July 14, 2021

I Dunno Who Has To Hear This But You Don’t Need to Steam Your Vagina

Watching people steaming their vaginas on Tiktok is one of life’s little nuggets of weird and unusual. I dunno who needs to hear this but you don’t need to steam your vagina nor do you need to lighten it (I remember Huda, I remember…!). Believe me your vagina is doing just fine. Don’t bother her. She’s chilling, living her best life, and she totally knows how to take care of herself.

It’s so odd watching the evolution of a new platform like Tiktok because everything that’s old is new again. Makeup dupes, swatches, looks of the day, it’s stuff that was done ten plus years ago on blogs, stuff that made it’s way onto youTube and later onto Instagram and now here we are full circle and a lot of it is back to trending again on Tiktok. Tiktok literally sells things out faster than youTube did and certain products will just disappear off shelves as content creators promote it across Tiktok.

So, yeah, you know what that means right? There’s room for really harmful trends. I’ve seen this across a particular aspect of my life that I don’t discuss here and also, in beauty which I find disturbing. Interestingly enough Esteelaundry posted on Instagram today about vaginal steaming and I was instantly floored at how well the algo rhythm of the Internet works because prior to her even mentioning it I had been served up several vagina steaming videos on Tiktok this week and I had plans to write about it.

Before we can actually discuss vaginal steaming maybe we need to understand what vaginal steaming is and what the benefits are as well as what it claims it can do. Vaginal steaming involves sitting over a pot of steaming water that contains a mix of herbs. You’ll arrange a towel or a skirt over your legs and upper body creating a cocoon so the steam doesn’t escape and sit over the pot and allow to steam to rise and well, just go to work steaming your lady bits. In some cases, you can buy at home kits that fit over your toilet which can be filled with herbs as well as hot water and you can just sit right on your toilet to do your steaming. Vaginal steaming claims it can detox your womb and increase your fertility as well as improve energy and a bunch of other hocus pocus, magic, and wizardry (who knows? your vagina may take flight after it’s been steamed according to some reports!). I mean, they pretty much say you’ll be living a stress-free life if you sit over some steaming herbal water and let your vagina just breath it all in. You know at some point some fool out there is going to start injecting CBD into the herbal blend and claim how beneficial it is to your vagina. I can picture the marketing now: “It’ll make your vagina feel so chill and relaxed” One company on the Internet has a mix of roses and herbs because here we are again with the misconception that vaginas are weird, smelly, funky things that need to smell like roses, berries, and air freshener.

Dude, dude, dude…we’re all self cleaning. This isn’t a dry cleaner! We don’t have to steam it. It pretty much takes care of itself and steaming it can upset the balance of the pH levels down there. You wanna maintain that healthy pH by not mucking around too much with the balance of nature. Water is fine, a little soap, but you don’t need to buy into all these unusual trends telling you to sit over a pot of steaming scented water to make your vagina will work better and smell pretty.

You’re vagina is good trust me.

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Don’t be ashamed of your body or let others shame you. Vaginal steaming comes across as a weird way of saying, “you’re not clean enough! you’re not well enough!” I believe in a healthy life and living but I also don’t believe in taking that to extremes. Vaginal steaming is an extreme in my personal opinion.

�I bet you’re worried. I was worried. I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas, and even more worried that we don’t think about them.�? Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues.

33 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • kimkats

    What. The. Actual. He!!??!!??! WHO thinks this is a good idea? What kinda crazya$$ bull hockey is steaming your hoo haa? I fear for the people who have nothing better to do than sit around thinking up chit like this!! That. is. NUTS.

    • Isabella Muse

      I dunno. It’s just such a weird recommendation to come across on a platform. I can’t believe I have to sit here and tell people please don’t steam your vaginas! It isn’t needed. Ugh!

  • Fey

    Are vagina detoxes for the same people that were inserting tampons full of alcohol to get drunk secretly? I kid you not, local cheer team was busted doing this. (Do NOT do this!!!)
    I really hope there’s a slew of ob/gyns and women’s health advocates that respond to those videos and explain how vaginas are self-cleaning. You don’t need a detox. I hope no one gets infections or gets scalded by steam. If there’s something “off” down there, please get it checked out medically! Vaginal pH balance is delicate, and something hot or herbal or soapy can really throw it off.

    • Isabella Muse

      stop! No way! I’ve heard of this being done anally but not vaginally. WHAT? Now I gotta go google that. That’s insane. Excellent, excellent advice. If someone seems wrong or feels wrong see your ob/gyn don’t go steaming things. Jesus. It concerns me I even have to say that!

  • Deb

    I believe Gwyneth Paltrow started this nonsense on goop. I remember reading about it and thinking�.OSJ. What fresh hell is this? Kudos to you Muse for posting about what utter crap this trend is. Ridiculous, unnecessary, and potentially harmful. SMDH.

    • Isabella Muse

      Wouldn’t surprise me! I stopped reading goop because if her insanity. That SPF drama was hysterical! Why anyone feels the to educate others on weird trends like this is beyond me. Seriously, you’re vagina is fine. Let’s not bother it too much with this stuff lol!

    • Tippy6

      AAhh, Gwyneth Paltrow, oh well, here’s a person with credibility. This individual is a few donuts short of a dozen. Yes, let’s all listen and follow the rantings of the great and incredible Gwyneth. It astounds me that people have sunk to such a level of stupidity when it comes to these whack celebrities. Only in America. Muse, once again, you are spot on!

      • Isabella Muse

        gotta love Gwen right? LOL! Don’t forget only use a tiny amount of SPF and only where the light hits on your face. You don’t need that much. HAHAHA! Who is this lady!?

