Coconut Oil Vaginal Yeast Infection

Coconut Oil Vaginal Yeast Infection

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Is it safe to use coconut oil as a lubricant?

Can I use coconut oil as lubricant if I have a nut allergy?

Can coconut oil soothe an itchy vulva?

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Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Health is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

Angelica Bottaro is a writer with expertise in many facets of health including chronic disease, Lyme disease, nutrition as medicine, and supplementation.
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Coconut oil has been used as a treatment for yeast infection , a lubricant to alleviate vaginal dryness , and a natural remedy to ease the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases . However, there is a lack of research that shows these uses of coconut oil are safe or even effective.

AshaSathees Photography / Getty Images

Coconut oil is derived from coconut fruits, specifically from their wick, meat, and milk. It is a white, solid-fat, edible oil that melts only if the temperature reaches 77 degrees Fahrenheit and above. It transforms into a clear liquid oil that is thin and clear when it's melted.

Although coconut oil contains some healthy fats, it isn’t the superfood that many people have claimed it to be. Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat has been linked to heart disease and obesity . 1

All women experience vaginal dryness at some point in their lives. It can be caused by aging, medications, or a change in hormones. When this happens, it can cause pain during sexual intercourse. In these cases, lubricants can help.

Lubricant refers to any substance that can be safely used to help decrease the friction that occurs during intercourse. Although many types of lubricants are designed specifically for use in these situations, some people have opted to use natural products for this purpose, such as coconut oil.

Studies have shown that coconut oil is safe to use as a moisturizer, which has led to the belief that it is also safe to use as a lubricant. 2 However, there is limited research on how safe and effective coconut oil is when it's used as a lubricant. Therefore, anyone looking to use coconut oil as a lubricant should do so with caution.

Coconut oil should not be used in combination with latex condoms because this can lead to lower effectiveness of the condom and increase the risk of the condom breaking. 3 Condoms should only be used with water-based lubricants.

Yeast infections are incredibly common. It’s estimated that at least 75% of women will experience one at some point in their lives, with close to 50% experiencing more than one. 4

Coconut oil is one natural product that people have used to treat their yeast infection. Recent research suggests that because of the antimicrobial and antifungal effects of the substance, it may be an effective home remedy for this fungal infection. One in vitro study found that coconut oil has similar efficacy to that of the antifungal medication ketoconazole for treating yeast infections. 5

Coconut oil can help kill Candida , the yeast responsible for yeast infections, because of its medium-chain fatty acid, called caprylic acid. 6 It helps infiltrate the cell of the yeast and rupture its cell walls, killing the cells and reducing the growth of the fungus, as shown in one in vitro study.

More research is needed to confirm the efficacy of coconut oil as a lubricant and other purported benefits it can have for vaginal health. Yeast infections are uncomfortable, but they are typically harmless if they are treated. Using coconut oil as a way to treat a yeast infection could maybe help, but science does not support this product as a safe alternative to antifungal medications. You should therefore consult with a healthcare provider before using it for this purpose.

