Many beneficial secretions are produced by your vagina. Vaginal discharge is your vagina's natural way of cleansing itself, and these fluids keeps your vagina healthy and lubricated.
But what if your vaginal secretions had another purpose? Could it entice a possible partner or make you feel sexy? These fluids are sometimes used for vabbing - a rather off-limits sex practice that has gained popularity in recent years.
What is it, precisely?
Vabbing, a term that combines the words "vagina" and "dabbing," refers to dabbing your vaginal fluids over your body as though they were perfume drops. It is said to improve your attractiveness to others.
Secretions, like perfume, are typically applied on pressure areas like the wrists and behind the ears.
Where did this fad start?
It's difficult to pinpoint the precise beginning of the vaping craze, but it gained a lot of attention in 2019 after sexologist Shan Boodram revealed that she frequently vabs before a night out.
The comedians Emma Willmann and Carly Aquilino spoke about it on the "Secret Keepers Club" podcast and revealed their own experiences with it.
Despite the trend being addressed on social media and in several major publications, there is little evidence to support its broad adoption.
What are the alleged advantages?
Your vaginal fluids are said to contain pheromones that attract potential mates. Additionally, others claim that the act of vabbing itself may be powerful and seductive.
Is there any evidence to back this up?
Vabbing has not been the subject of any studies. Pheromones certainly have an impact on mating behaviour. However, the majority of pheromone research - particularly that found in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information - has been done on animals.
However, there is minimal evidence that pheromones influence human mating behaviour. In fact, depending on how the term is used, it's not even certain that humans have pheromones.
A 2012 review titled "Pheromones in sex and reproduction: Do they have a role in humans?" was published in the Journal of Advanced Research by Taymour Mostafa and investigated whether pheromones have an impact on arousal and human reproduction.
It added: “Although there are studies that support this phenomena, they are poor because they were not controlled; others have argued that human olfactory communication is able to identify particular pheromones that may have a function in behavioural as well as reproductive biology.”
It's interesting to note that a 2017 double-blind research focused on two compounds, androstadienone (AND) and estratetraenol (EST), which were said to communicate gender. In a 2017 research, 46 individuals judged the attractiveness and likelihood of infidelity of images of other people.
The research revealed no relationship between the drugs and those evaluations. If human sex pheromones influence our assessments of gender, beauty, or unfaithfulness based on facial cues, they are unlikely to be AND or EST, the study concluded.
It appears to work for sex writers and sexologists, according to anecdotal evidence.
If you believe it works, you may project confidence, which may make you appear more alluring to others. This may be due to pheromones, but it may also be a placebo effect.
"Regardless of whether vaginal pheromones genuinely make a person alluring or not," sexologist Shan Boodram stated in a YouTube interview, "the fact that you think it does will encourage you to act in a bolder, more confident manner."
It's safe, right?
Yes. No reason exists to believe that vaping would not be secure. Therefore, despite the lack of scientific evidence, it has no genuine disadvantages.
If you truly want to do it, it could be worth a shot!
Are there any hazards or negative effects to take into account? Vabbing doesn't have any recognised hazards or negative effects. But as always, you should wash your hands well before vaping to avoid transferring any bacteria to your vagina.
Is there anybody who shouldn't give it a shot?
There is no particular population that shouldn't vab because there are no hazards involved.
The vaginal discharge from bacterial vaginosis, however, may smell extremely foul, making it a less-than-ideal perfume.
Skip the vabbing in such cases and schedule a consultation with your doctor instead; you may need to take an antibiotic course to get rid of the infection.
Other than that, feel free to try vabbing if you're comfortable doing so.
So, how do you go about doing it?
Priorities first: Clean your hands (as you always should before touching your genitals).
After washing your hands, place one or two fingers within your vagina and dab the moisture onto the pressure points. This could be on your wrists, behind your ears, or on the back of your neck.
You're good to go after one more wash of the hands.
Is there anything else you might do to achieve the same result?
Pheromone products come in a variety of forms, including sprays, tablets, and lotions. These goods are frequently fairly expensive.
As previously said, there is little proof that human pheromones truly exist, which makes the topic of human pheromones contentious.
There is nothing to show that these items are anything other than an expensive placebo, despite the fact that they could make you feel sexier and more confident. Vabbing is at least cost-free!
Although there isn't any solid evidence that vaping increases your attractiveness, it could give you a stronger sense of self. Vabbing has no recognised hazards or negative consequences.