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Personal lubricant (with warming and cooling)
I thought I’d share a simple recipe for lube. I used this forum a bunch. I made a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P9SlJMI8X4f
But I can save you from the incoherent babbling:
93% distilled water
5% propylene glycol
1.5% HEC (might change based on grade)
0.2% potassium sorbate
0.2% sodium benzoate
q.w. Citric acid to pH
For warming add 4 drops of wintergreen extract into 15mL of the HEC recipe above.
For cooling add 2 drops of peppermint extract into 15mL of the HEC recipe above.
For insane local vasodilation, use 0.05% methyl nicotinate.
I don’t have the grade of HEC… it is a E1525 food grade. I assume it’s between 2k and 4k, but I need to contact the vendor.
From other discussions on these forums, yes there is a slight synergistic effect from potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. But the main reason for using it was that’s what I had. I found a supplier that sells in small quantities every ingredient I could want, so I’ll have new recipes when it all arrives.
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3 Replies
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I had some experience with lubes and read a lot of material on, so here are my thoughts:
0. Lubes are OTC drugs in some countries. You should not DIY something you put inside your body. When you make DIY serum for face - it is totally different since skin is a barrier. But lubes to put in vagina…
1. You should not use food grade of materials in skincare since they have different contamination level;
2. Cosmetic grade of HEC is not clumping in water because it is coated and you need to stir for a while (or use lye) to gel it;
3. Would be better to use Lactic acid instead of citric acid since sodium lactate and lactic acid are parts of NMF;
4. If extracts are oil soluble they will separate from the solution in a while. If they are water-soluble - you need a chelator to bind unwanted metal ion from them. I would recommend using synthetic ingredients instead (menthol crystals, for example);
5. Not sure of potassium sorbate and benzoate are enough. Maybe pair it with phenoxy. I would use parabens.
What I like about the formula: it has low content of humectants and doesn’t exceed osmolyte limit for health tissue. Most commercial lubes overuse humectants and damage cells.
I’ve duplicated this comment under youtube video.
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Do you recommend vegetable glycerine for sensitive skin or menopausal women? I made one with just water, preservative, sodium hyaluronate and glycerine.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by MaidenOrangeBlossom.
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Quote (AI, but it summarizes in proper English of what I read about earlier):
Glycerin is a sugar alcohol used in some water-based lubricants to attract moisture and reduce evaporation, but high concentrations can increase osmolality, potentially leading to vaginal irritation and increased susceptibility to yeast infections and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Also:
The WHO recommends using a lubricant with a pH of 4.5 and an osmolality below 1200 mOsm/kg.
https://womensvoices.org/osmolality-ph-properties-commercial-lubricants/
So if you take 5% Glycerin it should be fine - it doesn’t exceed 1200 mOsm/kg level of smolity and is not enough (I guess?) to susceptibility to yeast infections.
Also, check pH, use Lactic Acid to have pH ~4.5.
womensvoices.org
Osmolality and pH Properties of Some Commercial Lubricants
Brand names of lubricants and the pH levels, osmolalities of products. WHO recommends using a lubricant with pH of 4.5 and an osmolality below 1200 mOsm/kg.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by
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