What kind of effect does Coconut Oil have on sex toys and condoms?

Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
I'm asking because I have an acquaintance (in the same profession as mine) who has a great deal of hubris about her "healthy lifestyle."

We were discussing, on an other board, what a woman could do about vaginal dryness, and she insulted every single person who not only talked about mild estrogen cremes (which a lot of us need in peri-menopause, in fact, directed at MY post, she snottily said "peri-menopause does not exist!") and likewise disrespected about 10 posters (including myself) who suggested Astroglide, saying it was "dangerous." (WTF?)

She said, "Well, just use coconut oil." Well, I HATE when people use the term "well, just..." because it implies NO empathy with what other people are going through and also implies the person saying it thinks that the problem is insignificant. As if ANY problem could be solved with the word "just."

I am also wondering about how this oil reacts to the common materials in condoms and sex toys (although I am sure she would die if someone mentioned them) and wonder WHAT if any effects are known about this (IMO) stinky stuff.

Does it destroy latex? How about polyisproine? (what non-latex condoms are made of) What effect does it have on TPR, TPE, Latex, Plastic, Silicone, metal, and other sex toy materials?

Does anybody know?
08/01/2010
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Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
I think Alan and Michelle do...
08/01/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
I think Alan and Michelle do...
With toys or condoms? I wonder if they'll answer. Personally, neither My Man or I can stand the smell or the taste, and if it's OK, then it's OK for other people. I just wondered if it's recommended for toy and condom use.
08/01/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Check this out: Forum search on "coconut"
08/01/2010
Contributor: Tuesday Tuesday
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
I'm asking because I have an acquaintance (in the same profession as mine) who has a great deal of hubris about her "healthy lifestyle."

We were discussing, on an other board, what a woman could do about vaginal dryness, and she ... more
She sounds incredibly insecure. I feel insulted by her comments.

I'll be interested in trying anything that maintains the health of vaginal tissues. I feel like I have to work to keep everything ok there now that I'm in my harsh surgically induced menopause.

I had a problem with dryness and vaginal fragility for a while. Now that I do daily kegels and almost daily sex toy play, things are much better.

Anything that brings blood flow to the vagina will help with dryness.
08/01/2010
Contributor: ScottA ScottA
Coconut oil is oil, so you'd want to keep it away from latex and probably rubber/jelly/TPR/TPE (though with most of those what's in it is anyone's guess). Use what you're comfortable with - coconut oil is cheap, but I don't think there have been any tests for safety.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
"Astroglide, a water-based and therefore condom-compatible lubricant, was found to be the most toxic of the lubes studied to cells and tissues" link

I use coconut oil a lot (and the stuff I buy has no smell, is organic and cheap compared to a lot of lubes - plus it works great as a moisturizer and a bath oil). It's fine for silicone, metal, plastic, glass, wood and elastomer/med toys. Not sure about the rest since I rarely use any other materials anymore. (Not due to being a material snob but due to lifespan. They just don't last)

Oils are not ever safe with latex condoms, not sure about non latex condoms.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
"Astroglide, a water-based and therefore condom-compatible lubricant, was found to be the most toxic of the lubes studied to cells and tissues" link

I use coconut oil a lot (and the stuff I buy has no smell, is organic and cheap ... more
Carrie Ann - thanks I've been interested in coconut oil for some time and you've mentioned before that you like it. We use products based on avocado, shea and cocoa butters that are also called 'oil-based' - not mineral or petroleum oil - but vegetable oil. It seems that coconut oil falls into that category except it would be in liquid form. The butters we use liquefy at body temperature but are a solid or semi-solid at room temperature. As you say they are not safe with latex condoms so when we use a condom we use SKYN which is a non-latex condom made from Polyisoprene - what ever that is!

Can you say what coconut oil product you use? Where do you get it?
08/02/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Gunsmoke
Carrie Ann - thanks I've been interested in coconut oil for some time and you've mentioned before that you like it. We use products based on avocado, shea and cocoa butters that are also called 'oil-based' - not mineral or petroleum ... more
Coconut oil is also solid at room temperature (72 degrees and below, I believe), melting into a liquid as it gets warmer or contacts skin.

I buy mine from the grocery store in my neighborhood, actually. I can't remember the brand but it's plain old organic coconut oil, comes in a 16 oz jar for like $10. It is NOT the stuff you can get by the popcorn aisle, though. That stuff is okay for cooking but kinda crappy for body use.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Alan & Michele Alan & Michele
First off, if your coconut oil *really* stinks (not just the coconut smell) then it's either over-refined or rancid. Either is not good. Unrefined organic is your best bet, and ALWAYS stay away from Spectrum brand no matter what (it's disgusting).