    • dia

      I don’t think Paltrow is a wackadoo. I think she’s a brilliant marketer. Who knows if she actually practices what she preaches, but she makes a whole lot of money selling jade eggs and hundred dollar face creams.

  • dia

    I recently posted a similar reply to an ulta Instagram of “probiotic suppositories”… that’s right, they’re trying to sell you probiotic pills to stuff up your vagina.

    • Jane

      You know, I can actually see probiotic suppositories being a real thing. Women do get bacterial infections and as we move further toward antibiotic resistance, I can see probiotics becoming something that we need to turn to. That said I wouldn�t be buying them off instagram just �cause.

      • Donna Jensen

        I agree. If, IF, probiotics are helpful in facial skincare, then they could also be effective in curing/preventing bacterial infections. I am not all that convinced that they are, but this idea does not seem as bizarre to me as, say, vaginal steaming. I believe I have seen probiotic products for womens’ health at mainstream stores like Walgreens and Target.

        • Jane

          I absolutely think that probiotics will be a way to treat things like vaginal infections in the years ahead. It�s just that microbiomes can be devilishly tricky to study because some of the bacteria are incredibly specific in what they need to survive and will die once they�re removed from where they thrive. Not all of them, obviously, but enough of them that we might not be getting the full picture.

          Anyway, still not buying them on instagram.

    • Isabella Muse

      yoga, go for a walk, be in tune with nature, take a relaxing shower but don’t use your vagina to balance chakra!

  • Jane

    I don�t need to hear it, but I�m glad you wrote it. In some respects I really feel badly for younger gals coming up nowadays. Pron was not a thing when I was young – I mean, I know that it WAS a thing but it wasn�t accessible like it is now and it sure wasn�t something youngsters could just happen upon in most places. From gynos I have read on twitter and in books, seeing that stuff at a young age with women who are groomed for their jobs really changes how girls and women think about their genitals.

    And that leads them to thinking that something is wrong with their genitals. That they need to be cleaned, that they need to be hairless, that they need to have sparkly vaginal discharge (that�s really a thing I read! Dr. Jen Gunter was showing the ridiculousness of stuff that is marketed to women to �fix� their junk). And so I say thank you to you for saying again that our vaginas and vulvas are just fine!! (And if you think yours isn�t and needs medical attention, go get the medical attention, don�t steam your labia!).

    • Isabella Muse

      Absolutely most people don’t but just in case….haha! I do as well. Pr0n is much too accessible. It was totally a thing when I was young but I’ll readily admit about 90% of my exposure to sex came from the Internet. And that’s even a bigger number for today’s youth. It truly wasn’t something you’d run into when I was growing up but right now you can see it on right on regular tv. It’s not a bad thing for children to understand what sex but I’d rather it come from a good place like parents explaining the birds and the bees versus finding out about it on the Internet or in a movie etc…! sparkly discharge? Oh god. Now that’s screwed up! Younger girls, teenagers, and younger women are seduced and brainwashed even by all “the pretty” things people present across social media and in advertising and the line of real life becomes more and more blurred for them. Suddenly, sparkly discharge seems like the right thing and that’s just sad 🙁

  • kjh

    Makes me think of two somewhat less harmful Asian products. The foot patch that draws out impurities and the �point masks�, his and hers to �brighten up� the looks of the genitals. Although labial rouging from a 3D sheet mask is not much better than steaming. Definitely sounds Gwyneth-y to me. The real issue is how youngsters who wean on social media will think, through SM�s influence and preeminence in their lives. Kinda scary. Great job, Muse.

    • Isabella Muse

      I know of both there’s also fragrance oils that are you meant to be used inside your panties (available in many Asian countries) to “freshen” things up There’s def an obsession with vaginas being smelly or not clean somehow! It’s a perception has to be broken!

  • StillPedaling

    Uh, what? And this is why I don’t follow anything on TikTok. This sounds utterly ridiculous and just plain ole’ stupid. omg smh

  • Miska

    It makes me cringe when I read about stuff like this. I think about the impressionable young girls that come across this horse shit and take it as gospel. Waxing, bleaching, steaming…what�s next? What kind of masochistic sadist recommends jeopardizing your delicate lady bits with scalding steam!?!? WTF is right!

    • Isabella Muse

      It’s true. Girls just think this is the “right way” because influencers are saying it is. It’s just dangerous to endorse something like this!

    • StillPedaling

      Completely agree with you Miska! These so called “influencers” do more harm than good. When I was growing up there were no “influencers” (aka ‘fame whores’). I cannot believe this whole steaming your lady parts thing (as if anyone would even believe Gwyneth) but because of other idiots (influencers) I am dealing with a 16 year old step daughter convinced she needs plastic surgery trying to be like the people she sees on TikTok (that use filters and whatever else). I won’t go on ranting because this is about steaming the vag… but our young girls are impressionable and this is one sad nation of young adults.

      • MDW

        There are photos of people whose rhinoplastys are 25-30 years old now. Any kind of facial expression makes them look like demons.

        There is a very popular singer, when her face is very still it is ok. When she starts singing, people are scared for her.

  • MDW

    There are photos of people whose rhinoplastys are 25-30 years old now. Any kind of facial expression makes them look like demons.

    There is a very popular singer, when her face is very still it is ok. When she starts singing, people are scared for her.

  • Chris

    Gosh, I�m old enough to remember douching to keep you �fresh� during your time of the month! Bad idea!

    Isn�t anyone concerned about steam burns to your perineum?
    Bad idea!

    • Isabella Muse

      Oh god douching haha! Exactly! Burns are indeed one issue!

  • kellly

    It’s a way for someone to make money off peoples’ insecurities by telling them this is what they “need” to do for whatever reason. It’s so they can market and sell their stuff to people who believe their marketing.