When you decide to try anal douching, one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make is which liquid you plan to use.
There are many different ones to choose from, and while many people will stick to plain old water, you’ll find all kinds of people who are passionate about their chosen liquid.
Each of these can have their own benefits, as well as their own risks. You should always thoroughly research your chosen douche liquid, so you are totally aware of both how to use it, and the effects it can have on your body. Choosing the liquid is as important as choosing the type of enema kit to use. Each can have a different effect or function.
Traditional Water Douching
For many douching enthusiasts all over the world, the old school water douche works completely fine and gets the job done. To the untrained eye, simple tap water might seem like it would be the safest and most sensitive thing to use as a douching liquid.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
If you choose to regularly use tap water in your anal douche you’re likely to create a complete imbalance of the electrolytes in your body, which can cause some serious problems to your health.
To help combat this problem, it’s common practise to mix your tap water with other substances or liquids to dilute it and rebalance the vitamins and minerals in it. These can include vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, herbs and plants, lemon juice, milk, and many more.
Just like any other douching liquid, if you start mixing things with water you need to be aware of the effects of each component and how they might interact together.
Less Common Types of Douching
For some people, water just isn’t good enough for their douching. These people use all kinds of different liquids in their douches, and some are very passionate that their choice is the best choice. These liquids can include:
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Salt Water or Epsom Salt Water: The majority of people will use either salt water, or Epsom salt water in their enemas. These are the simplest liquids for the single purpose of rinsing out your rectum.
Epsom salt makes your digestive system absorb more water, having a similar effect to laxatives. Regular salt does the opposite, causing less water to be absorbed and allowing less waste out of your rectum. Choosing is a simple matter of deciding how much waste you want to expel!
- Lemon Juice: A commonly used liquid in household cleaning. Many people also like to use lemon juice as a douching solution. This can cause extra muscle cramps though, so take extra care if you use this liquid.
- Yoghurt: Yoghurts contain many beneficial living bacteria which can help your digestive system. Using a yoghurt solution in your douche can not only help to clean your rectum, but also provide the colon with this beneficial bacteria. This can aid with problems like irritable bowel syndrome and constipation.
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Coffee: Coffee enemas are a divisive topic. They are often touted as a miracle cure, claiming to cure all kinds of ailments, even cancer! However a growing body of medical evidence leads us to believe that using coffee can also cause a lot of damage to your body. In general we would avoid this liquid.
- Barium: Barium isn't a liquid you'll be using commonly at home. However you may be given a barium enema at the hospital as it allows your intestines to show up in X-rays!
- Fleet Enemas: These are a specific type of douching liquid commonly recommended. Fleet enema solutions are not easily absorbed by the rectum and colon, and as a result are recommended for constipation relief.
There are many examples of douching liquids that aren’t on this list, and you’ll probably be able to find countless other recipes online!
Whichever you decide to use, be sure that you know what effects it will have on your body as this might change how you use them or how often you douche.
Some liquids are more dangerous than others and could have long term effects on your body if you use them incorrectly or too often.
Temperature of Your Douching Liquids
It should be obvious by now that these liquids are very varied. Even if you aren’t using them as a douching liquid, they have very different temperatures in their traditional use.
This can leave you with a liquid at a very strange temperature when it comes to putting it into your anus. Should you heat these up to body temperature just like you do with water?
Some you’ll be able to heat up to the same temperature, others might need cooling, and some might need completely different temperatures.
For example, a boiling coffee enema is going to burn your rectum, but a chilled temperature yoghurt isn’t going to feel much better either.
This can create a bit of a balancing act when you try and find the ideal liquid temperature for your chosen douching liquid.
With some, you might be able to find guides from people who use them as to what temperature is best.
With others, you’ll just have to use your best judgment. If you aren’t sure, going with body temperature is the best bet. Make anal douching safe by following this guide to using enemas.
Finding the ideal liquid and temperature for your douche can take a bit of work. It’s definitely worth doing though, as when you find your perfect combination you can enjoy your douches so much more. They might also be much more pleasant and comfortable!
Now that you are familiar with the types of liquid to use when douching, then you should check out our How Often Should You Anal Douche article next.