52–year-old Meggie, who suffers from vaginal dryness, was recommended the use of coconut oil as treatment. Understandable, right? After all, coconut oil is often used as moisturizer for dry feet, hands and even hair, since its virtues as moisturizer are widely agreed upon.

However, having applied coconut oil to her delicate vaginal skin, Meggie's condition did not improve. In fact, she experienced a rush-like redness and the itching was exacerbated, both symptoms indicating overstimulation.

But why did it happen? It turns out coconut oil isn't suitable for vaginal use, and even less so if the symptoms you experience include dryness. In fact, it is the one type of dryness that  shouldn't  be treated by coconut oil. Vaginal dryness is a common phenomenon, experienced by 66% of women over 60 years old and 33% of women at large. Although widely spread, especially among menopausal women, and women who had undergone hormonal changes (deriving from pregnancy, breastfeeding etc'), it is hardly addressed.

The dryness causes discomfort, often in the form of itching, tingling, or pain during sexual intercourse.

So why is coconut oil unhelpful?

First of all, coconut oil is comedogenic, meaning it has a tendency to clog the pores – in this incident, the pores of your delicate vaginal skin, which is naturally undesirable. And though common sense might suggest that since coconut oil is, well, 'oily' – it naturally means that it will supply the necessary moisture to a dry body part, this kind of simple logic doesn't apply to our vagina, where other factors, such as pH level, play a key role.

In post-menopausal vaginal dryness situations, vaginal pH level increases significantly and exposes the area to infections. For some women, the increase of pH level has a worse effect than does the dryness. Therefore, the overall recommendation is to pay attention to the level of acidity of any product you might consider applying to your intimate area before doing so.

If you wish to be absolutely sure that you are on the safe side, the acidity level of any vaginal related product should be between 3.8 and 4.5. This spectrum of relatively low acidity serves as natural protection from infections and fungi.

So you probably wonder about the level of acidity of coconut oil

And rightfully so – the acidity level of coconut oil is between 7 and 8, which means that by applying coconut oil to your vagina, you actually disrupt the vaginal defense mechanism in a way that exposes your vagina to infections and fungi. Since coconut oil contains sugar as well, it may also cause (an outbreak of? The development of?) candida, which is known to thrive on sugar.

Caution! Condoms and coconut oil do not mix

One of the main dangers of using coconut oil to treat vaginal dryness, is its adverse effect on condoms. Using coconut oil can cause latex disintegration, which will impair the condom's role as an effective barrier against disease and infection, as well as a means of contraception.Coconut oil also impairs the elasticity of polyurethane and polysoprene condoms. Let's just say that a condom the swims in coconut oil is not a pretty sight.

What about coconut oil hygiene and cleanliness?

There are different types of coconut oil brands, from different sources, that differ in the level of cleanliness.Coconut oil is an agricultural crop, so it may contain residues of pesticides and other harmful substances. And you can probably do without pesticide remnants in your vagina…

And what do gynecologists have to say about the use of coconut oil for vaginal dryness?

Gynecologists, and doctors at large do not recommend any product that has not been scientifically researched and thoroughly tested, for the following reasons:

•      It is unknown to what extent coconut oil affects vaginal flora
•      There are no known scientific studies or published data of coconut oil used as a moisturizer for delicate skin in order to relieve postmenopausal dryness.
•      Coconut oil may induce allergies

In cases of vaginal dryness doctors recommend using carbomer free, low pH & low salinity products, that do not contain preservatives, which are harmful for Lactobacillus (the vagina's 'good bacterium') and increase the risk for infections.

Which is precisely why we developed REVIVE – a gel dedicated to treating vaginal dryness.

Developed by our top scientists, using cutting edge technology, the A-SPS patented compound is based on a natural gel, harvested from red algae, which possesses anti-inflammatory qualities that reduce irritation and restore moisture.

The important small letters

•      Contains  no  hormones or steroids
•      Paraben, phytoestrogen & preservativesfree
•      Ideal for soothing menopause induced dryness, resulting in vaginal irritation
•      Low salinity level (under 500)
•      Carbomer (synthetic gel) free
•      Acidity level between 3.8-4.5

                Ministry of Health approved

One click and it's yours>>