For women, commando is the way to go.
Hailey Puckett (@HaileyPtheNP), a women’s health nurse practitioner, has taken to TikTok to explain why going underwear-free supports vaginal health.
“In the past week, I have had thousands of people ask me if you can go commando. From a vaginal health standpoint, please do,” she said.
Puckett explained that topics related to women’s health are taboo, and talking about underwear, or lack thereof, even more so.
“If you do not want to wear anything, do not wear anything. It is extremely healthy. But if you want to wear things, ensure they’re appropriate,” she recommended.
Puckett stressed that “the vagina is a self-cleaning oven.”
As such, that very intimate appliance does not fare well when certain things prevent it from working as designed. According to Puckett, “If you hold things into the oven, things go wrong. Letting things breathe can be the best.”
If you’re unready or unwilling to kick your lingerie habit, the nurse practitioner offered a middle ground: Wear your knickers during the day but skip the skivvies when it’s time for bed.
“If you are somebody that likes to wear underwear throughout the day, at night commando, nothing, nada,” she said.
If you want to wear underthings during the day, Puckett has some criteria to protect and promote vaginal health.
“Making sure that you’re comfortable is definitely most important. Data tells us that cotton underwear is the best for vaginal health purposes. There are a lot of underwear that are not 100% cotton,” she warned.
According to other experts, the benefits of cotton (or any fabric) can vary, depending on the quality of the fiber, types of weaves and circumstances.
Air circulates better through natural fabrics like cotton, hemp, bamboo and linen than through synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and satin.
Puckett urged consumers to aim for the highest percentage of cotton and more significant swaths of fabric.
“The more, the better, especially that little bottom portion,” she explained, mimicking the gusset or crotch pocket portion of the undergarment.
“You want it wide enough so everything can kinda stay inside of it. You don’t want things to split. If things split, [the fabric] gets closer and it holds more up. So looser.”
Changing your underwear after a workout and making sure you wear clean pants every day are also crucial to promoting vaginal health.
And if you’re prone to infections, save the whale tail for special occasions or brief encounters (pun intended).
“Generally speaking, thongs are really bad for vaginal health because the way they fit is a little unhygienic,” Dr. Usha Rajagopal, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of the V Suite, told The Post.
She explained that women’s thongs can be tight and restrictive and pull bacteria from the rectal area toward the vaginal opening, which could lead to a bacterial infection.
And when it comes time for bed, experts agree that less is more and bare is best.
