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Coconut Oil Sexual Lubricant Guide

17 May, 2021

Coconut Oil Sexual Lubricant Guide

Sex Research: Experimenting with Coconu, Sliquid and System JO coconut oil sexual lubricant & more

Coconut oil is one of those things I’ve heard plenty about, but I’m still not exactly sure what I can and can’t use it for, why I should consider using it and where I should put it. Should I cook with it? Slather it through my hair? Funnel it into the car? Create a tropical-scented slip ‘n slide in the garden? Why should I choose it over other oils? What’s a good price? What benefits can I expect? And, of course, are coconut oil lubes effective & safe for sex & masturbation?

Yep, there are coconut oil sex lubricants. After all, there are other types of oil-based lubes, so why not coconut? This fruit has been reported to provide various health benefits, so it’s unsurprising to see the coconut trend cross over to the sex industry. Could switching to coconut oil lube give me any noticeable benefits, such as softer, more supple skin? Is there a conspicuous absence of potentially damaging or toxic ingredients, which are commonly seen in other lubricant formulations? Is coconut oil lubricant compatible with skin, vaginas and sex toy materials?

Clearly, plenty of questions about this type of lube had been going round my head for years. There was only one way I’d know for sure: do my research and report back to my readers with the results.

Read on to find out which coconut oil lubes I tried, my findings and my ultimate favourite.

My Coconut Oil Sex Lube Collection

Coconu

Coconu provide carefully crafted personal lubricants and oils infused with coconut water and coconut oil, plus other skin-friendly ingredients. I was lucky enough to be sent some of their collection last year, to try out and review, and I was incredibly impressed.

One of the lubes I tried is the Coconu Oil-Based Lubricant, which lists coconut oil amongst its ingredients.

Packaging

The Coconu Oil Based Lube comes in a squeeze-tube type bottle, with a flip-top cap. Before first use you need to remove the foil tab from under the plastic cap. The lubricant is easy to dispense and you can easily flip ‘n click the cap back on so no worries about accidental spills or leaks.

During Use

My Coconu Oil-Based Lubricant is yellowy in colour, maybe a touch darker than when I first got it in November last year. Perhaps the darkening of colour is due to age, and/or the presence of organic elements in the formulation. It didn’t worry me.

The lube itself feels a bit grainy, a little gritty. It has a faint smell of coconut, but nothing overpowering. I love how slippery it is, and the glide actually lasts. After I was done, the lubricant did leave its residue on my skin for a long time. Eventually I washed it off with hot soapy water in order to feel thoroughly clean again.

A plus to this lubricant is how easy it is to dispense. Just flip the cap and squeeze out, then click the lid back to securely close. You get a decent quantity of lubricant in this tube, and as you only need a small amount for ongoing, effective glide, it lasts absolutely ages.

Find out more in my Coconu Lubes multi-review feature

Sliquid Soul

Sliquid is renowned as a high-quality, trustworthy, body-safe and ethical lubricant brand. Their lubes sell consistently well in sex stores around the world and of course through the thousands of online sex shops. Product reviewers rave about Sliquid lubricants, which boast ‘clean’ formulation ingredients, free of parabens, phthalates, glycerine or other potentially harmful or unpleasant additives.

Not only are Sliquid lubes reassuringly safe, they’re also effective during use, adding intensely pleasurable glide to your choice of sexual liaison.

Packaging

I find these small bottles of lube can be quite difficult to dispense from, depending on the thickness of your chosen lube. The Sliquid lubricants themselves are absolutely fantastic, but the small size cylindrical bottles can be difficult to squeeze enough lube out of. My advice is to save yourself the trouble and just size up when you purchase! The Sliquid Soul lube is fortunately quite ‘pourable’ so the bottle didn’t need all that hard a squeeze.

There is a protective disc under the screw-off cap which needs removing before first use. After that, just depress one side of the cap to reveal the opening through which the lube is squeezed. Click back to flat to close the bottle.

During Use

The Sliquid Soul lube just has a faint coconut scent to it, it’s transparent rather than opaque and it isn’t overly thick. It looks just like a standard water-based or silicone lubricant. I found that this lube coated my fingers, toys and body nice and evenly, and it felt so nourishing and beneficial to my skin.

Sliquid Soul didn’t offer quite as much slip ‘n slide as a silicone lubricant, but much more than water-based. I would put the ‘glide factor’ firmly between silicone and water-based slipperiness levels. I was pleased that this lubricant didn’t make me feel greasy or oily after application or after playtime was over, there was no itchiness like I can get with silicone lubes, and I didn’t feel the need to rush and wash it off.

