catch-all term for a woman’s pelvic area, but it's technically only the muscular canal — the outer parts make up the vulva.) 

While there are vital ways you should be taking care of your vaginal health, including routine gynecologist appointments, practicing safe sex, and monitoring any unusual bleeding or pain, vaginal self-care can mean anything from laser hair removal to a daily wash to simply wearing a comfortable pair of underwear. It’s whatever makes you feel truly good. And no, we’re not talking about jade eggs (please don’t use those).

To explore the different ways in which women practice self-care for their vaginas, we teamed up with Vagisil to bring you the real routines of five women, all of whom have their own personal motivations for and pride in their habits. Consider this a starting point, because your go-to form of vaginal care should be whatever works best for you.