Vagina vs. Vulva: What's the Difference?
Here at Happy Girl, we loooove talking about all things feminine, from shaving to washing to bump care, and everything vag-related. We regularly use the terms vagina (aka vag) and vulva. While they both make up your Secret Garden, they’re actually super different and it’s important to know how to care for both in their own special way!
Vulva
The vulva includes the labia (often called the “lips”), clitoris, vagina opening, and urethra opening. The labia is composed of the labia majora (outer lips where the pubic hair grows) and the labia minora (inner lips from your clitoris to the opening of your vag). The clitoris (your magic spot, wink) is at the top of the vulva and contains 8,000-10,000 nerve endings. The urethral opening is the hole you pee out of, and it’s located right below the clitoris. Right below the urethral opening is the vaginal opening, which leads to the inner parts of your lady bits.
Vagina
The vagina is the internal tube leading from the vulva to the cervix and the uterus. The vagina is filled with nerve endings that become aroused during sex, with most of them located near the vaginal opening. The cervix is a hole that connects the uterus and vagina, allowing period blood to exit and sperm to enter. The uterus, or the womb, is where the baby grows during pregnancy.
Pubic Area
The pubic area, or the mons pubis, is the area of fatty tissue where hair grows that includes the vulva and other external bits. Its primary purpose is to cushion the pubic bone during sex and to release pheromones that are involved in sexual attraction.
Yeah girl, there’s a lot of parts down there. Here’s the easy way to break it down: the vulva is the outside bits and the vagina is the inside bits. All these parts work together to keep your girl functioning healthily and happily, so it’s important to know how to take care of them.
The vagina is self-cleaning, but the vulva is not. A very delicate ecosystem of healthy bacteria and fungi live in your vagina and help keep it healthy and clean. Sticking any soap up there or trying to clean it yourself could mess with the pH balance and threaten this little ecosystem, so it’s important to keep the soap on the outside of your body.
The vulva can be cleaned, but it’s important to use only warm water and mild, fragrance-free soap without any harsh chemicals and avoid getting water or soap inside of your vagina. Feel free to skip the soap-- this area does a good job of staying clean on its own, but if you feel that you need more than water, then we recommend a clean ingredient feminine wash. Check out this article for a list of our favs!
Us ladies often refer to our private parts with the all-encompassing word “vagina.” But the vagina is only one small part in a complex system that works together to take care of you. Now when you’re scrolling through your favorite Happy Girl blog posts, you’ll be able to tell the difference between the vagina and the vulva and treat them both accordingly.
Did you know the difference before? Let us know in the comments below!
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The author.
Allison Kindley is a Digital Media Production & Journalism student at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. She loves working with Team Happy Girl because she gets to inform others on feminine wellness, learn every day, write creatively, and empower women.