Many couples need/prefer lube during sex. However, many commercial lubricants can be irritating (or just aren’t quite right). Ingredients that many women find irritating are alcohol (most gel based lubricants) and glycerin and paraben (most water based lubes), never mind the stuff they add for smell and taste.

A great option for those who find commercial lubes irritating or are troubled by the fact than many of the ingredients remain unpronounceable to everyone but organic chemists is coconut oil. Yes, the stuff you use for cooking. You can buy it at most drug stores and at Safeway prices of $9 for a massive jar it is also a lot cheaper than that tiny little bottle of Slippery Stuff.

Coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, but as soon as you glop

a bit on your hands it starts to melt. If you rub a bit quickly in your hands for a few seconds you immediately have a liquid.

Oil based lubricants provide a lot of staying power (they cling well to the tissues), so reapplication in all but the most, uh, robust sessions is generally not needed (although, not that it matters, if you need/prefer more lube, so be it!). Also, because the oil provides a thicker coating than silicone, water, or gel based lubricants it is often preferred by post menopausal women who are not using estrogen or women with increased vulvovaginal sensitivities (such as women with vulvodynia, a vulvar pain syndrome).

You can also use Crisco, but fully hydrogenated oils for sex sounds, uh, well, unsexy. And I am still unconvinced that they are a good idea health wise. Olive oil is also an option, but in general my patients seem to prefer coconut oil. It seems to be a hands down winner in the taste, texture, and aroma departments.

The only down side with coconut oil is that you can’t use it with latex condoms because oil degrades latex.

The other upside of coconut oil is that it works a great moisturizer for dry skin!

What do you think, would you try coconut oil?