Vaginal dryness is the inability of the vagina to moisturize itself. This can cause pain during sexual intercourse and general discomfort while walking and performing other physical activity. It can be caused by menopause, use of birth control pills or recent child birth. Vitamin E capsules contain vitamin E oil which can be used to moisturize the vagina, which relieves symptoms of vaginal dryness. Examine a vitamin E capsule to ensure there are no scratches. If there are scratches on the capsule, it might be a cause irritation in your vagina. Insert the capsule into your vagina while lying down or standing with one leg elevated. Slowly push the capsule into your vaginal opening. Your vagina will effectively absorb the casing of the capsule, releasing the oil slowly over time. Pierce one vitamin E capsule with a safety pin, allowing the oil to leak from the hole. Collect some of the oil from the capsule on your hands and fingers. Rub the oil on the outside of your vaginal wall to lubricate your labia.
Because vitamin E is an oil, it may cause condoms to break down during sexual intercourse. Side Effects of Vitamin E Suppositories How to Use Replens How to Apply Vitamin E From Capsules Directly to the Skin How to Treat Vaginal Burning During Urination How to Make Natural Face Moisturizer How to Maintain a Healthy Vaginal pH Balance Vitamins That Help BV Infections Causes of Muscle Spasms in the VaginaBy now, you’ve heard about all kinds of things you shouldn’t put on or in your vagina—baby powder, intimate sprays, and powdered sugar are all on the no-no list. So it’s natural to be a little wary when you hear a recommendation to take something out of your pantry and put it down your pants.Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop newsletter released its first-ever sex issue on Monday and one story in particular suggests that you should apply something to your vagina that you’ve probably never thought of: olive oil and vitamin E.In a Q&A, naturopathic doctor Maggie Ney says it’s a good idea to regularly use olive oil as a lubricant instead of store-bought lubes that
, she argues, contain known endocrine disruptors. “Topically, you can apply vitamin E oil or olive oil to the labia to help moisturize and strengthen the vaginal tissue,” she adds.Ney isn’t the only person to recommend this—the University of Iowa Health Care website says that applying extra virgin olive oil “as often as needed” to your vulva will help “protect the skin” and “decrease skin irritation during your period.”The idea of regularly massaging anything into your labia seems a little weird, but experts say there’s actually something to it.“Both oils can work well as a natural lubricant,” Niki Pearce, a clinical nurse midwife at the Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. “Women who suffer from painful intercourse or vaginal dryness may also benefit from application of a type of moisturizer daily.”This is great for pregnant women as well, Pearce says. “Studies show that perineal massage with any type of oil decreases the incidence of vaginal tearing” during delivery, she says.
“Vitamin E oil as well as olive oil is perfect for this because of its consistency and moisturizing capabilities.”They can also be good for your vulva as a whole, women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D., tells SELF. “Some doctors recommend small amounts of extra virgin olive oil, zinc oxide, vitamin E, or plain Vaseline to be applied to the vulva to protect the skin,” she says. However, she notes, this is usually recommended more if you’ve been experiencing chafing or some other form of irritation down there.As for the claim it can strengthen vaginal tissue, Brett Worly, M.D., an ob/gyn and female sexual dysfunction expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF that’s not something most women need to worry about. “Most women have sufficiently strong vaginal tissue that does not need strengthening,” he says, adding that that’s especially true for women who aren’t near menopause yet. Those who are nearing menopause, though, might benefit from vitamin E oil because the vaginal tissue can get thin from the related drop in hormones.
“Vitamin E helps dry or thin skin in other places, so it may be helpful for vaginal tissues as well,” Worly explains.Jason James, M.D., medical director at Miami's FemCare Ob-Gyn, agrees that this is more of an issue for women as they age. “Natural lubricants like vitamin E or olive oil certainly can help with the lubrication issue,” he tells SELF. “By increasing lubrication, you may be helping with the hydration and elasticity of the vaginal and vulvar tissues.”Before you start regularly applying olive oil to your labia, there are a few things to keep in mind. Pearce notes that women who are already prone to yeast or bacterial infections should be wary of this remedy since it may increase their risk of future infections. James also says it’s important to apply the oils in moderation since using too much may irritate things down there or increase vaginal discharge.Finally, Wider strongly cautions against using oils with condoms: “Any oil, oil-based product, or lubricant can break down the integrity of a condom and should never be used together.”
When celebrities and bloggers tell you to do something unusual to your vagina, don’t.Steaming it, like Gwyneth Paltrow, is a bad idea, as is contouring your vulva with an electrical current. You shouldn’t waste your money on a trendy “yoni massage” and stuffing satchels of herbs into your nether regions can only end badly.And now, thanks to Khloé Kardashian, we can add another trend to the list: using vitamin E on your lady parts.As an editor for the lifestyle website YourTango reported, the 32-year old reality star released the exclusive beauty tip to subscribers of her app last week, writing, “No joke: Vitamin E may strengthen vaginal lining! Moisturize your labia and vagina with Vitamin E oil to combat dryness and soothe irritation.”And if there’s any doubt that there are women out there who will blindly follow Khloé’s advice, the YourTango editor wrote: “When Khloé Kardashian tells me to put Vitamin E on my vagina, I am absolutely going to do it.”Generally speaking, you should absolutely not do this, says San Francisco Bay Area OB/GYN and writer Dr. Jennifer Gunter.“
I would not recommend this nor is there any study that looks at this for healthy, premenopausal women,” she told The Daily Beast. “If you are 32 and have a dry vagina, see your doctor and try a silicone-based lube.”In addition to her other writing and activism, Dr. Gunter has become the internet’s resident voice of reason during these celebrity-driven genital crazes. She has debunked it all on her blog—the steaming, the contouring, the massaging, the satchels of herbs—and, at this point, she wants the ill-advised vaginal health suggestions to stop.A good rule of thumb: “If your vagina is fine, leave it alone.”Not only is there no hard proof that vitamin E can “strengthen vaginal lining,” putting the oil in your vagina or on your labia without a doctor’s recommendation can cause some serious grief.Oils like vitamin E can break down latex condoms, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy among Khloé’s young fanbase. And if you fail to do a patch test on your skin before applying vitamin E to your vulva or vagina—which, again, you almost definitely shouldn’t do—you may end up discovering a new allergy in a very sensitive place.
Recent studies have also shown that routinely taking high doses of vitamin E could even shorten your lifespan, so using it on your vagina in addition to “slather[ing] it on your face and eyelashes—as Khloé Kardashian also recommends—may come at a cost.By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to have read the Terms of Use and Privacy PolicySubscribe“The optimum dose is pretty low,” Gunter explained. “Antioxidants in high doses may well be harmful.”Khloé Kardashian, seemingly unaware of this harm, also suggested that her app users take vitamin E capsules orally on top of applying it to their faces, vaginas, and eyelashes. That’s a lot of vitamin E.But the vulvar and vaginal use of vitamin E isn’t restricted to the Keeping up with the Kardashians star. It has also gained a fair amount of traction online on blogs, forums, and Q&A sites. Women have touted it as a holistic treatment for yeast infections and as a non-hormonal option for alleviating vaginal atrophy during menopause.