What To Use As Lube

What To Use As Lube
https://www.thebody.com/article/household-items-lube-during-sex
What kind of lube can I use when having sex? A friend says that it’s possible to use soap or toothpaste to lubricate a condom. Can you?
What to use if you don’t have lube? This is a common question many of us have asked ourselves at some point or another. You’re in the moment, getting hot and heavy with your partner, and then, suddenly: You realize you don’t have lubricant anywhere.
Never fear. There are some household items that can be used as lube. What household items are these, you ask? We have the information you need.
Now, you may be willing to use just about anything you have on hand as a homemade lube (we’ve all been there), but this is not the best choice . “While you may think that anything oily or slippery you can find in your home can be used as lube, think again,” Lucy Rowett, a certified sex coach and clinical sexologist, tells TheBody. “Not every product—including food products—are body-safe. And some products are fine to use externally but not internally, or fine to use for anal penetration but not for vaginal penetration.”
If you’re able to get your lube from a store, we also have a complete guide to store-bought lube options . For this article, we’re going to focus on the safety and efficacy of using homegrown, cabinet-found solutions for lube.
From aloe to coconut oil, there are indeed items found at home that can be used as lube substitutes when you’re in a bit of a bind but want to get freaky. However, before you grab the Crisco or shampoo, here are our top three recommendations for household items to use for lube during sex.
Remember to always ask your partner if they have any allergies before you play.
You may have heard that coconut oil is a fantastic natural lubricant. You would be right! Just be sure the coconut oil you use is virgin or unrefined; this means it hasn’t undergone a ton of processing.
Coconut oil is a great choice if you’re looking for something natural that has great staying power. “It has a long-lasting glide, which is why many organic and natural lubes have a base of coconut oil,” Taylor Sparks, an erotic educator and founder of Organic Loven, one of the largest online organic intimacy shops, tells TheBody.
It’s genuinely really great for your skin, keeping it healthy and soft. So there’s more than one reason to use it, especially if you’re into having baby-soft skin. “It absorbs easily into the skin; has antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral properties; and reduces inflammation,” Sparks says.
An alternative choice to coconut oil is extra virgin olive oil. “[It is] body safe and can be used for lots of sexual play,” Rowett says, adding that it’s “great to use for things like vulva and anal massage, masturbating with fingers, glass or steel toys, [and] oral sex.”
If you’re using latex barrier methods, oil-based lubes should not be used. Oil can degrade the rubber and cause breakage.
You should also take caution when using silicone toys, Rowett says: You’ll want to be sure to wash them immediately after sex with warm soap and water to avoid damage.
If you and your partner are fluid bonded or using toys made from glass, ABS plastic, or stainless steel, coconut oil is a suitable household lube.
If you’re in a pinch and need to grab some coconut oil ASAP, be sure to take a spoon and scoop it into a bowl first. You don’t want to mix your sexual fluids, hair, and other rather unspeakable body bits with any coconut oil you plan to cook with later. It’s best to have “cooking coconut oil” and “sex coconut oil.”
Ah, aloe. The best treatment for sunburns under the … well, sun. Who knew it was also a fantastic choice for lube during sex? “Aloe vera is soothing [and] cooling, which can be great on a hot vulva, [anus, or penis]. It is water-based, so it is [safe to use] with latex condoms,” Sparks says.
There’s just one problem: Aloe has very little glide-ability and tends to dry out quite fast. “It may serve best after a long lovemaking session to cool things down [on your genitals],” Sparks explains. “Just be sure to use pure aloe vera and that no other ingredients are included, like alcohol.” 100% natural is key here—always read the ingredients.
Aloe vera is essentially a natural water-based lubricant, so it comes with very few “rules of use.” This is probably what makes it so attractive. It’s safe to use with latex condoms and all of your toys.
Just be sure that when you’re going to use it, you do a small patch test on your (and your partner’s) skin to be sure it isn’t irritating.
Since you use aloe on your body anyway, there isn’t much risk for contamination. What is there to even contaminate? Aloe (usually) comes in a squeeze bottle, so simply squeeze it on and go. Be sure to wipe down the bottle (and all your toys!) after you’re finished getting it on.
If you’re a skin-lover, chances are you already have some 100% natural vitamin E oil in one of your drawers. “Vitamin E oil can be a great lubricant if you struggle with vaginal dryness,” Rowett says.
If you don’t have vitamin E, Rowett suggests an alternative that can be found in many household bathroom cabinets: primrose. “Evening primrose oil can be bought in a bottle, and while it is usually taken orally as a food supplement, can be used as a lube too, especially if you are a woman or person with a vulva who experiences a lot of vaginal dryness and inflammation,” she says.
Evening primrose and vitamin E are also decent choices for anal and vaginal intercourse.
The same rules we mentioned above for coconut oil also apply to vitamin E and primrose oils. Oil-based lubes are not a good choice when you’re using barrier methods like condoms or dental dams. You should also be careful with silicone toys, as oil can cause degradation of the material. Be sure to wash your toys thoroughly directly after use.
If you’re going to use some face/hair oil as lube during sex, be sure to pour it into a small, separate container first. You want to keep your sex oils separate from your face oils. It won’t harm you to mix them, but it is kind of icky.
We also suggest taking a travel-sized shampoo bottle and filling it with oil to keep by the bed.
Or you could just plan ahead for next time by buying some lube from the store that’s specifically designed to safely enhance sex.
Lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t put the kibosh on a few common household items that people use as lube, but really shouldn’t.
Vaseline (a.k.a. petroleum jelly) is often the quick-grab choice for many people. Sparks says this is a mistake. “It cannot be absorbed into the skin and blocks the pores,” she says. “It is literally the offshoot of gasoline.” Yikes.