Enjoy all our Sliquid reviews

System JO Coconut Oil Lube

System JO specialises in sexual lubricants, although their huge collection also includes intimate enhancers such as delay spray, shave gels, arousal gels and sex toy cleaner. The System JO Coconut Oil Lube is a relatively recent addition to the range, and one which has been reviewed previously here at the Cara Sutra sex blog by lovely members of my community.

Rattigan only rated it 4/10:

“It seemed to dry out very quickly which surprised me as I often use water based lubes. It is definitely a product that needs re-applying which can bother some people. As the same time I didn’t feel like I was left with sticky residue, which happens a lot with some lubes.”

While Sum Sub rated it 9/10:

“A small amount lasts, and lasts and lasts, and lasts some more. Of all the non-oil lubes I’ve used (which is a great many), this lasts as long if not longer than any other I’ve tried. It seems evaporation isn’t particularly a problem, and whilst the skin does absorb it, it’s such an effective moisturiser that it just lubricates forever! “

…which goes to show how people can experience one product in entirely different ways.

Packaging

The small size System JO lubricant bottles suffer from the same problem the small Sliquid lube bottles have; it’s difficult to squeeze and dispense the lube. I found it harder to dispense this System JO Coconut Oil Lube than I did the Sliquid Soul. It’s thicker and therefore not as ‘pourable’ – in fact it’s not a lube which pours at all. You dispense a glob of it after squishing the bottle quite heftily. Again, my advice is to go up a size of container when you purchase, to avoid this problem.

As usual with good-quality lubes from trustworthy brands, there is a protective disc under the screw-off cap which needs removing before first use. The dispensation method once you replace the cap is the same as Sliquid Soul.

During Use

The System JO Coconut Oil Lube has more of a coconut scent about it than Sliquid Soul. It also has a longer lasting glide. This hybrid lubricant (coconut oil and water-based) isn’t transparent like Sliquid, either – it’s a semi-opaque white. This has the advantage of being able to clearly see where you’ve applied the lube, whether on your body or when using with a sex toy.

More similarly to Sliquid Soul, I felt that this System JO Coconut Oil Lubricant felt very nourishing and beneficial to my skin. It wasn’t itchy either during or after playtime, and I didn’t feel the need to wash it off immediately after play.

Unfortunately, that initial exceptional slipperiness didn’t last long beyond the initial application. It dissipated with heat quite quickly as I started my intimate playtime, maybe because this lubricant is a hybrid with water-based lubricant in the formulation.

Enjoy all our System JO reviews,
plus my complete guide to the System JO collection

VITA COCO Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil Lubes: Are They Safe & Effective For Sex and Masturbation?

As well as known brands of coconut oil lube, I thought I’d include my experiences with actual, solid coconut oil as well. The type you can use for other applications, such as on your hair and skin, or as an ingredient in cooking. The type I bought is the VITA COCO coconut oil, as shown in the photos.

Packaging

The VITA COCO coconut oil I have is in solid form, and is in a glass jar with a twist-off lid. There’s a strong smell of coconut once you remove the lid, the fact it’s white helps connect you to the fact it’s coconut, and the scent & sight combined leads to a decidedly tropical feel.

As this is a solid form of coconut oil, it’s quite difficult to dispense if you want to use it as a lubricant. I suppose you could keep a little spoon handy. If trying to get some between your fingers, it can take a bit of digging. I also wouldn’t want to go back and ‘double-dip’ for more lube after already using some on body or toy; it could lead to contamination of the rest of the coconut oil in the jar if your fingers aren’t 100% clean.

Whichever way you decide to get it out of the jar, once it’s between your fingers and palms the white solid material soon melts with body heat into a slick oil which can then be used directly on your body or to coat a compatible-material sex toy.

During Use

I have found that if stored in quite a cold room the coconut oil becomes more solid and therefore more difficult to get out of the glass jar. I had to use a teaspoon on a couple of occasions. Your hands need to be unlubed and dry in order to twist the cap off the jar in the first place. If stored in a warmer room then getting the lube out is much easier as it softens up.

Between fingers or on my palm the substance melts to become a transparent, liquid oil very quickly. I found out, during trial and error, that I only needed a tiny amount of coconut oil to cover a masturbation session – I kept using too much and having loads of excess to wipe away. The coconut oil is very slick and provides great glide, which lasts. And lasts, and lasts. As it’s oil, it doesn’t dissipate at all – I eventually had to wash it all off with hot soapy water in order to feel properly clean again.

