Are you tired of having a rotten smell during your period? Do you get anxious if anyone else can smell it? Find out how to smell good all day even when you’re on your period!
It can be so taboo to talk about your period with others, but this should totally be normal. Half the population goes through this struggle and most likely have issues with the smell too.
So why does your period start to stink? It’s most likely because of the blood and tissues that exit the vagina, along with bacteria. When you have too much bacteria that is mixed with blood, it causes it to smell more rotten.
How do you avoid the smells? By going natural as much as possible and balancing your pH levels (the acidity levels in the vagina).
The pH levels range from 0 (the highest acidity) to 14 (the lowest acidity), with 7 being neutral. The acidity is important to clean out the bacteria but becomes stinky when it’s outside of normal levels.
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Know when your period is coming ahead of time through tracking
To make sure you got all the things that you need ready to go, you need to keep track of your cycle so you don’t have a surprise when you’re running errands, at work, or at school.
My favorite app to use is Flo. I love that it estimates when I’m most likely to start, has lessons to tell me what’s normal throughout the month, and a secret discussion board to ask all of my uncomfortable period questions.
Take a shower twice per day
You’re sweating extra and your hormones are all off balance. It’s so important to take a shower every day and if you want to smell better, try taking a shower twice a day.
Once before you go to work or school and once after you get home and change. Always change out your clothes when you get home and soak your undergarments for laundry day if you have any stains.
Wash your butt crack too because that blood be getting everywhere. The best step to how to smell good all day is definitely making sure you are extra clean.
Try Boric Acid
Boric Acid is great if you struggle with pH balance as it restores it. Having the wrong pH balance level causes that fishy smell. You just insert it while you’re at home for 7 days in a row and it will clean on its own.
Avoid using soaps or lotions down there
DO NOT use scented products down there! Scented products like Summer’s Eve will make your period smell worse. It just leads to infections and bacteria down there.
You might see those feminine washes in the store that claim to be fragrance-free and pH-balanced but still avoid them.
Also avoid taking bubble baths, sitting in a bathtub of soap, or bath bombs. Anything scented or has bad chemicals will irritate it.
All you need to do is rinse down there with water and wipe with a washcloth. It’s a myth that the vagina cannot be clean without soap. It naturally cleans itself out.
You can put lotion on, but avoid using it too close to the area.
Change your pads or tampons often
Take note of when it starts to smell bad and change it before. If you have a time limit of 4 hours of when you start to stink, then change it before 4 hours.
Even if your period is on the last days and there’s barely any leakage, still change your pad by the directions. It will start stinking if you leave it on too long no matter the leakage amount.
Pads and tampons are expensive and you may want to save money by not changing often, but it will be hard to smell good if you do that. Avoid scented pads and tampons.
Have backup items for emergencies
Carry extra pads, tampons, etc. just in case you need another one. I always carried two pads with me and brought them to work to stuff in my cabinet if I forgot them at home by accident.
When you use the bathroom and you see that you have dry blood on your body, you can wipe it with some natural plant-based, fragrance-free wipes.
Get a little air freshener bottle for after you use the bathroom in case there is a lingering smell and you don’t want others to notice.
Get a small deodorant that is strong enough to prevent your body odor to carry in your purse or backpack.
Put some perfume or essential oils on before you leave out the bathroom or home.
Eat healthier and drink more water before and during your period
You might want to reach for that chocolate and bag of chips around this time. Avoid it! This is just a temporary boost to your mood, but it will make you feel more exhausted and smell bad.
You need to eat more fruits, veggies, and food higher in iron. You can drink probiotic yogurt as well.
You are what you eat, so you need to find ways to clean out your body during this time. Drink more water. If you eat healthier, it will help decrease your body odor.
Foods to avoid:
- Junk food
- Coffee
- Red meat
- Spicy food
Wear breathable clothing that is not tight
When you wear really tight clothes like skinny jeans, you’re trapping in that moisture and sweat. Wear loosely fitted clothing so it can air out.
It also helps to wear lighter clothes because of all the bloating. Make sure you wear the right underwear like 100% cotton underwear.
If nothing changes, go see a doctor
Having slight period smells is normal, but if you still struggle with pretty bad period smells no matter what you do or if it smells fishy, that can be a sign of another issue and you should make an appointment to go see your doctor.
If it smells fishy, it can be a sign of Bacterial Vaginosis.
They might be able to tell you what is wrong and how to make the right changes.
If you know other steps of how to smell good all day, please share in the comments!