Yes, but with a few precautions. Coconut oil is safe to use on your skin and should be fine to use as a vaginal lubricant. However, some women may be sensitive to coconut oil. Try it on a patch of skin before putting it on more delicate areas.
Do not use coconut oil as a lubricant when using latex condoms. Oil-based lubricants break down latex, which can cause the condom to leak.
Most likely yes. As long as you or your partner are not allergic to coconuts, you can use coconut oil as a vaginal lubricant. Some people with tree nuts allergies may also be allergic to coconuts. If you are unsure, check with your allergist.
Possibly. Many women use coconut oil as lubrication to calm down an itchy vulva. Coconut oil may even help soothe itching from a yeast infection. Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties that may bring vagina flora into balance. .
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Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Dec 27;19(1):70. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office on Women's Health. Vaginal yeast infections.
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Candida Specialists Healing Center combines research, modern medicine and natural medicine concepts with big data technology for chronic candida and yeast infection care.
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In Candida , Health News , Home Remedies by Candida Specialists September 15, 2017 2 Comments
Using coconut oil for yeast infection may offer many benefits but can also cause unpleasant side effects when used incorrectly. This experts guide summarizes our experience working with coconut oil for candida and yeast infections. We looked into traditional remedies, published medical studies as well as the thousands of the coconut oil for yeast infection reviews we gathered over our many years of practice.
We hope this guide will help you enjoy the many coconut oil benefits while minimizing the risks.
Coconut oil is a very good choice for yeast infections and candida overgrowth issues, with many known health benefits and uses. What makes coconut oil especially good for yeast infections is a unique combination of benefits of coconut oil:
Coconut oil antifungal properties are well known and were demonstrated in many studies as effective against candida and yeast infections ( source 1 , source 2 , source 3 ). The fact that coconut oil kills candida and yeast can help with yeast infections and candida issues, but can also cause a healing crises or candida die off when used internally. If you have never used coconut oil internally before, start with a 1 teaspoon (5 grams) and test your body’s response.
Using coconut oil for yeast infection on skin is a very popular home remedy. Besides coconut oil antifungal properties, the fats in coconut oil can help to soothe and relieve the irritated skin. On its own however, coconut oil may not be effective enough to relieve cases of yeast infection itch, candida rash, yeast rash and other yeast infection on skin issues. For this reason, it is usually combined with other more potent ingredients such as ozonated olive oil. See the coconut – ozonated olive oil cream recipe section to learn more.
Due to its mild calming effect on the skin, coconut oil is commonly used in combination with other antifungal essential oils as a carrier oil. Most antifungal essential oils such as tea tree oil are too strong to be applied on the skin directly. Using coconut oil to dilute their strength can help making safer skin creams that are more mild and less likely to irritate the (already irritated) skin.
Coconut oil is one of the most famous candida diet staples. Coconut oil antifungal properties is one reason. The second reason is that coconut oil is one of the best natural sources of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are fatty acids that are easily assimilated by the body, providing a quick non-jittery energy that can last for long hours. This makes coconut oil an excellent choice during the candida diet, as a substitute to high carb foods. Many people that have been on our candida diet plan are surprised to learn how much energy they get from coconut oil or coconut butter, despite going low on carbs while on the candida diet. In fact, replacing carbs with coconut oil or coconut butter is a very popular strategy among athletes that need to lose weight before a competition, but still need to maintain high energy levels. If you are lucky enough and can get a real fresh organic coconut at your local store, you may want to consider getting all these benefits straight from the source. With practice, cracking coconuts may not be as hard as you may think.
To see examples of recipes for candida diet using coconut oil:
The MCTs oils in coconut oil are well known to promote brain health and memory function. As research suggests, ketone bodies derived from the MCTs can serve as a good energy source in the brain, even better than glucose for some people ( source 1 , source 2 ).
Coconut oil benefits for yeast infections and candida are very well documented and studied. Coconut does have a few potential side effects and disadvantages you should know before you use it:
Coconut oil antifungal properties can kill candida and yeast, but can also cause a healing crises or candida die off detox symptoms when used internally. For this reason, if you have never used coconut oil internally before, start with a 1 teaspoon (5 grams) and test your body’s response. Besides the potential coconut oil detox symptoms, consuming coconut oil on an empty stomach is known to cause diarrhea. This laxative coconut oil bowel movement affect may be beneficial however, to relieve constipation for some people.
On its own, coconut oil is not effective enough to treat a typical systemic candida overgrowth infection, as many other factors need to be considered and addressed during the treatment. Coconut oil does have however, many uses and potential benefits when it is combined as a part of the candida treatment.
Using coconut oil for yeast infection on skin can help in mild cases, but may not be effective enough for skin issues that cause a higher discomfort level. Issues such as itchy skin, candida rash, yeast rash and others typically requires something stronger in order to get a significant relief. Coconut oil on its own may not be enough to ease these unpleasant symptoms. For this reason, coconut oil is usually combined with other more potent ingredients. See the coconut – ozonated olive oil cream section to learn more.
