Living naturally has never been more in vogue. From our millennial overlord the avocado, to mayonnaise hair wraps... Sometimes the perfect option can be the one Mother Nature provided.

And for a lot of us, that makes sense. Why spend 30 quid on a bottle of face chemicals when a jar of coconut oil is only £5? You can cook with it, eat it, moisturise your hair, skin and nails, pop it in your coffee and even use it for sexy massages.

So if coconut oil is so fantastic, why not spread the love a little further south?

Well, unfortunately, when it comes to our genitals, things get a little more complicated. But let’s examine this; why would coconut oil not be right for you?

1. Oil is not compatible with most condoms
The fatty acids found in coconut oil are definitely not condom-friendly. Putting oil on a condom causes it to corrode, develop holes, and in some cases even burst! Kind of defeats the purpose of using one in the first place...

2. It can break your sex toys
The majority of toys we sell at Sh! are made from silicone, and if mixed with oil or silicone-based lubricants, this material can become porous and start to look decayed.

3. There are already plenty of natural lubricants
Here at Sh! we are particular fans of Yes WB, an organic water- based lube developed by medical professionals to be compatible with your PH as well as your toys.

4. It can cause vaginal infection
Speaking of your PH, coconut oil is also full of things that bacteria love to feed on, and if these bacteria find their way into, say, a warm moist environment, you can find yourself with a nasty case of thrush.

5. It could be harmful for a male partner.
Those same bacteria can also find their way into his urethra, causing painful urination. Just ask a guy if he’s ever accidentally gotten some soap up there - from what we hear, it’s not a fun time...

6. It’s very ‘temperaturemental’
Okay okay, we're just being picky now, but the consistency of coconut oil is all dependant on temperature. In the cold, it’s rock solid and when it’s warm it’s extremely runny making it a total pain to apply.

7. It’s too slick for anal play
Unlike the vagina, your anus is not self-lubricating, on top of that rectal tissue is quite delicate, the wrong lube could cause a tear that in turn can result in infection.

On the bright side, unlike the vagina, the anus area is not so negatively affected by silicone lubricants, though we recommend a nice thick water-based lube if toys or condoms are being used.

There are of course exceptions to almost every rule, non-latex condoms for one, for external play that involves no toys you should be fine (just be careful around the urethral opening!).

If coconut oil is working for you in other ways, let us know in the comments!

Update: 
Since posting this blog post, we have had lots of feedback, both positive and not-so-positive, and we'd like to address some of the points.

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to interact with us.

We have removed the words medical grade from the blog post.

Coconut oil divides the masses; some swear by it, others don't. We, as a team, do not agree it is a good choice of lubricant. A while back, we posted this article on various products some prefer to use for sex. Our consensus is that coconut oil doesn't belong on or in the genitals or toys, but if it works for you then that's great.

There was a comment about anal sex never being "too slick". This is a personal preference. A group of gay guys (friends of Sh!) provided this info. They added that they prefer the consistency of petroleum jelly for anal play.  (We do not recommend the use of petroleum jelly instead of a lubricant designed for intimate use.)