On top of that, “vulva owners who use it are 2.2 times more likely to develop bacterial vaginosis ,” Sparks adds. It’s also “not compatible with latex condoms, and is greasy, not slippery.” Definitely give it a pass.
Mineral oil is another quick-fix choice that sounds like a good idea (because, hey, it’s oil) but is similarly not a wise pick.
Shaving cream is full of harmful chemicals and additives that will almost certainly cause irritation and redness. This is a terrible choice for lube. Grab the coconut oil and go live your life without inflamed, angry genitals.
The same concerns about shaving cream also go for toothpaste. Your genitals should never be minty fresh, because they are also going to feel like they're burning. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Gigi Engle, ACS, is a certified sex educator, sexologist, and author of All The F*cking MIstakes. Her work regularly appears in many publications including Cosmo, Glamour, Men's Health, and Refinery29.
© 2022 Remedy Health Media, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Find out the pros and cons of each.
There's an urgency when it comes to lube. When you need lube, you need it now . So what do you do if things are getting hot and heavy, and you realize you're out of stock? You could put your clothes back on and run to the nearest drug store while your naked partner twiddles their thumbs waiting for you...or you could check your cabinets for a worthwhile lube alternative.
There are a few common household products that can substitute as lube, including Vaseline, olive oil, coconut oil , and other things you might have lying around. We should note up front that they're not perfect; some are better for certain sex acts than others, and some carry risks, like increasing the likelihood of a vaginal yeast infection, or—in the case of oil-based products— eroding latex condoms.
But if you're really in a pinch, we rounded up seven trusty lube alternatives, including the pros and cons of each option. We'll also tell you which lube alternatives work best for which sexy activities. Coconut oil, for instance, is probably better for butt stuff than P-in-V sex.
If household products are a little too D.I.Y. for your liking, we get it! Here are some other lubes we recommend. If not, here's what to know about
“People often forget that vaseline is very safe and effective to use on both penises and vaginas,” says Michael Ingber , MD, a urologist and urogynecologist at Garden State Urology. “Petroleum jelly (which is vaseline) is an emollient, which means it softens skin and helps it heal."
While completely safe to use on the vulva and inside the vagina, “the downside is that it does ‘hang around’ for a while,” Ingber warns. So sometimes after sex, it can be difficult to wipe off, and people may feel a bit "greasy" down there.
Every household (should) have olive oil in it, and while it is safe for vaginal use and anal sex, there are a few risks you should be aware of.
For one, oil-based lubes—both the manmade and olive varieties—can break down condoms. You can, however, use olive oil on synthetic condoms, like those made from polyurethane . (This risk is why many lube companies don't actually make oil-based lubes, instead sticking to water-based or silicone-based). Second, oil is thicker and doesn't easily dissolve in skin. That means it can clog pores, trapping bacteria in the vagina and anus and increasing the likelihood of infection.
That said, using it once or twice while you wait for your Amazon Prime delivery isn't going to kill you. Although it might be worth it to shower afterwards to get all the olive oil off (or out) of you.
Oh, and speaking from personal experience: Be careful with your sheets. Olive oil can stain.
Coconut oil is another natural lube alternative. It carries the same risks associated with olive oil, along with potentially disrupting pH levels inside of a vagina , which can increase the likelihood of getting a yeast infection—especially if your partner is already prone to them. It might be better to try out some anal play if you're using coconut oil.
“Peanut oil tends to be less viscous oil than some of the other vegetable oils out there,” says Ingber. “And studies show when heated to body temperature, it actually becomes less viscous.”
Some folks may actually like this, as it may be more similar to the natural lubricant provided by physiologic sexual secretions, explains Ingber. Nevertheless, like with the other oils, you want to keep an eye out for signs of yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or urinary tract infections (UTIs). Additionally, as it is an oil, it’s not recommended for use with condoms.
Some people keep their medicine cabinets stocked with Vitamin E oil to use as a moisturizer for the skin—and they also turn to the substance as a lube alternative, Alyssa Dweck , MD, a gynecologist in New York, told Women's Health .
At this point, you know the drill with oil-based lube alternatives: They can break down condoms, and some women may experience irritation. So use with caution.
This alternative isn't great if you need lube in a jiffy, as it requires a little bit of work. (Very little, but still more than pouring out oil directly from the bottle.) While there's a little variation with online recipes , the general consensus is to dump four teaspoons of cornstarch into one cup of boiling water. Stir the pot continuously, or your lube will get lumpy. If you like your lube feeling thicker you can add more than four teaspoons, if you like thinner lube then two will suffice. Stir for about 15 minutes, and then let it cool naturally. (You don't want to put it in the fridge to cool or again, you'll end up with some nasty, lumpy lube.) When it's cooled off, pour your new lube into some Tupperware or bottle for safe keeping. Store at room temperature.
“Even though it can be a little bit messy, the texture is silky smooth and cornstarch is naturally hypoallergenic,” clinical sexologist and certified sex coach Sunny Rodgers told Dollar Shave Club , adding that the mixture is "condom compatible."
If this list were a competition, aloe vera would win. You can use it with latex condoms. It's slippery, soothing, and can even help prevent yeast infections as opposed to increase the likelihood of getting one. The only thing (and we can't stress this enough) is that it needs to be 100% pure aloe vera. Jennifer Wider , M.D., previously told Women's Health that many aloe veras contain artificial ingredients that can irritate vaginas.
Additionally, some folks with sensitive skin might have a reaction, so it might be worth it to put a small patch on your skin, wait a few minutes to see if you have a reaction, and if not, go ahead and lube yourself up.

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