Self-Care Down There: From Menstrual Cups and Moisturizers to Body Positivity and Brazilian Wax, a Guide to Your Vagina's Well-Being

by Taq Kaur Bhandal

Overview

Take control of your vaginal health and bring your own standards of beauty to your intimate parts with this book offering frank, practical, and accurate beauty and wellness advice for the vagina and surrounding area.

Get the lowdown on how to take care of your nether regions with this fun and frank guide focused on helping you maintain your private parts. Covering everything from everyday cleanliness to internal and external safe health advice as well as tips regarding the groom-or-not-to-groom debate and sex-friendly good habits to practice, Self-Care Down There will help you keep your private parts in tip-top shape while expressing the true you!

Founder and CEO of IM With Periods and menstrual cycle charting coach Taqdir Kaur Bhandal has dedicated her career to offering wellness advice to women. Whether it’s period charts or sustainable period products, Self-Care Down There is an essential and practical guide to feminine care and the wellbeing of all genders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781507212363
Publisher:	Adams Media
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Taq Kaur Bhandal is a researcher, writer, menstrual health coach, dog lady, and the founder and CEO of IM With Periods. She curates the company Instagram account @IMWithPeriods to share knowledge on periods and cycles for all menstruators and has blogged for Blume, a website for safe, sustainable period products for women and girls. Taq is currently working toward a PhD at the University of British Columbia Social Justice Institute and is member of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research.

Table of Contents

Introduction 15

A Note to the Reader 17

Part 1 Getting to Know Your Garden 19

Everything You'll Find Down There

Knowing the Garden of Vaginal Self-Care 21

Vulva and Vagina: The Flower Petals 23

Clitoris: A Ray of Sunshine 24

Pelvic Floor: Soil and Dirt 25

Cervix: The Yellow Parts 27

Urethra: Animals and Bugs 28

Uterus: The Roots 29

Fallopian Tubes: The Plant Stalks 30

Ovaries: Human Seeds 31

Vaginal pH: A Pleasant Poison 32

Hormones: The Pollinators 33

Naming Your Garden 34

Knowing Your Body, Your Garden, Your Choice 35

Part 1 Summary 36

Part 2 Savvy Self-Care 37

Caring for Your Pelvic Area

Practicing Complementary Healing 39

Creating a Pelvic Self-Care Pantry 40

Getting to Know Your Vaginal Scents 42

Embracing Vaginal Self-Clean Mode 43

Bathing Your Beautiful Pelvic Parts 44

Using Oils As Moisturizers 45

Dressing Your Vagina 46

Stretching for Self-Care 47

Shaving Your Pubic Hair 49

Trimming the Bushes 50

Waxing Down There 51

Dealing with Ingrown Hairs 52

Wiping from Front to Back 53

Leaving Douches in the Twentieth Century 54

Taking Bathroom Breaks 55

Steaming Your Vagina 56

Keeping an Eye on Your Fingernails 58

Speculating about Speculums 59

Practicing Abdominal Massage 60

Sending Intentional Breath 62

Drinking Enough Water 64

Understanding Vaginal Flora 66

Trying Seed Cycling 68

Hosting Pelvic Herbal Tea Parties 70

Eating Veggies and Fruits 72

Knowing the Organic Vagina 73

Understanding the Issue with Modern Grains 75

Eating Nonhuman Animals 76

Recognizing Food As Fuel 77

Knowing Your Vaginal Ancestors 78

Learning the Story of the Second Arrow 80

Part 2 Summary 81

Part 3 The Wisdom of Menstrual Cycles 83

All you need to Know about Bleeding and Beyond

Cycling Through the Seasons 85

Taking In the Whole-Life Menstrual Cycle 88

Connecting Vaginal Moods and Hormones 89

Exploring Cervical Mucus 90

Understanding the Moon and Your Cycle 92

Experiencing Diverse Periods 93

Using Pads, Liners, or Tampons 95

Choosing Cloth 96

Choosing a Menstrual Cup 98

Inserting a Menstrual Cup 100

Removing a Menstrual Cup 103

Missing Your Period 106

Loving Your Menstrual Cycle 108

Determining Your Fertile Window 109

Preventing Pregnancy 111

Experiencing Pregnancy 114

Practicing Postpartum Self-Care 116

Entering Premenopause 118

Settling Into Menopause 119

Part 3 Summary 120

Part 4 Getting Wet and Wild 123

All about sex and sexuality

Experiencing Sexual Pleasure with Yourself 125

Talking about Consent 126

Reclaiming Sexual Fantasies 127

Firing Up Your Erogenous Zones 128

Choosing a Lube 130

Delving Into Dildos 132

Expanding Your Sex Toy Box 133

Using Condoms and Covers 135

Choosing a Sex Position 136

Redefining Virginity 137

Taking Care of Your Sexuality 138

Rethinking Orgasms 139

Feeling Out Your Fetishes 140

Understanding Sexual Pain 141

Getting Comfortable with Queefing 142

Abstaining from Sex 143

Fostering Vaginal Confidence 144

Part 4 Summary 145

Part 5 The Modern-Day Vagina 147

Today's Vaginal Trends, Explained

Uplifting Your Vaginal Self-Esteem 149

Thinking about Jade Eggs 150

Taking Care of Piercings and Tattoos 151

Practicing Pelvic Politics 152

Understanding Vaginal Toxin Exposure 153

Taking Your Vagina to Work 155

Supporting Your Vagina in the Digital World 156

Taking Your Vagina on the Road 158

Being Prepared On-the-Go 160

Choosing Affirming Swimwear 161

Finding Vaginal Resources Anywhere, Anytime 162

Healing from Trauma 163

Meditating On Your Yoni 165

Prioritizing Vaginal Self-Care Every Day 166

Making Proactive Pelvic Decisions 167

Part 5 Summary 168

Resource List 171

Acknowledgments 175

Index 179

Editorial Reviews

“Everyone with a vagina or interested in interacting with a vagina needs to read this book! I just want to buy this book for every woman I know. No, every PERSON I know. This should be required reading on female sexuality, both for those with vaginas and those who are interested in, or love someone with, a vagina.”

—Mary Consolata Namagambe, founder of She for She Pads 

 

“The knowledge and wisdom contained in this book is timely as we break into the dawn of a new era in human civilization. We are departing from outdated perspectives on bodies—those of women and all genders—and embracing more enlightened ones. This book is an example of how women around the world are making this shift happen.”

—Halima Al-Hatimy, executive director of FemCare Community Health Initiative

“A good book to gift a teenager.”

—The Times of India

From the Publisher