Pictured at the top. Femmagic is a black woman owned brand and the product is safe for pregnant women to use as well. It was actually created from the owner experiencing reoccurring YI's during her pregnancy with her youngest daughter. I have used this product and though the application could get messy because it's an oil, it was helpful in lessening a 3- month, reoccurring YI issue I experienced last summer. While it didn't get rid of the situation completely for me, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't for others and many women have showered the brand with letters of how the product has healed them. The smell reminds me of pine sol, lol, but the product is made of all natural oils, herbs and essential oils (no synthetic fillers or preservatives) and has a high success rate. It doesn't burn upon insertion and can also be used to treat BV (bacterial vaginosis).
Review and purchase HERE.
Femiclear
The ingredients are super simple and not laden with synthetic ingredient combinations. I've used this product before and I'm not gonna lie, upon insertion, it burned like holy fire for the first 30-60 seconds and then dissipated into nothingness. Why may it, potentially, result in a burning sensation for some for the first 30-60 seconds? Because this product has tea tree oil in it. This essential oil has antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and research has shown that it can be effective in treating yeast infections successfully. But honestly, the burn doesn't feel any worse than how uncomfortable you may already be feeling.
If you live in the States, you can find this in many of your local CVS Pharmacies. You can also find and purchase from Amazon (affiliate link).
Boric Acid Suppositories
You used to only be able to receive these with a doctor's prescription but they now can found over the counter at many pharmacies and online. This remedy has been around for decades but I just learned about it last summer. Many reviews of this treatment have stated that this worked when nothing else did and some women have tried everything Eastern and Western with no success.
You have to exercise careful attention and mindfulness using these. They look like pills but they are NOT to be swallowed, you must insert them into your vagina. You also must make sure they don't come into contact with any broken skin down there; boric acid is amazing but you do not want it entering your bloodstream in that way.
Lastly, if you are pregnant, this option is NOT available to you as it may jeopardize your pregnancy. When properly used, many women have received unmatched results and a full recovery with this remedy, myself included and no burning sensation upon insertion.
If you want to support a sista, check out Nene Fem Health; I've used and like this brand. I've also used the brand, PH-D Feminine Health, that can found HERE (affiliate link) on Amazon or Target stores or website.
Candida Cleanse
Now, this is one you will really want to do your own research on because some articles and medical professionals believe in this and have witnessed results and other research may say that it's a bunch of fluff. You'll want to read all the stances on it and decide what's best for yourself. I am sharing it because a combination of this and the boric acid suppositories ended a 3 month YI saga I endured last summer. Chile!
Without getting too in depth, because you can research that on your own, a YI is an imbalance of the good and "bad" bacteria in the gut/colon. We need both kinds of bacteria in our body to be alive but they have to be in harmony. Most YI's are a result of more of the bad present than good. Often times, YI's are from external reasons including too moist of conditions down under like wearing panties with material that isn't breathable, not changing out of wet bathing suits or clothing right away, douching too much or using a soap or cleanser that throws off the pH, etc. Sometimes, though, if you have changed the external conditions and are utilizing treatments but finding that a YI won't go away or goes away for a couple days and comes right back, it may be an internal imbalance because of your diet or an underlying health condition you aren't aware of. I will be talking to the diet component.
I never went to a doctor to confirm if I had candida issues. At the time of my saga, I had lifestyle and nutritional factors that didn't support the situation. I ate vegan takeout (which is not to be confused with healthy) about 90% of the time, exercised infrequently, I was under a lot of stress from my job and was in a functional state of depression. I did my own research and after assessing my situation, I decided that since I had tried everything else and they either didn't work or didn't fully get rid of them, I had nothing to lose and gave it a try. It, combined with the boric acid suppositories worked for me!
To simplify it and inspire you to do your own research, I did a cleanse to, basically, starve off the over abundance of bad bacteria in my gut. I cut out foods that bacteria commonly like to feed on: sugar, gluten and yeast. That meant, for a time period, no foods or drinks with sugar, wheat or yeast in them. See you later beloved breads.... Fruit is okay as it isn't processed sugar and is metabolized in the body differently but I, personally, even limited that. I wanted to starve that overgrowth out. I basically ate strictly vegetables (lots of salads) and minimal grains (no beans, no rice, quinoa sometimes but not in access) and drank just water and tea unsweetened for 2 months. It was rough but my desire to heal from this was stronger than the discomfort of being limited in what I could eat temporarily.
Alongside the cleanse, I took an herbal supplement created to kill candida and help restore the balance, and continued taking a probiotic (I've used and enjoy the brand Renew Life for years now. You can find it in most grocery stores now, health food stores and HERE on Amazon (affiliate link)). I used the Candida Fighters supplement (affiliate link) and it was a vital tool in my full recovery. There are other good brands on the market but I went with this one and it did right by me.
Not everyone will need to cleanse as long as I did. I made that determination because I really wanted this to end and felt 2 months would be long enough to help reset my gut health and harmony and help reset healthy habits back into my life. During this cleanse I dropped 1-2 dress sizes, starting exercising regularly again (nothing crazy, even) and replaced the 90% takeout intake with back to cooking 90% of the time (now I cook 98-99% of the time). I felt lighter. Most importantly, I felt FREE. And you can too. Take the time to get to know your body and if you get quiet enough, you will be able to hear it tell you what it needs. If you need help from a medical care professional that you trust, get it. Life can get painful an uncomfortable, in this case, literally, but we don't have to suffer and there is always a solution if we remain diligent.
So there you have it, some additional remedies that you can try when nothing else has worked. Please research all of them first before trying them, I did. I will never discourage someone from seeing a medical care professional but for those who don't want to go to one just yet, know that you have options worth researching and determining if they are worth you giving a try. I stand in solidarity with all of you fly girls, we don't have to suffer. Lol.
Milan is a New York City based, creative writer and the founder of AGrlCanMAC. When she is not writing, you can find her in a nook reading a good book, taking dance classes, globe trotting, with J*Davey playing in the background, or Konmari'ing something.
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