Section

Basics.

The questions people type into a search bar at midnight, answered straight.

Straight answers

Can lube cause a UTI?Not directly. UTIs come from bacteria reaching the urethra, and sex moves them there. Friction, irritation from high osmolality or glycerin, and a few habits raise the risk. The lube that helps and the steps that work.
Can you use aloe vera as lube?Yes, if it is pure aloe. It is water soluble, condom safe, and the base of several of the best lubes made. The drugstore "aloe gel" is a different story, and the label tells you which one you have.
Can you use baby oil as lube?No. Mineral oil destroys latex condoms faster than almost anything tested, it was never meant for internal use, it lingers for days, and the fragrance irritates. The oil based products that do the job properly.
Can you use coconut oil as lube?Yes, with two hard rules. It wrecks latex condoms, and it can linger. Here is when it is a good idea and when a real lube is better.
Can you use lotion as lube?No. Fragrance, preservatives, alcohol and emulsifiers are built for skin, not mucous membranes, and most lotions carry oil that breaks latex condoms. What goes wrong, and the two drugstore lubes that do the job.
Can you use olive oil as lube?Yes, with the coconut oil rules. No condoms, it lingers, it stains, and food grade only. How it compares to coconut oil and when a real product wins.
Can you use Vaseline as lube?No for vaginal use and never with latex condoms. Petroleum jelly is on the WHO latex damage list, it does not rinse out, and a published study ties it to bacterial vaginosis. What it is fine for, and what to use instead.
Does lube expire?Yes. Where the date hides, what a turned bottle looks and smells like, why the preservatives and pH matter, and why silicone outlasts water based by years.
How do you use lube?More than you think, on both of you, before anything starts, and again when it fades. The short course on applying lube, with condoms, with toys, and the water based versus silicone call.
What can you use as lube?The household options ranked from best to worst, the never list, the condom rules, and the math that says a real low osmolality lube costs about the same as a jar of coconut oil.