what are the best treatments for vaginal dryness Archives

Understanding Osmolality

Posted on October 27, 2016

Understanding Vaginal Dryness | A Dry vagina got you down?

Image courtesy of Teddybear [Picnic] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Body chemistry is an amazing thing, but not always easy to comprehend. It’s even more difficult to explain how your body responds to things, both environmentally or taken internally. But as we grow, mature, and experience, we begin to better understand.

For example, we know that a person who stays out in extremely hot and humid weather, maybe hanging out at the beach, needs to drink plenty of fluids or they can become dehydrated or experience heat stroke. And if you’ve ever been to a beach party, you know not all liquids are created equal.

For example, although an ice cold beer may feel and taste refreshing, it’s not. In fact, it’s working against your body chemistry, causing you to dehydrate more quickly. It’s important that you’re replenishing yourself (yes, you’re made of 50 to 70% water…so the sun takes that right out of you through your sweat) with water.

The body responds in a similar manner based on the type of lubricant you choose. How does that work? Well, you already know about your pH balance and how certain ingredients can impact that. But the other is osmolality, which pertains to the moisture you naturally create.

Do you remember your childhood chemistry experiments in class? Remember the one where they took a glass of water and added a tablespoon of salt and stirred until the salt dissolved? You couldn’t remove the salt. In fact, it didn’t matter how small an amount you used, the entire cup became undrinkable because every ounce of water was salty.

Well, lubricants can do the same thing to your natural vaginal fluids. Technically speaking, osmolality measures the concentration of all the chemicals in your blood, which means the body has a set range, but external influences can put them out of whack. The higher the osmolality rating of the lubricant, the more it messes with your body chemistry, spreading throughout your natural lubrication to causing you to dry out unnaturally (and faster), much like alcohol can dehydrate you on a hot summer day!

What does that mean to you? Think about it. What happens to your lips when they get dry? The skin becomes thinner. Weaker. It may chap to the point that it cracks or tears or breaks. Your vaginal area can do the same! And think of how much damage small abrasions can create in such a delicate area? How much more susceptible you can become to all sorts of things….

So, when considering which lubricant to use, remember that although something may feel refreshing at first, it may be causing more harm than good. Remember the deeper impacts your choices may have, and choose wisely. Ingredients DO make a difference. That’s why we feel it’s so important to be all natural and made with 95% organic aloe. And if you’re wondering where Aloe Cadabra stacks up on an osmolality count, CLICK HERE.

Make Mama Happy

Posted on May 7, 2015

Want to Make Mama Happy? Give her lube.

Seriously. The right lubricant can make a big difference in helping moms maintain a fulfilling and pleasurable love life. That’s because mothers have three extra challenges when it comes to maintaining their natural moisture.

Challenge #1: Pregnancy, childbirth and nursing. All of these wonderful stages of motherhood have a not-so-delightful side effect: they can cause a woman’s estrogen level to plummet. The result: vaginal dryness. Sex during these times can be uncomfortable, even painful.

Challenge #2: Stress. Having to manage kids along with a career, household, marriage, and all the other stuff in your life can be hard on her body and tough on her nerves. And stress happens to be one of the primary causes of vaginal dryness.

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Beauty and the Body

Posted on October 17, 2014

This month has several causes that are near and dear to our hearts. The two biggest are National Breast Cancer Awareness month and National Bullying Prevention Month.

We want you to love yourselves and your bodies as much as we do. Show it the care and maintenance it deserves. Please do self exams regularly and report any abnormalities to your doctors right away. We want you to live long and healthy lives! Heck, it’s with your body health and comfort in mind that we have created Aloe Cadabra.

Secondly, know that we think you’re strong, beautiful, and resilient. We want you to know just how lovely you are. Beauty is not about clothing sizes or popularity or any of the other superficial aspects that get so much attention on the covers of magazines. Real beauty is in your ability to laugh. To be a great friend and partner through life. To thrive despite the hardships we all face from time to time.

