IF you're strolling down the aisles of a supermarket or pharmacy you've likely passed the 'feminine hygiene' shelves.
There's gels, lotions and washes that all promise to 'balance your pH' and get you squeaky clean down there.
It might be tempting to take them home and use them, and for some women, these products have become a staple on their bathroom shelves.
But one doctor has now warned that many women have been showering wrong and that you don't need to use fancy lotions and potions down below.
Posting to TikTok, Dr Karan Rajan said: "Women don't need specific cleaning products for down below.
"Our consumerist society has become an expert in creating products that we don't need and then making us think that we need them.
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"Specifically when it comes to feminine hygiene products, they perpetuate this myth that women's bodies are dirty and need to be clean and fresh.
"Doing so can actually upset the delicate bacterial balance down below, increasing the risk of yeast infections, vaginosis and other conditions."
He added that these products try to jump on the idea of trying to control feminine odour but you don't really see the same thing for 'scrotal odour'.
"A vagina's Ph is around 4.5 and is a little more acidic than it is basic, which helps to limit the growth of harmful bacteria and it makes its own antibiotics to stop external bacteria from entering the system.
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"Douching, feminine hygiene products, all that kind of stuff, disrupts the balance of the vaginal microbiome, leading to infections and all sorts of badness," he explained.
In the comments section, he added that consumers 'shouldn't trust random faceless company selling garbage on TikTok'.
Dr Sarah Welsh, NHS Gynaecology Doctor and Co-Founder of HANX previously said that there's a lot of misinformation out there on how we should be caring for our private parts.
Speaking to The Sun she said: "Many of us didn’t learn how to take care of our vaginas during biology or Sex Ed classes.
"It’s so important to be open and clear about how we can take better care of our intimate health, and that means not being shy to talk about vaginas."
Dr Sarah added that just using water will do the job fine.
Stephanie Taylor, Intimate Health Expert at Kegel8 added: "If you’re worried about vaginal health or an odour downstairs, turn to your doctor instead.”
The same rules apply for spraying down below with scented products, she said.
"The natural balance of the vagina can be affected by synthetic sprays, which can cause irritation of the delicate skin of the vulva", she added.
Stephanie explained that this is a worrying and temporary fix to any odour issues women may be experiencing with their vaginas.
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"Much like deodorant, this won’t remove the smell, or make things better, it will only mildly disguise it for just a few hours.
"Not to mention the harmful chemicals that are often in spray products. Many of these products aren’t good for our bodies generally – let alone spraying them directly onto one of the most sensitive parts", she added.
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