Can I Use Coconut Oil For Lube?

Coconut oil is basically a magical ingredient. You can use it for frying, baking, sautéing, softening skin, and even removing makeup. This tropical treat might be the most useful ingredient in your kitchen pantry. Heck, some people even use coconut oil in the bedroom — and not just for the massage. If this strikes your curiosity, you might wonder: can I use coconut oil for lube? There are a few factors to take into consideration first.

To start, there are a number of potential benefits to using coconut oil as a lube. According to Women's Health, pure coconut oil doesn't contain ingredients that are likely to upset most people with allergies, so it may be a safe alternative if store-bought lubes irritate your skin. (That said, you may want to do a skin patch test first to make sure you don't have a reaction to the coconut oil. Rub a bit on your arm and wait a day to make sure you don't have any problems.) Additionally, coconut oil does have some anti-fungal qualities, so it may even reduce the chance of infections, as explained in Shape. Granted, more study is needed to really confirm its safety as a lube, but the initial accounts make it sound like a miracle for your love life. Coconut oil is relatively affordable, readily available, and great-smelling: what's not to love?

Well, coconut oil may not be the perfect lube for everybody. As noted on Refinery 29, coconut oil may cause latex condoms to break. So if latex condoms are your main resource for birth control, then a more latex-friendly lube is needed. Additionally, in spite of its anti-fungal properties, coconut oil may cause some problems for you down there. Basically, coconut oil may actually make you more prone to vaginal infections, as the oil could throw off your vagina's bacterial balance, according to Self. Coco-lube might work well for some people, but send others rushing to the doctor for a yeast infection.

For what it's worth, you may have to try a little experimentation to determine if coconut oil is the right lube for you. If not, there are plenty of other natural alternatives to the typical drugstore lube. Hopefully you and your partner will soon find your perfect fit in no time.