When we selected our photo, we chose someone who we felt embodied the spirit and beauty of women because we want you all to know just how much adventure and joy you bring to the world. We feel strongly that we’re all here to build each other up, and we hope that by sharing with you how wonderful we think you are, you’ll remember our message, and maybe pay it forward to some other person who may really need to hear that message today. Together we can choose encourage and build up those around us. To help people see themselves the way we see them.

Vaginal Dryness got you Down?

Posted on August 11, 2014

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Although not exactly a popular topic of discussion, vaginal dryness is an issue most women face at some point in their lives. Because of this, most people don’t realize just how common this problem is (yeah, it actually impacts about 95% of all women) or the joy that can be found working with your body to resolve the issue while maximizing your personal enjoyment when it appears.

Causes of vaginal dryness are fairly common and range from the following:
·      Stress / Emotions
·      Menopause
·      Natural changes in hormone levels
·      Chemotherapy
·      Childbirth
·      Allergies

So here’s the inside skinny. Our bodies function better with regular sexual activity. It keeps our juices flowing both literally and metaphorically. Studies show that natural lubrication keeps our organs in strong working order. But, as stated above, our emotional health is just as important. Making a connection with our partner on a deeper level enhances the sexual experience while helping to lessen our stress levels and strengthen our relationships is just as key. Time spent talking, sharing, and reminding each other of why you enjoy being together in the first place strengthens your bond, and enhances your intimacy. As it leads to sexual intimacy, your body’s natural juices will begin to flow. Of course, using a favorite organic personal lubricant from our fabulous Aloe Cadabra lineup helps enhance pleasure while aiding in the healing process.

When it comes to stressors in life, it doesn’t take much to picture the causes. Whether your stressors are caused by career, family, finances, or some other unlisted issues, it’s important to remember that you are in control and make a change. Take time to breathe, exercise, or relax with people you enjoy. Laugh. Have fun. But whatever you do, when stress starts to impact your mind and body, make a change. It will have an enormous impact on stress induced vaginal dryness, not to mention improve the rest of your life.

So what does this have to do with dryness? A healthy vagina’s made up of many layers of cells, stays lubricated with clear fluid, which keeps the vagina healthy, elastic and is noticeable when aroused. The amount of lubrication that occurs is affected by different factors such as the above list, along with low estrogen, fatigue, medications, pregnancy, drying and chemically based soaps.

Vaginal Dryness causes symptoms ranging from irritation, itching and burning, avoidance of sexual intercourse, lack of libido, and thinning and drying of the vaginal wall. Many women even believe that sex drive/libido go away during menopause. Reality is, studies have shown that’s not necessarily accurate. In fact, 80% of women report symptoms of vaginal dryness during perimenopause and menopause.

Here are a few basic options for dealing with vaginal dryness:

1. Drink plenty of water to ensure hydration. Eat a balanced diet and take nutritional supplements as needed.
2. Be careful about using harsh chemicals, soaps, douches and other products containing allergens, dyes and fragrances. They mess with your pH balance. Common chemicals to avoid are petroleum, silicone, propylene glycol, glycerin, chlorhexidine, phenoxyethanol and parabens.
3. Don’t forget the importance of sex. Natural lubrication may take a bit longer, but it is still there.
4. Use an organic personal lubricant. You want to read the labels and be AWARE of what you put in there! A lot of “Natural” ingredients are toxic, drying and well just not what you want on your most delicate parts.

At the end of the day, vaginal dryness is normal. There’s no shame in it, just a lack of discussion and understanding. In fact, it’s highly treatable in the most pleasurable of ways! All it takes is a little attention.

(Internal) Beauty At Every Age

Posted on September 6, 2011

Pass any newsstand or stand in line at the grocery store and jumping out at you from the sea of monthly beauty, fashion, and lifestyle magazine covers will be at least one glossy with the the content teaser Beauty At Every Age.

A wealth of tips, tricks and layouts showing women everywhere, everything from the 20-year-olds, “how to dress more sophisticated” to the 60’s plus set on “how to rock their Not My Daughter’s Jeans”– to the 30-year-olds “correct sun damage with at-home glycolic peels” to the 40-year-olds garnering education on “new, painless spider vein therapy.” It’s truly fantastic; there’s a treasure trove of constant, vital information at our finger tips for women of any age.