This week in Unnecessary Advice From Celebrities, Khloé Kardashian explained in a recent post on her app that she just loves using vitamin E oil on her vagina.
She first touted the oil's supposed ability to "fight wrinkles, inflammation, and redness" when used on the face. But then, she took things too far, adding that taking vitamin E oil in tablet form can "balance cholesterol levels, ease PMS symptoms, and improve muscle strength." And then she added: "No joke: Vitamin E may strengthen vaginal lining!!! Moisturize your labia and vagina with Vitamin E oil to combat dryness and soothe irritation."
Um, what? While vitamin E oil may be useful in your skin care routine (and at the very least won't hurt you), the rest of this is very bad advice.
Let's start with what she said about the vagina. Outside of an obvious issue, like an infection (burning or pain while urinating, foul-smelling discharge, or itching), your vagina is surprisingly great at taking care of itself. It is already a self-cleaning, self-lubricating organ, and you don't need to "strengthen [the] vaginal lining." (We're not even sure what she means by that.)
Thankfully, Jen Gunter, MD, has already debunked the concept pretty definitively: “I would not recommend this nor is there any study that looks at this for healthy, premenopausal women,” she explained to The Daily Beast. “If you are 32 and have a dry vagina, see your doctor and try a silicone-based lube.” (There are a lot of excellent options to choose from.)
Then, it's also worth noting that there is no evidence that vitamin E helps with high cholesterol, and the research on its usefulness against PMS symptoms is mixed, according to the Mayo Clinic. There's some evidence to suggest that vitamin E can help build and repair muscle, but you don't need a tablet — or oil — to get it. It's also found in nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and green leafy vegetables, all of which carry other health benefits as a bonus.
The important thing to remember is that vitamins are not catch-all miracle pills, and getting too much of one can sometimes actually be harmful. As an antioxidant, vitamin E gets a lot of hype that, it turns out, isn't necessarily deserved. Some research has even suggested that you might have a higher risk of death if you take a lot of antioxidants.
So, in conclusion, vitamin E is not magical, your vagina is not a ziploc bag, and celebrities are not (usually) doctors.