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DIY Personal Lubricant

Beauty

Last Updated on November 11, 2022

Using a natural personal lubricant in the bedroom might be a strange topic, but it’s a game-changer! You can easily make homemade lube with a few basic ingredients and it’s much safer for your body.

personal lubricant with pieces of aloe vera

Over-the-counter commercial personal lubricants come with a variety of toxins and associated risks including multiple skin issues and even reducing your chances of getting pregnant. Using all natural ingredients like coconut oil or Aloe vera to create your own DIY lube is easy and much more safe for your body.

I’m a little shy when it comes to talking about the bedroom, but it’s an important subject. So let’s talk personal lubrication and comfort!

why should you use a diy lube

There are several zero waste bloggers, that have approached the subject of natural lubricants with grace. You can read more here

However, I think it’s important to talk about personal lubricants. We need to be careful with what we put on and into our bodies. Being cautious of what I put on my skin is a huge part of my story and one of the main catalysts for my zero waste journey.

Anything we put on our skin is quickly absorbed into our bloodstream. It’s worth paying attention to especially when your average drug store lube is full of ingredients you won’t be too happy with. 

bottle of diy lube

what’s wrong with store bought lube?

Common ingredients in store-bought lubricants are not good for your body (or partners) and can really cause harm! Not only is it hard on your skin, but it can also affect your chances of getting pregnant too.

COMMON INGREDIENTS:

Aqua, glycerin, hydroxyethyl cellulose, Gluconolactone, chlorhexidine digluconate, methylparaben, sodium hydroxide

Glycerin can actually cause dryness, is toxic to sperm, and it’s a sugar which can lead to yeast infections.

Chlorhexidine digluconate is an antiseptic found in mouthwash which can damage the good bacteria in the vagina. 

Methylparaben is a preservative and known endocrine disruptor. 

All in all, I would prefer to keep all of those ingredients outta my body. 

So, what’s a lazy, zero waste, newly-married girl to do? 

ready to use coconut oil lube

2 DIY personal lubricant recipes: 

coconut oil lube: 

  • fractionated coconut oil
  • GoToob

This recipe takes the cake for the easiest recipe on the blog. It’s exceedingly simple and effective.

I like the  GoToob* because it keeps everything very clean. With a liquid oil, it’s nice to have a little bit of control over how much and where it’s coming out.

I also like this particular tube because it’s 3oz which is important if you’re flying somewhere for your honeymoon.

Of course, you could put regular coconut oil*, which comes in a glass jar, in a smaller jar to store on the nightstand. It will melt at room temperature and body temp should do the trick, so it’s the perfect DIY lube.

If you’ve been following my blog for long, you know I’m not the biggest coconut oil fan. I think it’s far too greasy. But, this is one point in time greasy isn’t a bad thing.

why use fractionated coconut oil?

Fractionated coconut oil* absorbs into the skin quicker than regular coconut oil because the long-chain fatty acids have been removed. I like that it absorbs quicker even in the bedroom because I don’t have to worry about it staining the sheets. Of course, if you can’t find it in bulk, you always have the option of buying it like the bulk store.

You can use it as a moisturizer or make lotion and soap

Coconut oil lube should NOT be used with condoms. If you use condoms, see my next recipe. 

all natural lube ready to use

aloe vera gel natural lube: 

Aloe vera makes a great natural lubricant! I already have a recipe for aloe vera gel on the blog you can get it here. It’s water based so it’s safe to use with condoms. 

It needs to be refrigerated, so if you’re looking for a cooling sensation this would be great. Fresh aloe vera will spoil in the fridge after about three weeks. It will definitely smell off when it’s gone bad. If you notice an odor, don’t use it as a DIY lube, toss it out instead.

alovera gel as lube – does it work?

Yes, aloevera gel as lube works, but you have to make sure it’s the pure stuff. You don’t want anything else mixed in like alcohol or other additives. For this reason, I don’t recommend buying aloe vera gel in a container at the store. It’s best to get it straight from the plant by cutting it open and making your own homemade aloe vera gel lube.

natural lubricant in a bowl

how do you make aloe vera lube last longer?

