By Debra Maslowski
This is an all-natural DIY feminine wash (homemade douche). Some name brands claim to be natural, but upon closer examination, they’re not.
Safe Ingredients for a Homemade Douche
Vinegar will kill any bacteria and help keep the vagina at the proper pH. Chamomile tea makes a great gentle cleanser with mild antibacterial properties. Slippery elm and marshmallow root are soothing and cooling and can help reduce inflammation and help speed healing. Liquid soap will help hold anything foreign in suspension until it can be rinsed away. Grapeseed oil (or another light carrier oil) is an excellent moisturizer, while lavender essential oil can help bacteria from forming.
Homemade Douche: A Natural DIY Feminine Wash Recipe
This is an all-natural DIY feminine wash (homemade douche). Some name brands claim to be natural, but upon closer examination, they're not.
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Active Time
- 2 minutes
- Total Time
- 17 minutes
- Servings
- 9 ounces
- Estimated Cost
- $1
Ingredients
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup chamomile tea (cooled)
- 2 Tbsps Castile soap (learn how to make liquid soap)
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil (you can also use jojoba oil or sweet almond oil)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
-
Brew tea and allow it to cool.
-
Mix all of this together and keep in a sealed glass jar.
-
Shake your DIY feminine wash well and apply some to a soft washcloth. Gently clean the area, always rinsing well when finished.
Notes
Vinegar and lavender essential oil can burn if applied directly, so be sure to mix well. Use only once or twice a week to avoid irritation.
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Homemade Douche: Natural and pH-Balanced
Douching really isn’t necessary and can affect the pH of delicate female parts, potentially leading to problems. However, if you really want to use one, consider this natural homemade douche that will allow these delicate parts to maintain the proper pH. Also, consider using the above DIY feminine wash.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup distilled water
Instructions
To make a homemade douche, mix ingredients together, and use as you would normally use a douche.
Dangerous Ingredients in Name Brand Feminine Wash
While some brands of feminine products claim to be natural, most of them contain ingredients that are not. The chemicals that are in them could cause harm in the long run. Let’s take a look at the ingredients in one popular brand; the ingredients listed are Octoxynol-9, citric acid, sodium benzoate, disodium EDTA, and fragrance. Here’s the breakdown:
- Octoxynol-9: This is a known endocrine disruptor; a potential breast cancer carcinogen that can cause issues such as itching, burning, and hives. A homemade douche or DIY feminine wash doesn’t need this or any of the following ingredients!
- Citric acid: Can cause itching and burning; potential to become dangerous when mixed with other chemicals; possible allergen to those with citrus sensitivities.
- Sodium benzoate: Used as a preservative; can form benzene, a known carcinogen, when mixed with ascorbic acid (which chemically is very close to citric acid).
- Disodium EDTA: Used to bond with minerals to carry them out of the body; can lower blood sugar and can interact with insulin to provoke blood sugar issues; binds with calcium, causing a calcium deficiency in the body, which could lead to bones breaking easier; loss of calcium in the blood can cause seizures; can bond with iron causing anemia; may also throw off heart rhythm; can bond with other minerals such as potassium and magnesium; may interact with coumadin and other blood thinners.
Making a homemade douche allows you to control the ingredients thus avoiding all of the above.
Tip: have menstrual cramps? Check out our article on essential oils for menstrual cramps.
Safer Alternatives to Feminine Wash
The safest thing to use as a feminine cleanser is water. Warm water (distilled water won’t contain contaminants) flushed over the area is the best way to remove any accumulation of sweat, toxins from the environment, and anything else. Use a warm spray that is not too forceful. Pat dry or allow to air dry.
If you want to make your own DIY feminine wash, there are many gentle ingredients you can safely use:
Feminine care doesn’t need to be daunting, and you can make a DIY feminine wash, or homemade douche, at home!
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Feminine wash, and douche, feed into females’ insecurities about their bodies; that they will smell bad or not be attractive sexually because of odor, if they don’t use these products. I don’t understand the need, except in rare circumstances. If you have concerns about your female parts, see your practitioner for advice. If soap and water don’t take care of an odor, you could have an infection that needs treatment.
Castor oil (organic) at night seems to work. Apply rather than drink!
Hello there!!! ??
All good stuff! So what would you suggest to use, if your PH is out of balance? Thanks!?
I find this recipe not to my body’s liking…..especially using an essential oil in that quantity with such a tiny bit of water and too much vinegar…my experience and knowledge is that one quart of boiled filtered water and 1.5 TBLS of apple cider vinegar……always remember to keep in mind what the PH of the vagina is….otherwise yes it becomes unhealthy….
Do you consider a Pure Castile soap a “natural liquid soap” for this recipe? I have one made with natural oils including Peppermint. I’m afraid peppermint may not be a good choice for this recipe. It says it is made with Coconut oil, Olive oil and hemp seed oil plus jojoba oil. But it also has Potassium Hydroxide and I have no clue what that is or if it is okay to use in feminine washes. Can you shed any light on this?
Hi….acutely i do not agree with this recipe….after years and years of douching and research i would not use a soap especially a castille soap which has a PH of 9 and our vaginas have a PH of about 3.5
Eileen, from what I gathered, the castile soap and essential oils are for the wash not for the douche. The douche only requires ACV and distilled water.
Dozenelk, use simple castile soap with no added oils, from experience, it is better.
hm……
quick search on the internet brings more results about how douching is harmful rather than good. E.g. search for “vaginal douching” on webmd dot com
Hi……this is because the internet cannot be trusted…googled is basically a propaganda operation now and supports big pharma and the medical profession…..i have douched for years because i get yeast easily…it feels good and is the only thing that has helped me…monostat is horrendous for a vagina……i must douche after sex too….go to articles that are from holistic doctors….they all recommend naturally approaching the care of our bodies….try other search engines and definitely don’t go to a medical website and use in your search holistic approach to vaginal yeast….remember google is a propaganda operation now….
Hiya. Why is thrush treatment like monistat ‘horrendous for the vagina’
I keep getting thrush too. It’s definitely nothing else had all tests. It keeps coming back for 5 months ever since I had reaction to dye in new underwear that made me all sore and swollen.
I don’t use any soaps or washes on my vagina. For years I cleanse my vagina with oats in a stocking. The milk is gentle cleanser. I do this as I’ve suffered in the past with awful soreness and irritation from thrush due to using soap/even pH balance feminine washes hurt me. Make me burn.
I was totally fine for two years healthy vagina no thrush no soreness until I bought those underwears and the dye trigger off bad reaction.