Lubricants provide more sensuality in love, but are also important medical aids, e.g. for vaginal dryness. However, when looking for a really healthy lubricant you often have to read through never-ending lists of chemical ingredients, one or the other substance of which often has an irritating effect on the mucous membranes or allergens. Which lubricants are safe? How to make a lubricant yourself? Or even better: How can the body’s own moisture production be stimulated again?

Endogenous lubricants

Lubricants are available wherever painful friction is to be avoided. In the human body, this is the case, for example, in the joints, where the synovial fluid acts as a lubricant. In the oral cavity it is saliva, in the eyes it is tear fluid and in the vagina it is vaginal fluid. The latter consists of mucus, which is supposed to protect the vagina from injuries during sex, among other things. In addition, vaginal mucus contains acids to prevent the survival of hostile bacteria and fungi. The individual amount of mucus depends on the woman’s age, her state of health, hormonal status and her cycle.

Men also produce small amounts of a type of lubricant. This is the so-called “pleasure drop”, which leaves the penis during strong arousal as a pre-ejaculate – i.e. before the actual ejaculation. Presumably, however, the pre-ejaculate is naturally intended less as a lubricant than to clean the urethra so that the sperm can then have free rein and are not slowed down by acidic urine residues.

Lubricant for vaginal dryness

But now there are also industrially produced lubricants – filled in tubes and jars. They are usually used when the body’s own lubricants do not provide sufficient moisture for the desired sexual practices (e.g. during anal intercourse or when sex toys are used). However, it is often the case that even for “normal” sex activities, the vagina simply does not get moist enough or even without sex the body’s own mucus is not sufficient and it leads to itching or frequent fungal infections or bacterial infections of the vagina ( 1 ).

Causes of vaginal dryness

Below we list the possible causes of a dry vagina

Dry vagina can be cycle-related

If the vagina is only dry on a few days of the month, then the vaginal dryness may be cycle-related. For example, many women are rather dry in the days after menstruation – completely independent of their desire.

So, the moisture status of the vagina is not a clear indication of the degree of female arousal. Rather, at the beginning of the cycle, a low estrogen level ensures less mucus formation. If the estrogen level rises in the course of the cycle, this also manifests itself in a growing mucus production.

Dry vagina during menopause

During menopause, some women can experience chronic vaginal dryness due to hormonal changes, which not only causes pain during sex, but also discomfort such as itching and burning in everyday life. Again, low estrogen levels are an important causative factor, so estrogen-containing creams – applied locally – often bring relief. However, if they are not, we will introduce you to a naturopathic alternative below (see under “Make your own lubricant from coconut oil”).

In most cases, however, menopausal women are not only tormented by vaginal dryness, but also by many other symptoms. In any case, estrogen dominance should also be considered here. This means that while estrogen levels may be low, they are still far too high in relation to progesterone levels.

Therefore, the estrogen preparations that are so often prescribed for menopausal symptoms are not useful in every case and can even exacerbate some problems – if there is indeed estrogen dominance. In this case, it would be much more helpful to increase the low progesterone level with natural progesterone or progesterone-like herbal remedies. These include, for example, wild yam and monk’s pepper.

Dry vagina due to medication and birth control pill

Vaginal dryness can also be the result of chemotherapy, as it can lead to atrophy of the vaginal mucosa. Many other drugs have a similar mucosa-destroying effect.

Last but not least, it is the contraceptive pill that not only causes many women to lose their libido but also their natural vaginal moisture.

Dry vagina due to stress and depilatory creams

Other factors that can lead to a dry vagina are special hormonal situations such as pregnancy and breastfeeding, but also heavy smoking, a vaginal yeast infection and, of course, stress. The latter prevents the ability to switch off, which does not allow arousal and getting wet in the first place, because the brain is constantly busy with this or that little problem.

You should also be careful with depilatory creams in the intimate area, as they have an extremely toxic effect on mucous membranes and vaginal flora and can massively impair natural moisture production. Shaving or, if done properly, waxing are clearly the healthier alternatives.

Since a dry vagina can take away almost any fun from sex and can contribute to itching and unpleasant feelings even without sex, lubricants are popular props for lovemaking and are very important. But which lubricant is the best and, above all, the healthiest?

Lubricants and more lubricants – spoilt for choice

Lubricants are available in many recipes made from very different basic ingredients. Which one you choose depends on the area of application (“Normal” sex, more/longer sex, anal sex, sex with condom, sex with sex toys, sex in the bathtub or just moisturizing the vagina in everyday life?) and on the other hand on the personal requirements and wishes (are you prone to fungal infections? do you reject chemical-synthetic ingredients?).

Water-based lubricant

Water-based lubricants are particularly gentle. They usually consist mainly of water and glycerin. The glycerin binds water molecules to itself in such a way that the mixture takes on a pudding-like consistency and therefore has very good gliding properties.