I’ve started making a large batch and freezing it in an ice cube tray so I always have 2 tablespoon portions ready to go for a number of DIYs whether it be mouthwash, a hydrating face mask, or sexy time. 

can I use saliva as a natural lubricant?

While you can use saliva, it’s not a good personal lubricant. Your genitals are extremely sensitive and saliva is very watery. This combination isn’t good and won’t give you the results you are looking for.

Natural lube is slick and prevents tears and excessive friction. So, it’s best to use a homemade lube from coconut oil or aloe vera so you get the perfect slickness and you don’t have to worry about tiny tears developing.

This post contains affiliate linking. It’s denoted with an asterisk. This means if you choose to purchase one of these items I will make a slight commission for referring you. You can read more on my disclosure page

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  1. I am really interested in this post, and I will continue to read, but I just wanted to pause to share something important with you before I continue reading. Skin is so important as it’s the biggest organ of the body and has the crucial role of protecting our insides from any nasties in the outside. In fact, the whole point of skin is to prevent the nasties getting into the bloodstream. And it’s really good at doing that. So you don’t actually need to worry about stuff you put on your skin getting into your bloodstream.

    1. Im sorry, but you’re very incorrect. Did you know after holding a receipt for 5 seconds BPA is already in your blood stream? Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry vol. 398 paged 571-576 there’s a study confirming this. Our skin absorbs what put on it. It’s living and breathing, it’s porous not a solid barrier.

      1. I am not incorrect – the function of skin is to protect your internal organs and it does that very well indeed. There are some chemicals that can get across skin, but they have to have certain properties. BPA might be able to get across skin if it is tiny and/ or organic (the scientific term meaning containing carbon and hydrogen atoms) and/ or polar. An important thing to remember though is that dose is incredibly important. So even water, which is also a chemical, at too high a dose can kill you. But I am happy to lean more, so I’m keen to see look at the source you quoted.

        The skin doesn’t breathe though – that’s what your lungs are for. It is living because it’s an organ of the body, but it relies on a rich blood supply that carries oxygen from the lungs. It’s a barrier made of several overlapping layers to reduce water loss and help with other functions such as regulating body temperature. It’s not porous because otherwise your blood would be full of anything you can into contact with – water, pollution, food that you touch, basically anything that your skin is exposed to. But it doesn’t because it’s a highly impermeable barrier for the sole purpose of protecting your insides from the outside.

        1. That’s a really interesting study that highlights why it’s important to carry out safety tests. If I worked somewhere that used thermal imaging paper containing BPA, I would insist on changing it to something without BPA or to wear gloves if they won’t change the paper. But as a consumer, I am unlikely to ever get a dose high enough to have any effect on me.

          1. BPA and BPS are in soooo many products and it builds up over time. I mean you definitely, have to find what you’re comfortable with. I had six tumors in my breast at 20. My comfort level is far, far away from endocrine disruptors.

        2. I was using living and breathing as a common phrase. I realize that we breathe through our lungs. Our skin is porous. We literally have 5 million pores on our body. Our skin is also permeable. Yes it does a great job of keeping our organs, muscles, and blood vessels contained, but it still absorbs things both good and bad. Think about lotion, sunscreen, self-tanner, anything you rub on it will eventually be absorbed. Bottom line is we have to be careful what we’re putting on our skin. It will be absorbed.

  2. Thanks for sharing this! We have have a few nearly empty tubes left, but I was wondering what to do after they are all gone.

  3. I grow my own aloe plants… The only thing I can grow in Phoenix year round ?. What’s the best way to harvest some for juice? Last time I tried blender then juicer with poor results and lots of waste of a whole plant for little juice.

  4. Great Post! If you don’t mind me asking, what do you use for contraception? I’ve liked using the Caya diaphragm, but my husband is a bit wary.