Lube is an amazing thing when you’re facing a dry situation down there (it happens) or just want to get extra wet and wild. So it’s natural that you’d want to DIY when you run out of the stuff and s*x is on the table.
But experts say you might want to think twice before putting any old lube substitute up there. Even seemingly harmless slippery substances can contain allergens, deteriorate your skin, or interfere with condoms, says Maureen Whelihan, M.D., an ob-gyn at the Center for s*xual Health and Education.
In general, it’s best to avoid regularly using food products, like olive oil, in the vina since repeat usage can create problems, such as yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis (bacterial overgrowth in the vina), says Jason James, M.D., medical director at Miami’s FemCare Ob-Gyn.
Beyond that little nugget of vina wisdom, here’s a breakdown of the DIY lubes you should avoid.
COCONUT OIL
Whelihan says she loves coconut oil because it doesn’t contain additives. However, she points out that it it can deteriorate latex in condoms, making it more likely that they’ll break. That can leave you open to contracting an STI or having an unwanted pregnancy. The same goes for olive oil. Any oil-based lube can interfere with latex condoms.
And as we mentioned earlier, with regular use, it’s possible that using food products like these could result in an infection. No bueno.
SPIT
It’s there and it’s wet, so it makes sense that you’d consider using it as a lube when you’re in a pinch. But Streicher says it’s not slippery enough to be an effective lube. So you’re just wasting your time (and saliva). Plus, spit facilitates the transmission of STDs and could introduce infection into your vina, just as unprotected oral s*x can, says James.
VASELINE
It looks like lube, but Vaseline’s petroleum base can lead to infection, Whelihan says. A study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecologyfound that women who had used petroleum jelly as lube in the past month were more than twice as likely as non-users to have bacterial vaginosis. And, like other oil-based lubes, it can screw with condoms.
BABY OIL
Not only can it squash a condom’s effectiveness, but using baby oil in your v**ina can increase your risk of developing a yeast infection, Streicher says. (That same Obstetrics and Gynecology study also found a link between the intravaginal use of baby oil and Candida species colonization, which can lead to a yeast infection.)
LOTION
There are a lot of potential irritants in lotions, like perfumes and propyl glycols (the water-soluble compounds that help lotion stay moist), which can cause swelling, puffiness, and general irritation down there, says Whelihan.
That said…if you’re with a steady partner who’s been tested for STDs, are using another form of birth control (or don’t mind getting pregnant), and you don’t use condoms, you’re probably okay with resorting to coconut or olive oil in a pinch, says Streicher. “There’s a big difference between using it in a pinch and ‘This is my go-to stuff,'” Streicher says. If you’re using lube on a regular basis, you want to make sure it’s been tested for vaginal use, she says.
And if you use condoms, it’s essential to stick with water-based lubes and buy lubricated condoms for backup, just in case.
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