A large percentage of the fats in coconut oil are saturated fats. The link between excessive consumption of dietary saturated fats and coronary heart disease has been well documented and suggested by many studies ( source ). It is debatable however, whether saturated fats from coconut have the same negative effect as the saturated fats from animal sources such as red meat. Most of the studies done on this subject didn’t differentiate between these. Another important factor that was not addressed in these studies was whether the consumption of the saturated fats also coupled with a diet high in carbs, which is a common dietary pattern known to cause many health problems.
On the other hand, some studies suggest that a diet rich in extra virgin coconut oil may improve the good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce the waist circumference ( source ).
We get many questions on this topic. One of the easiest way to know the affect coconut oil has on your health, is to work with your doctor and check the related factors in a standard blood test. Before using coconut oil, and after. Based on our practice, we have not seen any negative impact of coconut oil, as long coconut oil was not used excessively and that it was used as a part of a low-carb diet.
Before you use coconut oil for yeast infection, a few useful tips about coconut oil:
To use coconut oil for yeast infection on skin:
The protocol shown above may be also useful for nails and toenails fungus, with a few simple modifications. To use coconut oil for nails and toenails fungus:
Using coconut oil for male yeast infection may provide some relief, especially when it is combined with the ozonated olive oil. Many men have found this simple natural home remedy to be very effective for penis yeast infections:
Ozonated olive oil is olive oil that had ozone added into it. Ozonated olive oil is considered one of the best natural remedies for yeast infections and candida issues with a solid record of published human studies on its effectiveness and safety against candida ( source ), especially in cases of vaginal yeast infections ( source ), mouth irritation ( source ), oral thrush ( source ) and skin issues ( source ).
The reason Ozonated olive oil works so well for yeast infection is due to the unique combination of the health benefits of both ozone and olive oil:
On its own, ozonated olive oil is very effective and safe for yeast infections and candida issues. Combining it with coconut oil creates a richer cream that has the coconut oil scent and feel many people like, as well as the pleasant coconut oil flavor if you plan to use it for mouth irritation and oral thrush.
To make the coconut – ozonated olive oil cream:
To use the cream for specific yeast infection concerns:
Using coconut oil for vaginal yeast infection is based on the idea that coconut oil antifungal properties may be effective for the yeast infection in the vagina. The evidence however, is quite limited, especially when it comes to human studies on the effectiveness and safety of coconut oil for vaginal yeast infections.
Based on our many years of practice of working with thousands of different cases of vaginal yeast infections, we believe that coconut oil may not be the best solution for vaginal yeast infections. Using coconut oil either as coconut oil suppository, coconut oil tampon or by douching with coconut oil has worked for some cases, but wasn’t strong enough to help in the majority of the cases. In addition, many women that used coconut oil for their vaginal yeast infection experienced increased irritation and burning.
A better option based on our experience that is also backed up by published human studies is ozonated olive oil ( source ), which was shown to be both safe and effective for vaginal yeast infections. See the Ozonated olive oil tampon home remedy for a step by step instructions.
We get many questions on douching with coconut oil and douching in general. Douching is a very popular home remedy for vaginal yeast infection, although based on our practice it may cause many problems. When done excessively, douching can disrupt the the good bacteria in the vagina which may cause the yeast infection to become worse with more irritation and discomforts. Many studies that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of douching for yeast infections concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits. The recommendations of these studies was that douching may be harmful and should not be considered as a common practice ( source ).
If you have vaginal yeast infection, a few things you should know:
Coconut oil pulling is one of the best ways to use coconut oil for oral thrush as well as to maintain a good oral hygiene and health. Coconut oil pulling is a natural remedy that has a very long history of traditional use with its benefits also backed up by science ( source 1 , source 2 ).
Oil pulling comes from Ayurvedic medicine (Ayurveda), one of the world’s oldest medical systems that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. Oil Pulling (also known oil pull) is an oral therapy that uses oil to promote oral health and oral detoxification.
The idea behind oil pulling is that certain oils have the ability to draw and pull toxins, bacteria and other pathogens from the mouth and saliva, so by swishing it in your mouth for as long as 10-20 minutes, these toxins are attracted and mixed with the oil. When you spit that oil mixture, you are actually cleansing and detoxifying your entire mouth by removing these toxins.
To oil pull with coconut oil for thrush:
Coconut oil pulling is a perfect example of a natural remedy that combines the best of both worlds: natural medicine time proven traditional methods and modern science. Based on the available research data and our practice, we have found coconut oil pulling to be an effective and safe home remedy to maintain good oral hygiene and health. It is also very easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of effort.
The reason coconut oil is a perfect fit and one of the best oils to use for oil pulling is due to coconut antifungal properties as well as its flavor. Coconut oil is one of the better tasting oils to swish in your mouth.
When it comes to using coconut oil for thrush, it is one of the best natural remedies that may provide relief and calm down the mouth irritation and infection, especially when it is combined with the ozonated olive oil. It is important however, to address the root cause behind the oral thrush as in most cases it is not in the mouth but in the gut. See the candida overgrowth causes expert guide to learn more about potential causes of oral thrush or other common yeast infections.
To wrap up, here is a brief summary of potential coconut oil pulling benefits:
Coconut oil naturally solid
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Coconut Oil Vaginal Yeast Infection

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