However, the bond between glycerin and water is relatively weak. This means that water molecules keep dissolving from the compound with glycerine. They then evaporate or are absorbed by the skin. So, sooner or later, lubricants with glycerin dry out and begin to stick to the skin as the water evaporates. Here, however, it is simply enough to apply a little water (or spit) again and the previous gliding function is restored.

Lubricants that contain glycerin not only in small amounts as a humectant, but in larger quantities as the main ingredient, could be problematic in those women who are prone to fungal infections. Glycerin tastes a bit sweet, so it can also serve as a nutrient for fungi and other microbes.

So if you are prone to candida infections or suffer from bladder infections more often, you should only use lubricants that contain glycerin in very small amounts, i.e. where the glycerin appears far down the list of ingredients.

Water-based lubricants are condom-friendly and can therefore be used together with condoms, unlike oil-based lubricants. They can also be easily combined with sex toys (be they made of latex or silicone). However, you should check carefully beforehand that there are really no fat or silicone components in the respective lubricant.

Water-based lubricants are also easy to wash off, which has the only disadvantage that they are not at all suitable for sex in the bathtub.

Oil-based lubricant

Lubricants that do not contain any water are usually based on mineral oils (paraffin oil or petroleum jelly), less often on vegetable oils (olive oil, palm oil or similar). Vaseline, however, seals the skin and prevents it from breathing.

Oil-based lubricants are particularly used for long-lasting sex sessions, as they hardly dry out and serve their purpose for a long time. For love in the swimming pool or in the shower, these gels are perfect as they do not dissolve in water. However, they are also quite difficult to eliminate. Depending on their quality (chemically?), they must of course be removed from the genitals again after they have fulfilled their purpose.

However, cleaning of the vagina should not be done with shower gels or soap, as they destroy the vaginal flora and thus make it susceptible to infections (fungal infection, bladder infections). However, the oily lubricants cannot be removed without soap.

In addition, oil- or paraffin-based lubricants create an environment that makes it easier for bacteria to enter the body, so that they can also promote urinary tract infections in this way.

Another major disadvantage of fats is that they all dissolve latex – whether natural or not – and should therefore never be used together with latex condoms, diaphragms or latex toys. Contraception could be enormously endangered and the toy dissolves under the influence of fat. Depending on the composition of the sex toys, the dissolved toxic plasticizers or other toxins from the plastic can now enter the body directly through the mucous membranes.

Oil-based lubricants also leave stains on laundry and clothing.

Silicone-based lubricant

Silicone-based lubricants are also very durable, but do not dissolve latex, so they are often used together with condoms. But soap is also necessary to remove them. Vaginal intercourse with these gels is therefore less recommended, but they are often used for anal sex with a condom.

Silicone lubricants are also available on a water-based basis. In this case, instead of glycerin (as with water-based lubricants), they contain the so-called dimethicone. This is a silicone that turns water into a slippery mass. Lubricants of this type are water-soluble and can therefore be washed off easily and without soap.

Silicone lubricants are also well suited together with latex utensils, but they in turn dissolve silicone products (toys, etc.), so you should be aware about the composition of both before using lubricants and sex toys, so that you are able to choose only compatible combinations.

However, it should be taken into account that there is not really clear information about the long-term effects of regular use of silicone-containing lubricants on health. What silicone-containing implants can do when they burst in the tissue, on the other hand, is well known. The consequences range from serious connective tissue damage to cancer.

Since women with sensitive vaginal mucous membranes often have cracks or other small injuries in the mucous membrane and thus lubricant components could get into the body, it may be better to opt for such lubricants, which are not only definitely non-toxic, but which can also serve to care for and regenerate the mucous membranes.

In addition, studies have shown that water-based lubricants are much better tolerated and apparently also serve their purpose better than silicone-based agents. For example, women who used water-based lubricants complained of significantly less vaginal discomfort (general discomfort, pain during penetration) than those who used silicone-based agents.

Lubricants contain chemicals

Unfortunately, lubricants do not only contain water, glycerin, oils or silicone, but usually also additives such as synthetic fragrances, preservatives, dyes and much more.

Preservatives include, for example, parabens. In the list of ingredients on the respective lubricant, words will then appear that end with –paraben. The most commonly used parabens include methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben.

There are many good reasons to avoid cosmetic or personal care products containing parabens and other chemicals. Of course, this is especially true for lubricants, as they are applied to the most sensitive parts of the body. The ingredients of the remedy can then be easily absorbed through the mucous membranes and thus enter the bloodstream.

Parabens, however, can alter the hormonal balance in women and are associated with breast cancer. For example, a recent study showed that parabens in human breast tissue were able to promote the proliferation of cancer cells.

Parabens also have a negative effect on both sperm count and sperm quality due to their weak estrogen-like effects, according to various studies. The amount of testosterone is also said to decrease under the influence of parabens ( 2 ) ( 3 ).

