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Common bath salts mistake you could be making
Slipping into a steamy tub can help ease muscle aches and pains, and reduce stress after a heavy workout, among other benefits.
But while a frothy soak can be incredibly soothing for the mind and body, some bath salt and muscle soothing products don’t always have the same positive effect on your vagina.
The health experts at WeThrift are sharing a warning for women about how muscle soaking products could be harming their vagina health and how they can avoid it.
How your muscle soak products could be damaging your vagina
When it comes to recovering from a heavy workout, some swear by the benefits of salt and muscle soak baths, which are believed to reduce muscle soreness, inflammation and swelling.
Inexpensive and available at any local store, muscle soaks seem like a great option to treat muscle soreness after a workout, but these products are often filled with fragrances and ingredients that can harm your vagina health.
When placed in water, bath salts break down into magnesium and sulfate. The idea behind it is that once the salt has dissolved in water, you soak your body in the water and it will start to absorb the magnesium through the skin, which allows your muscles to relax and reduces inflammation. This is because magnesium is an essential mineral in our diets and is known to play a huge role in muscle contraction and immune system function.
The problem is, they are often chemically filled with fragrances and toxins, which means that the sensitive mucus membrane of your vulva is left vulnerable to infection.
Bath salts and muscle soaking products can disrupt the delicate balance of your vaginal pH levels, resulting in infections and irritations such as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. Vagina pH levels help keep infection-causing pathogens away.
A healthy and normal vaginal pH level is typically between 3.8 and 4.5 and the chemicals used to make bath salts and muscle soaks look and smell nice, can upset the balance of bacteria used to keep the vagina pH levels on the scale.
So, these products can throw off the pH of your vagina, often leading to an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast, which can lead to irritation. This is however just a risk, and not everyone who uses muscle soaking products will be affected.
Some women will experience negative side effects, while others won’t, that’s why it's important to test them and see how you get on.
Look for the common symptoms of infection which include:
Unusual discharge from the vagina - change in colour or texture
Itchiness or soreness around the vagina area
Pain when you urinate or have sex
Itching, swelling and redness
Vaginal bleeding or spotting
If you experience vaginal irritation and start to display signs of infection, you should make an appointment to see your doctor, as they can provide the best course of treatment. If you are prone to vaginal or urinary tract infections, you’ll want to avoid using these products.
How to relieve muscle aches without affecting your vagina’s pH
Exercise is a crucial part of a healthy and active lifestyle. While it can improve physical and mental health, it can cause sore muscles, which is increasingly common when you try a new method of exercise or increase your intensity.
If you experience muscle aches and pains, here are five alternatives to using bath salts and muscle soak products:
Use an ice pack to reduce inflammation - If the muscle feels warm and there are signs of swelling, wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on the inflamed area.
Go for a massage - A massage from a professional will help to relieve muscle tension, soothe aches, and increase blood flow and motion in your joints.
Take a warm, relaxing bath - A warm soak can help loosen tight muscles and boost blood circulation, providing muscle pain relief.
Apply heat to the muscle - If you are experiencing muscle aches, try applying heat. This can stimulate blood flow to your muscles to ease tightness and help relieve pain.
Rest and recover - Taking time off from physical exercise will allow your body the chance to heal itself. The second day after an intense workout, use your muscles lightly (e.g walking) to help speed up the elimination of lactic acid buildup.
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