Self-Care Down There: From Menstrual Cups and Moisturizers to Body Positivity and Brazilian Wax, a Guide to Your Vagina’s Well-Being is written by Taq Kaur Bhandal, who happens to live in my neck of the woods.
I’m all about embracing our bodies and getting to know them and how they work, so I went in expecting to enjoy this book. It didn’t quite go as planned.
The book is divided into five different sections: getting to know your garden, savvy self-care, the wisdom of menstrual cycles, getting wet and wild, the modern-day vagina. For the most part, each page covers a subtopic, and there’s a box at the bottom of the page dedicated to sacred self-care, i.e. ways to practice self-care with regards to that particular topic.
From the book’s description, I wasn’t prepared for the woo-woo factor, for lack of a better term, that made an early appearance in the book. I’m pretty anti-New Age in general, so being told that my vagina is a spiritual energy centre connecting me to the earth didn’t really go over so well.
There was a mix of sensible and somewhat out-there suggestions. For example, the useful bits of advice on preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) were accompanied by the suggestion that you create an affirmation for the urethra to practice daily. The harms of douching were discussed, which is great, and then along came the idea of steaming your vagina. And yes, that’s pretty much what it sounds like.
The book encourages the reader to drink lots of water. Great suggestion, but this was accompanied by a rather odd explanation that the hydrogen in water helps to acidify the vagina; the actual explanation for the low pH in the vagina relates to Lactobacillus bacteria producing lactic acid when they metabolize sugars.
Where the book really lost me was with the hormonal contraceptive-bashing. This wasn’t just mentioned once or twice; it was a recurring theme emphasized throughout the book. Birth control pills and other hormonal methods were presented as factory-made cyborg hormones that give you cyborg ovaries and put you into cyborg menopause, which can disrupt your whole life, including your spiritual health.
While these types of birth control methods are far from perfect, and they can unquestionably cause side effects, they are a choice made by a whole lot of women. If the book is supposed to be about empowering women, slamming a method preferred by many women probably isn’t helpful.
The book also covers topics like pubic hair maintenance, period products, sex, and masturbation. Menstrual periods are explored, and the author suggests making a vision board for your menstrual cycle. I think I’ll skip that.
So, clearly this book wasn’t a great fit for me; I think it’s most likely to appeal to people who are already New-Age-inclined.
I received a reviewer copy of this book from www.netgalley.com.
You can find my other book reviews here, including one on Living With Vaginismus.
You can find my books Making Sense of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Psych Meds Made Simple on the Mental Health @ Home Store, as well as Amazon and other major retailers.
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HA HA HA HA HA HA!! No, I’m New Agey, and this book still sounds dreadful. Oh my. I have to say I enjoyed your review. It descended into worse-and-worse territory for this book! An affirmation for the urethra? Oh gracious saints!
I’m taking Mother to the doctor today, and then she’s coming over for dinner. Wish us loads of fun!!
That sounds like a recipe for disaster!
Woo hoo!! “Turn back while you still can!”
Lol
Ya…. I have this arc, just from reading your review it’s gonna be a giant dnf for me. I’m definitely not down with contraception bashing, and a vision board for my cycle? …… ya……. no!
Yeah I think they really need to update the book’s description so people have more of an idea of what they’re getting.
Most definitely
I can understand you. I do believe menstrual cycles and the moon cycle have a connection and are influenced by each other. I read that before and found that interesting. However, I can also see some things you told which I agree on. Sounds as an interesting book haha 😂
😉
I laughed! yeah a bit much ! Thanks for posting !!
😊
You mean you don’t chant to your vagina? That advice is so old as the street, try it and see how the connection with Mother Earth lifts your *spirits* and opens up chakra’s you didn’t know you had!
Ps Plz buy our special vajeje-essential oil to capture the essence of women hood. Only 9.99.
As long as there aren’t any spirits trying to go for a trek up my vagina…
Embrace my child what energy is coming to you ….
I could sell that crap like the best but I don’t believe in it.
No career for me.
😟
Ok then, only if you buy and review my vajeje essential oil, only 7.99 for you.
Do you really think women do this kind of this? Except for the Goop ladies that is 😁
I’m guessing there probably are. People do all kinds of weird stuff.
Think i give the book a miss thanks for the review, excellent read
😊
I cringed at the idea of steaming vaginas. Sounds like an interesting read
Yes, it was definitely interesting. And wouldn’t want that steam to be too hot – not a nice area to get burned…
Ouch, definitely not
Thank you for reviewing this book. You have saved me from reading it and cringing myself and shaking my head, as well as a little laughing. Had I come across this book in the first place. Not for me this book either.
There was a lot of shaking my head on my part as I was reading it. At least it had entertainment value, even if it was unintentional.
Yes, entertainment value sounds right. 😊
“I’m pretty anti-New Age in general, so being told that my vagina is a spiritual energy centre connecting me to the earth didn’t really go over so well.” – This got a pretty good laugh out of me. Please forgive me if you’ve already reviewed it and I just forgot, but have you read “the Vagina Bible” by Jen Gunter? I really, really enjoyed that book. Maybe one that you might like better.
Someone (possibly you) mentioned it to me recently, and it’s on my list, but I haven’t gottenm to it yet.
Hahaha I love your review of this book! The idea of a “vision board for your menstrual cycle” is hilarious and terrifying.
Yeah I don’t even want to know what that would look like!
Now I want to make a vision board for my period just to be funny.
There better be a blog post to show it off!
Hahaha, omg, all the new age stuff would definitely have turned me off really. And what’s wrong with cyborg menopause? I hate having a period!
Exactly!
Oh speaking of periods, the gynaecologist was horrified I haven’t had a period for about two years! I get really bad cramps, heavy flow mood swings (PMMD? Dysphoria?) and suicidal on my period… So I will happily go without a period for the rest of my life if possible!
That would certainly be ideal!
Primary Vaginismus.
If you have it, then your body is NOT designed for sex.
It is God’s way of telling a woman that she is DESTINED to become a nun or celibate.
So if you have it, go on and BECOME A NUN.
Or be CELIBATE.
That’s because it is God’s way of controlling the global population. God created women with such sexual dysfunction to keep them away from sex and thus preventing conception. Unfortunately, most women don’t realize it and would still go through days and weeks of therapy which is just time consuming.
Trying to remedy your condition is against God’s will.
God does NOT want you to have sex.
If you’re a woman, don’t get married & don’t have sex if your VAGINA wont let you.
God had CLOSED the gates of your virginity.
FACE IT! You have a NUN’S VAGINA.
It is time to give up on men and become a NUN.
VAGINISMUS may be the answer to overpopulation.
God truly works in strange ways.
I am now an enlightened man.
Yeah…I don’t think I do those things😅 All these “New Age” things…and the people like Gwyneth Paltrow and Erykah Badu telling women what they should put up their yahoo. I’ll just stick to the basics: wash and clean my yahoo and change my pads thank you very much
Simple is definitely better!