Illustration: Alexis AronsonIf you are one of the many women who suffer from recurrent or chronic yeast or bacterial vaginal infections, then you would be well-advised to try yoni steaming in order to bring balance back and get rid of them once and for all.
Yoni Steaming is a super-effective – and super-gentle – way of giving your entire uterine and vaginal tissues a deep cleanse and reset.
And as long as you do not fall into this category of women who should not steam there is a very clear and easy protocol to use in order to do such a reset and restore balance back to the body.
Which Blend?
Firstly – choose the right blend to use. This is important. Provided your menstrual cycle is 28 days or longer, the best herb blend to use is going to be my Purifying Blend. This contains a carefully balanced blend of anti-fungal and anti-bacterial herbs, as well as herbs that tonify the blood and kidneys.
But if your menstrual cycle is 27 days or shorter, you need to use my Soothing Blend as well. I suggest using a 50/50 blend of Soothing & Purifying herbs together. This will lengthen your cycle and clear up the infection too. This same mixed blend can then be used on an ongoing maintenance basis to prevent future recurrences of either the infection or a short cycle.
(Special note – I have just started selling my yoni steaming herbs in bulk packs from my online shop – so if you would like to buy enough herbs for a longer steaming protocol – such as the ones described below – or just to have herbs in stock for ongoing health maintenance, you can order them here and save a bit of money as you do so).
Steaming for Damp Infections
Regardless of the herbs you are using, the steaming protocol for clearing infections remains the same:-
For “damp” infections, ie those with a discharge present, it is recommended to steam for 10 minutes daily, for 10 days straight – or until all symptoms have disappeared. Daily steaming rids the uterus and vagina of excess mucus that acts like a breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria, yeast or the transportation of viruses. Once we rid the body of this excess mucus, the uterus and vagina are able to ‘reset’ themselves and restore a healthy microbiome.
Steaming for a damp infection, therefore, may well cause a lot of mucus to be expelled from the body. If it does, this is a good thing – even if the mucus looks like cottage cheese or is thick and green or it smells. As long as these are leaving your body, that can only be good news! If the expulsion of this mucus causes discomfort – such as itching or inflammation – then consider using a squeezable plastic bottle, bidet or hand-held shower to rinse your vulva with water and help keep the mucus off the skin. You can also do this immediately following a steam. Continue daily steaming until nothing other than clear cervical mucus (or none at all) is coming out.
Steaming every day is important because the bacteria and yeast that cause such chronic infections can grow back very quickly. So both they and their breeding ground need to be sufficiently well interrupted so that they are not able to grow back again. If you wish to, you can also steam twice a day or add an extra 5 minutes to your daily steaming session.
Steaming for Dry Infections
If the infection is more “dry” in nature – ie no discharge present and probably feeling hot, dry, itchy or burning, then the best herb blend to use is actually the Cooling herbs blend. These herbs will cool, soothe and moisturise the vagina whilst also fighting the infection too.
Do a “test-steam” with the Cooling herbs and see if the heat of the steam soothes or aggravates the infection. If steaming brings relief, then continue to steam daily for 5-10 days or until the infection clears up.
If steaming aggravates the symptoms of infection, then steaming may be contraindicated for you until you have managed to clear up this particular type of infection. What I would suggest doing instead is to have a Cooling herbal bath or rinse instead.
To do this, prepare the herbs as per the instructions in the packet (or on my page here). I would then recommend having a sitz bath – either by pouring the herbs into a large enamel basin (first choice) that you can then simply sit in, submerging your vulva as you do so. Or you can add the herbs to a shallow bathtub of lukewarm or cool water and sit in there instead. Either way, be sure you soak for at least 30 minutes. Continue this for at least 5 days in a row or until your infection symptoms have subsided.
As you soak, it helps if you gently open both your inner and outer labia so that the entire labia and vaginal opening are properly exposed to the herbal soak.
Additional Tips & Advice
In addition to steaming, here are some further suggestions to fortify your body against infections in future:-
- Boost your immune system – eat well, get plenty of sleep, increase your vitamin D levels by regular exposure to the sun, exercise regularly, take immune-boosting herbs (reishi, echinacea, astragalus, elderberry, ginseng, ginger). Take immune-boosting supplements such as a good food-based form of vitamin C (camu camu berry powder is a potent one to use) and zinc. Avoid stressful situations – and people – and instead seek out situations and people with whom you can relax and laugh.
- Cut down on sugary foods and foods that convert to sugar once in the body – ie sweets, chocolates, pasta, bread, white potatoes. Consider following an anti-Candida diet on an ongoing basis (it can be tough to make these changes at first, but is so worth it!)
- Cut down/eliminate alcohol – another source of pure sugar and the perfect food for Candida, the overgrowth of which causes yeast infections. Drinking less alcohol also means you will sleep better too = boosted immunity.
- Introduce more fermented foods into your diet – ie sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, yoghurt (dairy or non-dairy).
- Boost your gut health (and, therefore, your immune system) by drinking bone broth made from grass-fed or wild-grazed animals.
- Only ever wipe from the front to the back after you’ve been to the toilet – this prevents bacteria from the anus being able to cause a bacterial vaginal infection.
- Only use natural soap and water on your vulva – avoid all “feminine washes” – these are unnecessary at best and toxic irritants at worst.
- Consider stopping wearing g-strings – these create a “pathway” for bacteria to travel from the anus to the vagina.
- If practising anal sex, make sure you avoid transferring bacteria from the anus to the vagina via fingers, penises or sex toys. Scrupulous hygiene is really important here!
Overall, just remember that the only reason we would ever experience any ongoing or recurrent infections is because our bodies are sending us a signal that something is out of balance and needs addressing. Following the guidelines given here, it is totally possible to discover a new healthy balance and wave goodbye to chronic infections once and for all.
And boosting our immune systems, steaming regularly and taking better care of ourselves can only ever be good advice, no matter what we are dealing with 🙂
