Ditch the itch!

Lindsay Wynn (she/her) is on a mission to make inclusive products that work against a range of issues like bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections (which many of you are curious about). Six years ago, she was feeling unfulfilled after a decade of work as a photographer in the commercial beauty world. Though she loved photography (and is really good at it), she “felt disingenuous to [her] own values” and was ready for change.

Around the same time, she was getting more and more frustrated with ineffective solutions to recurrent vaginal and vulvar issues (#mood). After turning herself into a vaginal wellness DIY project trying everything she could find, she and her partner (who has a biology and sustainability background) knew that they could create something way better than what was available.

“Using hyper gendered products that told me my vagina needed to smell like a peach blossom wasn’t cutting it,” Lindsay says. So, Momotaro Apotheca was born—and we can thankfully ditch the flowery vaginal products for good. (P.S. You’ll get 20% off your first purchase.)

Many people with vaginas will experience BV or a yeast infection at least once. What’re your tips to prevent and treat them?
Generally speaking, we aren’t given the tools to understand our vaginas and vulvas from a young age, and by the time we realize how to care for them, we are likely to have an infection already. For example, I didn’t even understand that my vagina had a pH until I already had BV. We should always aim to prevent, rather than treat (though it’s ok, infections still happen). So, here are a few of my tried and true tips.

1. Drink a lot of water. H2O is your best friend. It affects every cell in your body and is crucial to keeping vulva and vaginal tissue moist and flushing out toxins via urination.

2. Eat the rainbow! Add probiotic rich foods, lots of leafy greens, and high natural fats like salmon or avocado to your plate. They will help you get the necessary vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that will help keep down inflammation and boost your immune system.

3. Supplement with a probiotic. I travel a lot for work and sometimes need help keeping my gut microbiome balanced from stress, work, meals out, or that extra glass of wine. Ours is clinically proven to help with gut, vaginal, and immune health. Not your average 3 in 1!

4. Sleep without panties on. There isn’t a ton of clinical data here, but a ton of anecdotal evidence that this can stop a yeast infection or BV from brewing. Plus, it feels good. So, get your vulva out of those restrictive (but hopefully cotton) undies. Sleep spread eagle for extra credit (jk… kind of).

5. Don’t wash your vulva with scented soaps that have drying surfactants or bubbles. Warm water will do, or find a very gentle unscented product. A lot of OB-GYNs actually recommend Cetaphil. And I hope this goes without saying, but don’t douche.

6. Use our Salve. I use this religiously after any sort of penetration or high-friction sex (scissoring, toys, impact play, etc.). These activities can leave us with chafing and microtearing which can lead to infections.

You sell sexual wellness products, but your brand also works to destigmatize sexual health myths and taboos. Can you talk a bit about that?
Sex is all around us. But as women and femmes, we seem so out of control of it. From my job as a photographer to a consumer of vaginal health products, I often found myself feeling embarrassed and confused about anything sex-related. “What should my vagina taste or smell like? Do I look slutty in this? Is that the look I’m going for? What is this discharge? Oh no, better clear my porn history!”

As time went on, it felt so clear as to why and how all the pieces were connected—from the puritanical, conservative views that were affecting my literal body (hello abortion bills) to my individual wellbeing (hello systemic shame in LGBTQ+ space). Destigmatizing everything related to sex and sexuality seemed like an important thing to do when we started this brand. From pain to pleasure and sex work to social constructs, education and awareness is vital. The long goal is to create a happier, healthier environment for us to live, love, work, and thrive in. For us, that means creating a more inclusive and educated baseline around our bodies.

You don’t use terms like “feminine wellness” on your site. Why is that?
“Feminine wellness” is such an old school term. Our company includes more gender identities and expressions than the word “feminine” does. Placing a gendered expression around an anatomical issue did not affirm me when trying to talk to my partner or provider about health concerns. It felt like I was putting a little pink bow on my yeast infection. By using anatomical words, we place emphasis on the lack of options, education, and even research that is done in this space. It’s an effort to level the playing field and destigmatize these body parts.

What’s your fav product from Momotaro Apotheca?
I have major proud parent syndrome, so this is hard! But if I had to pick, my 2 favorite products right now are Hydrosol and Salve.

Hydrosol is a refreshing, anti-microbial micromist that goes with me everywhere. It’s used for face, body, and vulva interchangeably. I use it in the morning when I wake up, after the shower, and especially after yoga when I don’t have time for a shower.

Salve is my tried and true. It’s the product I always recommend for people just getting to know us. This is a “you know it’s working” product because it’s cooling upon contact. It has gotten me through years of vulva discomfort and itching stemming from yeast, BV, UTIs, and general irritation from dryness or hormonal changes. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been uncomfortable, applied the Salve, and then was able to walk out of the restroom pain free.