IMAGINE YOU'RE GETTING hot and heavy with your crush. You’re giving each other hungry, open-mouthed kisses, only taking breaks to strip off an article of clothing. Finally, you’re both stark nude, ready to have sex, but you notice a problem: You don’t have any lube. For some, it’s not a problem, as naturally, the vagina self-lubricates, and when aroused, it can get even wetter.
But often, even if your partner is aroused, their vagina might still require additional lubrication. This can be due to several things, like hormone changes or the fact that some women just don’t produce large amounts of arousal fluid no matter how turned on they get. That’s okay and normal, but you want lube in these scenarios. Dry vaginal sex isn’t pleasurable for anyone involved (and it actually can be pretty painful).
And if you were planning to have anal sex, well, the anus doesn’t self-lubricate at all, so some form of lubricant is really necessary.
In a pinch, you might think, well, I’ll just use spit as lube. And you wouldn’t be alone.
“Look, spit is almost certainly the most commonly used lube,” says Nora Langknecht, a certified sex educator at FUN FACTORY. But that definitely does not mean it’s the best form of lubricant.
Let’s look deeper at why you may want to avoid using spit as lube, and instead opt for real lube. (You know, the type you buy at a sex shop or online.)
Can you use spit as lube?
“Technically, yes, you can use spit as lube, but it is not recommended,” says Dr. Lee Phillips, a psychotherapist and certified sex and couple's therapist. Spit does not have the slippery consistency of lube. It not only dries quickly, but “saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down food, and these enzymes can irritate the vagina and anus,” he says.
What’s the risk of using spit as lube?
Essentially, when you have penetrative sex, you want to reduce the amount of friction. Friction doesn’t just lead to painful, unpleasurable sex, it can also lead to tearing of the vaginal or anal tissue.
“Spit doesn’t do an effective job at diminishing the significant friction in the anal space during engagement (it can actually even create additional friction),” says Dr. Evan Goldstein, founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical, a leading anal health private practice. The anal tissue is super thin to begin with, and alongside significant muscles in the male pelvis, any amount of increased friction can lead to localized trauma, such as tearing (fissures) and dilated veins (hemorrhoids), he adds.
Do you risk passing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when using spit?
Yes, because STIs, including herpes, can be transmitted to the genitals through spit. So, if your partner has an active outbreak, using their spit as lube can put you at risk of genital herpes. “What is frightening about this transmission is that the partner does not need a visible cold sore; the virus can be transmitted asymptomatically, too,” Phillips adds.
Dr. Evan Goldstein notes that he sees a lot more herpes type I anally, rather than type II herpes, which is often thought of as genital herpes, “simply because many people are licking and sucking (or rimming) and their saliva could be leading to transmission.”
Outside of herpes, Phillips notes that you can transmit other STIs, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis due to the presence of bacteria in saliva.
Do you risk other infections when you use spit as lube?
Saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down food, and also has a different set of bacteria than the ones present in the vagina. “The bacteria and enzymes present in your spit may upset the vaginal microbiome, and make a person more susceptible to a vaginal infection such as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis,” Langknecht says.
Is spit better than using nothing as lube?
Eh… kind of? Every single expert notes that any amount of decreased friction is beneficial. However, spit does not do a good job of reducing friction and, in some cases, exacerbates friction.
If you’re in a bind, try using coconut oil, vaseline, or aloe vera instead of spit. (We have an entire article dedicated to household items you can use in a pinch when you’re out of lube. Each of them has pros and cons—and many are not condom compatible—so make sure to check out that article before grabbing a bottle of peanut oil.)
Or perhaps, take penetrative sex off the table? Oral sex and/or rimming this time around, and next time, you’ll be prepared with a bottle of lube on your nightstand.
Not sure what type of lube to buy? We got you covered with our recommendations: Here are the best lube recs for vaginal and anal sex.
