Friction-Less Fun!
4m | Jan 22, 2025Q: Do you have any suggestions for sustainable lube?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A: I’m taking a hunch that this question is about lubrication for sex, foreplay, and other fun associated activities, and not lube for mechanical means!
The first thing out of my mouth would be to avoid anything synthetic. Such as items with Parabens, Glycerin / glycerol, Diethanolamine (DEA) and related items, Polyethylene Glycols (PEG), silicones, and other petroleum based lubricants such as vaseline.
Look for Organic certified, plant based, and lubricants with the fewest ingredients.
And if you are trying to get pregnant, have any concerns about the products or their ingredients and their potential effects on your body, definitely speak to a medical professional before using any new item.
Now, In a pinch, spit / saliva would be my first suggestion if you needed something but had nothing, as that is something you almost always have on hand and it is free from all shipping, plastic packaging, manufacturing, and monetary cost! However, this is in limited supply. Good for short form programs, but not sustainable if you are in a icosathlon. For these situations you’ll want to use an actual, serious lubricant. Plus, saliva doesn’t have the necessary non-friction properties that are in lubricants, it dries really fast, can cause UTIs, and can transfer STIs.
Vegetable oils of all kinds are suitable for all sorts of playtime. And pure Organic Coconut Oil is debatably the best oil substance for your makeshift slip ‘n slide. However, use caution as Coconut Oil (like other oils) is not compatible with Latex, Condoms, or Silicone. Oils also can stain and be difficult to get it out of your cloths, sheets, bedding, floor, curtains, tablecloths, upholstery, backseats…basically any cloth material.
In the instances when you do not want oil on everything, as it can be a serious pain in the ass to clean up, seek out a water based version. Some H20 lubricants can dry out quicker than oil lubricants, and could become sticky. My suggestion to this is to apply more! Flip the idea of “Ugh, we gotta add more lube” to “….more lube…” and have some fun with it!
Once you find a lubrication you feel is the most sustainable for you, be sure to do a dive into the company’s transparency, sourcing, information about ingredients, ethics, customer service, shipping, packaging, and so on.
Lastly, I’d also suggest opting for containers that you will re-use. As just buying more plastic to add to the trash heap is not a good move. Additionally, buy the biggest container of it. Or a lot of it at once if you are shipping it. This will cut down on the negatives of travel and distribution.
Got a question that you want a zero waste & sustainable answer to? Drop us a line and say hello!
