Personal lubricants are used on—and in—the most intimate parts of your body, so it makes sense that you’d want to explore the best natural lubes available. Especially if you’re taking cue from your beauty routine, which may have become “cleaner” with brands being increasingly transparent about their ingredient list. While the type of lube you choose is based on personal preference, being as body-safe as possible is priority number 1 when testing out new intimate products and sex toys. 

What is natural lube, exactly?

Natural lube is considered to be lube that’s free from harsh chemicals and is made from natural ingredients, such as nut oils and aloe leaf juice. 

The neat thing about natural lube is that you can technically use ingredients you might already have in your kitchen (although it’s best to start with a new bottle if you plan on using it as a personal lubricant). You can get any kind of plant-based oil (such as coconut, vitamin E, and olive oil) online or at specialty stores, where you can find high-quality, organic stuff. “Just be sure you’re buying oil-based plant oils that are 100 percent organic and 100 percent pure,” Gigi Engle, Certified Sex Coach, Sex Educator, and Womanizer Sex Expert, tells Glamour.

Know what your body likes—or doesn’t like. 

All bodies are different, so if you know you have specific sensitivities, do some research before actually using natural lubricants. For instance, many people may swear by coconut oil, but it has the potential to throw off your vagina’s pH levels. Engle says, “If you’re prone to yeast infections, be cautious of coconut oil. It has antibacterial properties, so it can throw off pH. This is pretty unlikely, but is still something to take into consideration, as it has been reported.”

Another downside to oil-based natural lube is that they’re not compatible with latex-based condoms, as Engle warns: “They break down condoms and cause them to fail.” However, several natural lubes that are friendly with condoms do exist on the market, which we’ll get to in a second. 

What to watch for when trying out natural lubes.

Engle tells Glamour that there are some ingredients you should steer clear of, like parabens, preservatives, and added fragrances. You likely won’t find these in natural lubes, but read the ingredient list closely: “The vagina and vulva area is one of the most absorbent in the human body. You don’t want to be putting anything unsafe on or in it,” she says.

Here are some of the best natural lubes you can purchase online.

If you’re feeling less than fresh after a workout or a particularly hot day, one solution (other than good ol’ ventilation) is using the best feminine wipes. Or whatever you want to call them: vaginal, vulval, or personal wipes—you get it. There are plenty of reasons vulva owners like to carry various types of disposal cleansing cloths: if they’re on their period and experience leakage, if they’d like to use it post-intercourse, and even if they’ve been wearing a thick fleece pair of sweatpants or leggings (you know the ones). Whatever the reason is—and that’s between you and your vulva—if you choose to use wipes, there are a few important things to know. So we spoke to gynecologists about the need-to-know info when buying and using feminine wipes. 

Does the vagina need to be cleaned?

First thing’s first: You don’t necessarily need wipes to keep your vulva and vagina clean. As you may already know, the vagina is a self-cleaning organ, and inserting any kind of cleansing product could mess with its pH balance, Dr. Jennifer Conti, an ob-gyn and a Modern Fertility medical adviser, tells Glamour. “Your vagina is naturally pH-balanced and doesn’t need products to do that for it,” she says.

Additionally, while we may experience sweaty or musty smells on occasion, these odors are totally natural (if the odor is more pungent or you’re experiencing unusual discharge, it’s advised you make an appointment with your ob-gyn or health care provider). Conti tells Glamour that our culture has perpetuated the idea that women’s genitals are “dirty,” which is absolutely not true. “Society teaches us to believe that our natural vaginal scent and discharge is abnormal such that we have created entire industries that perpetuate this harmful belief…. Your vagina is not supposed to smell like geraniums or fresh laundry,” she says.

Are feminine wipes safe?

Vagina and vulva are often used interchangeably, and they’re actually totally different body parts. The vagina is the canal that leads to your uterus, while your all-encompassing vulva contains all your external organs like your labia, clitoris, the opening to your urethra, along with your vagina. When health experts say you shouldn’t use products such as douches, it’s because they’re inserted in your vagina. Whatever you use internally should always be body-safe and vagina-friendly, and douches are neither. If you use products internally, you run the risk of getting a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, which is a condition that’s brought on by a pH imbalance (BV symptoms include white or gray discharge, itching and burning, and a fishy odor). 

Using a product externally, however, is considered safer (just FYI, we’re using the term “safer” since all bodies are different and react to certain ingredients in different ways)—which is why gynecologists recommend feminine wipes over items like douches. 

What should I look out for when shopping for feminine wipes? 

Medzino’s resident ob-gyn, Dr. Kim Langdon, advises Glamour that the best feminine wipes are “hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free, pH-neutral, and don’t contain oil or alcohol.” And don’t let marketing fool you: Beware of anything that says “odor-control” on the label. “Anything that say ‘odor-control’ is bogus if it has special chemicals to allegedly fight off odor,” Langdon says. With all that in mind, here are some ob-gyn-approved wipes for feminine care.