1. Give Your Vagina a Massage

Reading an article on a yoga website is what inspired me to make this point. Although it should go without saying that there is a myriad of benefits that come with getting a professional massage (check out “12 Different Massage Types. How To Know Which Is Right For You.”), have you ever thought about why it’s a good idea to give yourself a self-massage on a weekly basis too? Not only is it a cheap and easy way to de-stress your mind, body, and spirit, but it also can help to detoxify your system and rejuvenate yourself.

Your vagina is no exception here. By rubbing your pubic mound, vulva, and the outer rim of your vagina, that can help to bring relief to minor discomfort, increase blood flow to that area of your body and help to boost your sexual self-confidence.

For the record, although masturbation and even vaginal mapping (check out “Why 'Vaginal Mapping' Needs To Be Part Of Your Healing Journey”) can be seen as forms of vaginal massaging, to learn more about how to give yourself the type of vaginal massage that is basically designed to bring you nothing more than rest and relaxation, check out “A Yoni Massage Might Be Your Tantric Ticket To Sexual Healing;” there are some techniques in there that I’m pretty sure will make you want to follow through with this tip, just as often as possible.

2. Invest in a Humidifier-Diffuser and Put a Calming Essential Oil in It

One of the best investments that I’ve personally ever made is buying a humidifier that doubles up as a diffuser. Humidifiers are bomb when it comes to keeping moisture in the air, reducing snoring, keeping allergens at bay, and so much more (check out “10 Really Good Reasons To Get Yourself A Humidifier This Fall”). Diffusers are cool because they can help to put essential oils into the air. Well, as far as your vagina goes, it needs moisture, and it can also have moments when it needs to chill out a bit (check out “Ever Wonder If Your Vagina Is Stressed TF Out?”).

Putting calming scents like lavender, clary sage, chamomile, orange, rose, bergamot, or frankincense into it will significantly increase your chances of sleeping (more) soundly — and that will only benefit you, your vagina, and every other part of your body in the long run.

3. Take a Magnesium, Calcium and Zinc Supplement

Something that my mother used to give me was a magnesium, calcium, and zinc supplement. Listen, if you’re looking for a natural way to bring your nervous system down a few notches, I can speak from very up close and personal experience that this will get the job done!

As far as your va-jay-jay goes, magnesium lowers oxidative stress and makes PMS (and menopause) more tolerable; calcium (especially if it’s combined with vitamin D) can reduce vaginal dryness, and zinc is not only a solid libido booster, it can also help to keep your vaginal tissues nice and healthy.

Personally, I prefer to take vitamins at night because, if there is any minor discomfort while digesting them, I sleep right through it. Plus, if you want to be calmer as you sleep, a nerve relaxant makes all the sense in the world, especially if/when it’s all-natural.

4. Drink Some Kefir

Lawd, when it comes to vaginal care, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned that you damn near have to become your own chemist about, it’s maintaining your vagina’s pH balance (check out “Sis, This Is How To Keep Your Vagina's pH Balanced”). One way to do that is to take a probiotic; that’s because it keeps the bad bacteria that is (probably) inside of your vagina from overtaking the good bacteria. Plus, there’s plenty of science to support that probiotic intake helps improve sleep quality as well.

That said, if taking supplements aren’t really your thing, a nice workaround is drinking some kefir. Kefir is basically fermented milk (think drinkable yogurt that’s on steroids as far as probiotic content goes). If that sounds nasty, I’ve been drinking Lifeway’s brand for a few years now. It comes in different flavors and tastes pretty damn good. Now, if you hate yogurt…umm, a supplement it is, I guess. *Elmo shrug*

5. Rinse Your Vulva with Some Water

Some health experts say that water is all you need to cleanse your vagina. Others say that you should just make sure that you use all-natural ingredients (check out “Love On Yourself With These 7 All-Natural DIY Vaginal Washes”). A cleanser that I am a huge fan of is Boric Fresh PH Balancing Daily Feminine Wash with Boric Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Coconut Oil & Essential Oil. It is so soothing and non-irritating.

Anyway, whatever your personal wash routine is, do make sure that you at least rinse your vulva before turning in. With any luck, you’re about to get 6-8 hours of rest and so, the less bacteria you’ve got lurking around your skin’s folds, the better.

6. If You’re Shaving, Follow It Up with Some Witch Hazel

If nighttime is when you do your vaginal upkeep, get yourself a bottle of witch hazel. It soothes skin. In a broader sense, it helps to speed up the healing of breakouts. It helps to treat psoriasis and eczema. It brings relief to a sore throat. It’s a strong astringent that contains anti-inflammatory properties. And because of that, it’s also a solid treatment when it comes to soothing skin after shaving and also helping to prevent ingrown hairs. It’s one of the best all-natural, inexpensive remedies for your skin from head to toe, no question.

