Feminine care – Up close and personal with the intimate wet wipe

Wet wipes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures, scents and uses. Most people automatically think of baby care when we talk about “wet wipes”, but nowadays you can find great wet wipes for anything from house cleaning, through automotive and all the way to pet care.

Still personal hygiene (for babies, adults and women) is still the most common use for wipes.

While feminine hygiene wipes are newer in the market than baby wipes, their benefits for improved quality of life are already well recognized by women who use them for hygiene and convenience.

Wet wipes originally appeared on the market in the 50’s (some people may still remember the alcohol drenched “Wet-Naps” that came in individual packets). The baby wipes we know and use today hit the shelves only in the early 90’s and feminine care wipes or intimate hygienic wipes, came to the market only much later and they were created to address specific issues and conditions that only a woman would know.

The largest organ in the human body is the skin. It protects and covers our internal organs and it only stands to reason that we take the best care of it possible. While skin is always “the same” all over the human body, the pH of the skin in our intimate areas is different than that of the skin in the more open areas. Variation in skin pH, however, is very minute and delicate and if disturbed in any way it can lead to a plethora of problems due to the proliferation of harmful bacteria.

The intimate hygienic wipes, therefore, were made first and foremost to protect the woman’s delicate intimate areas. The freshness and cleanliness are added bonus.

When it comes to selecting feminine care products in general and intimate hygienic wipes in particular, we have several tips:

1. Scented or unscented wipes – the choice is ultimately yours. Scented products may contain certain agents that could cause irritation of the skin. Scents also react differently with body odors and skin types, so the way the wipe smells in the package may not be the way it smells on you (just like with perfume). However, keep in mind that when an intimate wipe is scented, the scent used is hypoallergenic and it is designed to mask body odors. This is why, if you prefer scented wipes, our tip is to only go for the best quality brands and never use regular wipes – always choose the designated feminine care wipes.
2. While the intimate wipes make you feel clean and freshened up, do not use them too much.
3. If you feel any sign of irritation. Itching or burning stop using the wipes immediately.
4. Despite their name “intimate” wipes are not meant to be used internally so always use them front to back and make sure you wipe exposed/external areas only.

Last, but not least, try to make sure you buy feminine wet wipes that are truly dispersible (flushable). Otherwise, do not flush them! (click here to learn more about the difference between a flushable and a non-flushable wet wipes).