As for material interactions, it can and will damage latex condoms, but we've never had a problem with coconut oil on the non-latex Trojan Supras or Avantis. I'd say that means keep it away from latex toys too. We've had a couple of TPR toys get "gummy' feeling with coconut oil, along with one TPR silicone, so forget it on TPR. No problems so far with TPE, Elastomed, Plastic, or 100% Silicone. I wouldn't trust it on "TPR Silicone" though (obviously).

BUT be careful with TPE, because some is non-porous and some is semi-porous. Oil isn't likely to wash out of pores.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
I'm definitely interested in trying this - I'm glad P'Gell started the thread because it answered a lot of the questions I had. But one more for either Alan & Michele or Carrie Ann (or anyone else that can answer) - how does the longevity of coconut oil fare in comparison to other lubes?? Does it need to be reapplied? Will the 16 oz jar (that's the size I can find most easily) spoil or go rancid before I can use it all?
08/03/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Tori Rebel
I'm definitely interested in trying this - I'm glad P'Gell started the thread because it answered a lot of the questions I had. But one more for either Alan & Michele or Carrie Ann (or anyone else that can answer) - how does the ... more
I've had no problems with it going bad, but I use it for baths quite often as well as lube. (I get a weird thrill watching the solid oil melt in the warm water. Heh) It lasts quite well for me and normally I don't need to reapply so long as I'm also getting naturally wet. If I'm not (damned perimenopause and thyroid issues!) then we occasionally have to reapply.

One of the great things is that it really soaks into the skin well so any left over, on labia, thighs, whatever, kind of sinks in like a good massage oil and just leaves the skin soft.

It's also a great oil to apply after shaving!
08/03/2010
Contributor: pinkzombie pinkzombie
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
I'm asking because I have an acquaintance (in the same profession as mine) who has a great deal of hubris about her "healthy lifestyle."

We were discussing, on an other board, what a woman could do about vaginal dryness, and she ... more
I Use coconut oil a lot for different things. Baths, moisturizers, cooking, massages, glass toys, and silicone toys. I have had no problems with it affecting these toys.
11/22/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
So, what I am gathering (and I did a Google search and it was so full of websites with non fact related health "agendas" that I had to stop) it works for some people, is not safe for latex condoms, or TPR, mixed silicone products etc.

Does anyone who knows about nut allergies know if this is safe for them? Tree nut allergies are a common problem, and a coconut is nothing more than a large seed, or nut. Also, is it a problem for people with high cholesterol, due to it being solid at room temperature.

I have not been able to find any that doesn't smell like.....coconuts. Which, if you like the smell is fine, but My Man and I do not like the scent or taste of coconut. I didn't even approach the subject of anal sex and lubes with this woman.

I'm glad it's safer than I thought. But, the woman on the LC site upset me so much, I don't even want to discuss it any further with her. I did send her an email detailing that we all need to find what works for us, that I still have found some commercial lubes I like (she had never heard of Sliquid H20 Ride, of course) and the fact that coconut oil may not be safe for latex and TPR (she didn't know what TPR was, and told me "You don't need condoms, you can just use Natural Family Planning." Yeah, fuck her. And when I e mailed her back, she said, pertaining to me "Some people aren't able to learn anything." Meaning, I didn't do exactly what she said, so I am incapable of "learning" her brand of judgmental "natural" living. (I still don't care for coconut oil, I like commercial lubes, and I will NOT use "NFP" for birth control, considering I got pregnant in my "safe days" at least 2 or 3 times while using it.)

I'm glad it works for some people, she didn't seem to care that it was not suitable for many condoms and some sex toys, and I'm done with discussing it with her. She has ONE way of doing things and evidently no one else's opinion has any merit. *sigh* Having such a great week....

Thank you for the data, y'all. I'm glad it works well for some people. Personally, we'll continue to stick with Sliquid or Lelo Personal Moisturizer for ourselves for now.
11/22/2010
Contributor: ScottA ScottA
If you get the refined coconut oil it should be, as refined nut oils aren't an issue for nut allergies since the protein is removed. We use it for massage, but I don't think it would be a cholesterol issue because it won't be absorbed into the bloodstream if it gets on the skin or is used vaginally or anally. I guess if you used it for oral sex and used a lot it might be, but that would be about it.
11/22/2010
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
Quote:
Originally posted by ScottA
If you get the refined coconut oil it should be, as refined nut oils aren't an issue for nut allergies since the protein is removed. We use it for massage, but I don't think it would be a cholesterol issue because it won't be absorbed ... more
I'm not so sure - there are many drugs that are designed to be absorbed into the blood stream through trans-dermal methods - it's a standard way to bypass stomach acids which are fatal to most proteins. Some are nasal - like some of the new flu vaccines - others are patches like birth control (Ortho Evera)or testosterone (AndroGel). Recently my wife was given a prescription for a drug delivered via her vaginal mucosa.

So if there is a cholesterol issue - it could be an issue when applied to the skin.
11/22/2010