7. Soothe Your Labia with Some Coconut Oil

I won’t lie — coconut oil and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship. Although, when it comes to natural hair care, I know that some women adore it, it tends to leave my hair dry (although it is a nice soother for my scalp whenever it’s irritated). And even though others like to “seal their skin” with it when they finish bathing, I personally prefer plum oil (check out “Plum Oil Is The Oil You Should Ease Into The Fall Season With”).

Oh, but if there is one time when I will TOTALLY sing its praises, it’s when it comes to applying coconut oil to my inner and outer labia. The saturated fats keep those areas naturally lubricated, the lauric acid that it contains helps to naturally heal yeast infections (and even a couple of STDs), and it’s also full of antioxidants and has antimicrobial and antifungal properties too.

So, get in those nooks and crannies with some of it; your vulva will totally love you for it if you do.

8. Soften Your Pubic Hair with Some Fur Oil

I’ve gotta admit that ever since I’ve become more intentional about literally nurturing my pubic hair, it has gotten so much softer to the touch. If pampering your own is something that you’d like to get more into, you honestly cannot go wrong with Fur Oil. It contains a blend of different lightweight oils that will moisturize your hair, help prevent ingrown ones, and leave that part of your body feeling smooth as silk. Is it cheap? Nope. Is it worth it? Absolutely, especially since a little bit tends to go a very long way. You can learn more about and cop some of it here.

9. Sip on Some Honeybush Tea

Now ain’t THIS a trip? As I was doing a bit of prepping for this article, even though tea is totally my thing (check out “8 Teas That Are Really Good For Your Vaginal Health”), I’ve gotta admit that my “something new” for the day is the fact that there is a tea out here called honeybush — and boy, if that ain’t a new word that I’m going to use to define vaginas, moving forward, boy! Anyway, honeybush is an herbal-infused tea that hails from South Africa (this just keeps getting better and better!).

Some of its health benefits include it being loaded with antioxidants (which can help to keep vaginal infections from becoming an issue), it boosts immunity, it helps to bring relief to menopausal symptoms, and it also can keep your skin — on every part of your body — nice and healthy. So, if drinking tea at bedtime is totally your thing as well, pick up some honeybush the next time you’re at a local health food store.

10. Wear Nothing Down Below

Even when you’ve got on the right kind of panties (check out “These Are The Kinds Of Panties Your Vagina Actually Prefers”), there are gonna be times when your vagina is gonna need a break. Between being cooped up in fabric all day long and the moisture and bacteria that can get trapped in panties after hours of wear, going without drawers can be quite beneficial. That said, even if you’re not someone who would even consider going without underwear during the daytime hours (check out “10 Women Told Me Why They Stopped Wearing Panties (And They Don't Regret It)”), at least try your hand and going to sleep without any panties on. There’s simply too much evidence out here to support that it can help to keep vaginal infections at bay; plus, sleeping naked is a great de-stressor as well.

11. Tell “Her” Something That You’re Grateful to Her For

Question: when’s the last time you told your vagina that you were grateful to her? No matter how crazy that might sound, if you really stop to ponder what life would be like without her (hell, just on the sex tip alone!), she definitely deserves a high five (umm, so to speak). And since there are proven health benefits of expressing gratitude, in general (including the fact that it relieves anxiety, decreases stress levels, and improves one’s quality of sleep), before turning in, at night, audibly tell your vagina one thing that you love her for. Something tells me that making that a nightly practice could probably end up helping you out in the sexual self-confidence (check out “10 Sensuous Ways To Boost Your Sexual Self-Esteem”) department, too.

12. Listen to Some Natural Sounds As You Fall Asleep

Although getting some z-z-z’s has never really been a problem for me, I will say that since I’ve been intentional about going to sleep with some rain sounds in the background, my quality of rest has increased in a major way. I’m pretty sure that it’s not by happenstance either because I once read a study that said listening to relaxing music for 45 minutes before turning in can affect your brain in a similar way that a sleeping medication would (the more you know). Know what else will do this? Sounds of rain, thunder, or nature.

YouTube is chock full of videos that will give you all kinds of nature sounds for hours on end for free (just go to the site and put the kind of sleep sound that you want into the search field). And since the less stressed you are, the more you decrease your chances of having a vaginal infection — anything that you can do to rest better would be a wise move, wouldn’t you say?

BONUS: Follow a Vaginal Pre-Sex Routine Too

If you’ve ever wondered when the best day of the month is to have sex, reportedly, it’s the day before your period; your hormones are in a state where you’ll have the most intense orgasms then. The best time of year? Right now — fall and winter. Rain makes us hornier. Testosterone levels rise. Being indoors more makes it easier to make sex plans. And although science actually says that around 7:30 a.m. (I’m not sure which time zone…LOL) is the best time for sex, we all know that nighttime is when things tend to be more convenient.

So, as I close this out, if your vagina is gonna be getting some serious action tonight, put a pin in this article, save it for tomorrow and check out “Here's How To 'Pregame' Your Vagina For Sex.” She’ll appreciate your extra effort, and ultimately…so will you. Sweet sex…sweet dreams or…BOTH. #wink

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