The preservative sodium benzoate is also often found in lubricants. It is considered carcinogenic, toxic to cells and mutagenic. The latter means that it has a negative effect on the genetic material and can lead to so-called chromosomal aberrations (changes in chromosomes). Even diseases of the liver and Parkinson’s disease have been linked to sodium benzoate ( 5 ) .

Natural lubricants

A truly healthy lubricant should therefore be composed without questionable chemicals and, if it is a commercially available lubricant, it should be a water-based lubricant that also has low glycerine contents. Like lubricant from the kiwi plant.
Another very natural lubricant is a homemade aloe gel, the formula of which you can also find below.
However, there are also natural oil-based lubricants, such as coconut oil:

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is a popular intimate hygiene product. Due to its content of antifungal caprylic acid, it is particularly popular for the prevention or naturopathic treatment of fungal infections such as Candida.

Coconut oil also has a calming and cooling effect. It is also unscented and – if it is an organic virgin coconut oil – completely natural. Many women therefore apply the coconut oil to the labia and also the inner mucous membranes after the shower if necessary.

Coconut oil can also be used as a natural lubricant. However, it should be taken into account that since it contains oil, it is incompatible with condoms. Coconut oil should also not be used together with some sex toys.

Make your own lubricant from coconut oil

Coconut oil – as well as cocoa or shea butter – can also be used to prepare so-called vaginal balls. This is especially useful if you want to treat chronic vaginal dryness and insert a vaginal ball two to three times a week for this purpose. Of course, you can also do this just before sexual intercourse.

You can make your own vaginal balls without much effort. All you need is cocoa or shea butter or a mixture of them. The fat is first melted in a water bath. Then wait a few minutes until it has turned into a kneadable mass and form small balls (about 2 grams each) from it. The balls can now be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Since they are fats that become liquid at temperatures around 23 degrees, they dissolve as soon as they are in the vagina.

The melted, slightly cooled fat can now also be used to stir in healing agents, such as a red clover mother tincture. Red clover contains estrogen-like phytohormones, which experience has shown to have a similarly beneficial effect on the vagina as pharmaceutical estrogens in estrogen creams. The amount of red clover mother tincture should not exceed 10 percent of the melted amount of fat.

Aloe Gel

The pure aloe gel is a very good and one of the most natural forms of lubricant. It acts not only as a lubricant, but also as a remedy, as it protects the vaginal mucosa and promotes its regeneration with its moisture-binding and wound-healing properties. Aloe also has an anti-itching and mild antifungal effect, making it ideal for women who are susceptible to vaginal thrush.

Since commercially available aloe vera gels usually contain other ingredients, e.g. fragrances or preservatives, they are not so suitable as lubricants. It is much better to make the aloe lubricant yourself.

If you regularly use lubricants, it is worth keeping some aloe plants in your garden.

By the way, it does not necessarily have to be an aloe vera, although it is the easiest to make a gel due to its leaf shape. Aloe ferox (Cape aloe) or aloe arborescens (tree aloe) are also excellent gel suppliers with a healing power that is said to even surpass that of aloe vera.

Make your own lubricant from aloe

Take an aloe leaf (from an older plant) and peel it with the potato peeler. Only the glassy-slippery pith should remain. As the skin, also yellow marrow parts contain skin-irritating substances and would therefore be counterproductive for our purpose.

The colourless and transparent pulp is now placed in a small blender and blended very briefly – your lubricant is ready. If you wish, you can also add some colloidal silver to your aloe gel. It ensures an increased durability of the gel as well as an even stronger antifungal effect of your lubricant. However, just a few drops of colloidal silver are enough.

The gel will keep in the fridge for a few days, but should be used fresh if possible. An alternative would be to freeze the gel in small portions. But then you need to think about defrosting it in time!

Water-based lubricant from the kiwi plant

Of course, coconut oil and homemade aloe gel are far more natural than any commercially available lubricant. But not everyone wants to cultivate aloe or regularly produce coconut oil vaginal balls, especially since coconut oil naturally leaves stains on the laundry.

An alternative in this case would be a * water-based lubricant made from the sap of the kiwi plant. Its glycerin content is low compared to other organic lubricants, which consist almost exclusively of water and glycerin, so it does not pose the risk of fungal infection.

It does not contain fragrances or dangerous preservatives, instead its natural shelf life is enhanced with grapefruit seed extract, among other things. Since it is a water-based lubricant, it does not inhibit the breathability of the skin and can also be used with condoms, diaphragms and sex toys without any problems. Like all water-based lubricants, it is water-soluble and therefore easy to remove. It does not leave stains.

Read also: Sex in old age

Anyone who believes that sex is no longer feasible in old age is starting from the wrong premises. Sex over 50, 60 or 70 can be fantastic – if you’re healthy. Read more about sex as seniors in our article Sex in old age.