An unexpected personal bonus to using the COCO VITA coconut oil as lube: it felt rather kinky! I think this is down to the fact that it isn’t sold or marketed as a lube or sex enhancer, but rather as a health & beauty product or a cooking ingredient. It reminded me of when people use another type of solid cooking oil, Crisco as an anal fisting lubricant…

Coconut Oil Lubes Video

Enjoy this little video of my coconut oil lubes:

Conclusion

How I Used My Coconut Oil Lubes

During my research, I used my coconut oil lubes only for masturbation. This is because I preferred to use them just for external stimulation, where they’re easier to wash off afterwards. I’m not a fan of having an oil-lining in my vagina. I don’t think there are any detrimental effects from using coconut oil lubricant inside a vagina; I just personally don’t like the thought or feeling of being ‘lined with grease’. With that in mind…

Is Coconut Oil A Safe Vaginal Lubricant?

There seems to be conflicting advice relating to whether or not it’s safe to use coconut oil as a vaginal lubricant.

Healthline says that using coconut oil as a vaginal lubricant may increase the risk of vaginal infections.

“Coconut oil has a high pH, making it alkaline, while the normal pH of the vagina is acidic. These properties can disrupt the natural pH balance of your vagina. This upset can cause yeast infections or other vaginal infections.

If you’re prone to yeast infections, you may want to stay away from using coconut oil as a lube until further research is conducted.”

Meanwhile, Glamour quotes Shari Martin Lawson, M.D., division director of general obstetrics and gynaecology at John Hopkins Medicine, as stating: “I recommend coconut oil for select patients of mine, and it is absolutely safe to use as a lubricant.”

The Glamour article goes on to quote Banafsheh Kashani, M.D., a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, as saying that “the pH of coconut oil almost perfectly mirrors the vaginal pH, so side effects are rare.”

Silicone Sex Toys & Coconut Oil Compatibility

Although typical oil-based lubricants are compatible with genuine silicone sex toys, I wanted to take the opportunity to conduct a little more research as part of my coconut oil lubes fact-finding mission.

I grabbed the closest silicone sex toy, which is obviously a regularly used fave as it lives in my bedside drawer (when not in the obvious place). The flat base provided the perfect testing site for the coconut oil lubricants I’ve discussed in this feature.

Placing a small amount of each lubricant on the bottom of the butt plug, and holding it steady with the help of a plastic bottle, I was able to determine whether the lubes affected the silicone material over the course of several days.

You can see the results of my experiment in the photographs below.

At The Start Of The Experiment

After 5 Days Contact

The System JO lubricant (bottom right) had changed from semi-opaque white to clear, and I was worried that the drier outer edge of the sample meant the silicone material had been affected. However, the lubricant (like the rest of the samples shown) wiped off the silicone surface without marking or leaving visible deterioration to the material.

After Wiping Off The Lube

As you can see below, the surface of the butt plug remained exactly as it had been 5 days earlier, before being in contact with 4 different coconut oil lubricants throughout.

I hope my experiment reassures that you are able to use coconut oil lubricants with your genuine silicone sex toys without risking damage to your precious toys. As always, if you’re in any doubt, try a patch test on the toy as I’ve done here.

Condom Compatibility

Don’t forget that oil and latex rubber are not compatible, so do not use any type of oil lubricant (including coconut oil lubes) if you’re using latex condoms. Coconut oil lube and condoms are most definitely not compatible.

My Favourite Coconut Oil Lubricant

Out of the coconut oil lubricants I’ve tried – Coconu, Sliquid Soul, System JO Hybrid and the pure coconut oil by COCO VITA – my favourite to use for sexual pleasure sessions is the Sliquid Soul.

>> Buy yours here! <<

The Sliquid lubricant is easier to dispense, even from the small cylindrical bottle, than the System JO, and the glide is longer lasting. It doesn’t have the grittiness of the Coconu, and the reassurance of using a well-known, established and highly respected lube brand like Sliquid lends it more weight than using the COCO VITA coconut oil which isn’t sold for sexual use.

Will I Use Coconut Oil Lube Regularly?

I’ll definitely be using coconut oil more regularly in future, after enjoying my research for this feature. Although my favourite from the ones I’ve tried is the Sliquid Soul, I also enjoyed using the System JO hybrid lube – it’s just so difficult to dispense from that small bottle. My favourite dispense method is a pump dispenser top, so I’ll have to look around for a larger quantity in that sort of bottle.

I enjoy the supple skin I get from using coconut oil lubricants, and I haven’t suffered any negative effects at all.

Although I’ve enjoyed using these coconut oil lubes, I’ll stick with using them for external, clitoral stimulation. Just my personal choice! For vaginal stim and sex I prefer a great quality water-based lubricant. You can discover my faves in my big guide to water-based lubes.