It’s not a particularly popular subject but the fact of the matter is that vaginal yeast and bacterial infections are incredibly common in women. And exceedingly unpleasant when it happens. Luckily, there are both over-the-counter conventional products and homemade version that can help…obviously, here we’re most interested in the latter! Three ingredients and minimal hands on time is all this recipe requires and you’re on your way to relief!
Note: I strongly recommend not self-treating unless you’ve seen a doctor and know exactly what is going on. There are many disease states that mimic more benign vaginal infections and it is incredibly dangerous to have something go undiagnosed. To be honest, this recommendation goes for anything in medicine…as does the recommendation that homemade treatments can sometimes only take you so far before conventional treatments are considered.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 5 drops tea tree oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
Steps:
1. Place melted coconut oil into a small jar. You can melt you coconut oil by 1) microwaving it for about 20 seconds, 2) melting it using a double broiler, or 3) submerging the jar of coconut oil in hot water until it melts.
2. Add the tea tree oil and lavender essential oil drops into your melted coconut oil and mix well.
3. Pour your mixture into your suppository molds. As far as molds go, you have 2 options (see both below in the picture). You can either use the applicator that is provided with over-the-counter yeast treatments (handy but definitely the more expensive option…unless you already have some on hand) or you can make a makeshift trough for the suppository out of foil.
4. Place the molds into the freezer for several minutes before using.
You can store the finished suppositories in the fridge or freezer but you’ll want to leave them at room temperature before using so that they aren’t too cold. You can insert them once or twice a day (doing it at night is easiest because you’re horizontal for a while) and definitely make sure to use a pantry-liner because it can make a mess!
D.I.G. 
I think you mean pessary. A suppository is inserted into the rectum, a pessary is inserted into the vaginal canal.
Suppositories can be rectal, vaginal, or urethral.
Hi Alex. I have been searching something natural because chemical treatments doesnt worked for me. I would like to know if this recipe is for 1 suppository? And how many I will need?
Thank you for your post and for your answer.
I’m sorry to hear that! I’ve been in similar situations and know it can be incredibly frustrating. One thing to make sure is that you are in fact treating what you think you’re treating, since failure of other therapies can indicate a different problem…so I wouldn’t try homemade things unless you’ve gotten a clear diagnosis from your health care provider. That all being said, this recipe makes about 5 suppositories which has been enough for me but you might need to make a second batch if the infection is more severe. Hope that all helps! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Can I add a probiotic to these? I’m worried the coconut oil will be too hot and kill it? Thank you.
It should be fine as long as you gently heat the coconut oil just to the point of melting. I like putting it on my stove when I’m cooking something else and it just barely melts!
What is the reason you add Lavender?
Lavender also some mildly antibacterial properties plus it’s soothing to inflamed tissues. But you could leave it out if you wanted to 🙂
I am looking for an applicator just like that, where did you get yours? Thank you:)
I bought a Monistat pack a while back so I had that left over!
You use 5 different molds? Or the one mold and cut it into 5 pieces?
Excuse my ignorance
It depends on what mold you choose use. If you have the applicators, I’d do just 5 of those but if you’re making the foil one, I find it easy to make one long one and then chunk it up 🙂
Hi Alex, I love your article and I’ve been making my own suppositories for a while now. I noticed at the end you advise
“(doing it at night is easiest because you’re horizontal for a while) and definitely make sure to use a pantry-liner because it can make a mess!”
About a year ago I started using suppository applicators from sephure when taking my suppositories and I don’t have that issue. Not sure if this will be helpful but just wanted to share. I know I prefer taking them in the morning as part of my morning routine rather than at night.
That’s really interesting thanks for sharing that information! I’m sure it’s easier for some people to do it in the morning so that’s very good to know!
How often do I use the suppository and for how long?
When I do, I usually end up doing them for 3-5 days once a day but everyone is going to be different with how they respond so I do recommend talking to your health care provider and going by how you feel 🙂
Ty Alex for this site very helpful
Thanks! So glad you’re enjoying it!
Thanks for this recipe! I have been getting them from my naturopathic doctor for awhile now and they are pricey, also they are closed due the week so this is saving me!! Thank you! I don’t have a suppository mold so I am using a gummy bear mold. Lol!
Haha that’s a great use of repurposing the molds!! Glad it’s working out for you though with the price and all 🙂
Yayyy!! I am so glad to have found this! I was wondering if I could use Peppermint oil instead of Lavender?? (it’s what I have).
Glad you found it too! These are handy to whip up when the moment strikes! I’ve never tried them with peppermint but I would be concerned about it burning a lot. Maybe just leaving it out and using the tea tree oil alone would be a better option.
Hello there,
I’ve been struggling with recurrent yeast infection for almost three years. Doctors failed to help me, one of them even had the guts to shame me for seeking help (when, in her own words, people are suffering from much more serious illnesses). I’ve decided to turn to natural remedies as a last resort.
I’ve changed my dietary habits, as I’m trying to take a holistic approach towards my problem, and am still wondering how to boost my immune system…
The question I have is whether I can use three suppositories a day? Before sleep, in the morning, and in the middle of the day? Would it be an overkill? My body tolerates tea tree oil and I have no feeling of discomfort.
I also douche with a solution of Benzydamini hydrochloridum before applying tea tree oil suppository. Is it a good idea? Opinions regarding the effectiveness and safety of douching vary, because it causes imbalance in a vaginal flora, but then again – isn’t it unbalanced enough from rampaging candida?
So sorry to hear that you’re struggling with this! How miserable. And sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with a few providers
I do think that 3 a day might be overkill. If it were me, I’d lengthen the treatment time rather than increase the dose in that way. I agree that douching is probably not a very good idea though because it can potential track infection higher up into the reproductive system in addition to keeping things imbalanced. Just my persona thoughts on the matter. Have you done an elimination diet and had gut lab work done? Candida overgrowth in many people is a side effect of a deeper issue so further testing is my usual next step. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your reply. To be honest, after my disappointing and fruitless attempts to seek help among doctors, I stopped trusting them completely. Not one of them suggested seeing an endocrinologist or any other specialist.
Another thing that is bothering me, is that my yeast infection is not as agressive, as it used to be. I feel light discomfort and burning, but that is all. Vaginal discharge is minimal. It’s candida, no doubt about that (laboratory tests were made). But it makes me wonder why it changed its form.
My problems began when I’ve moved to another country. One of gynecologists came up with an idea, that it’s because of microclimate change. Even if, it seems a bit absurd.
I will continue tea tree oil treatment, but I will follow your advice and see other specialists.
Help I jave uroplasma both and we’ll I wondered if there’s any natural remidies tea tree oil ect.
Alex, I have done these the past two nights and both nights I woke up about 4:00 with more intense itching than I went to bed with. After the first night of doing this (in the morning), I mixed a women’s probiotic capsule with some coconut oil and inserted that into the area. By the afternoon the itching was gone. Then after dinner it started to come back mildly. I again repeated the tea tree suppository that night and woke up with intense itching again as I said. Any thoughts why this would be?
Hi Jessica, sorry to hear that you’re dealing with that! Sounds like it could be a couple things. It could be that either something else is going on that the suppositories aren’t helping with or it’s just a bad enough infection that you need something like oral diflucan. In either case, a trip to your gyne is a good idea (actually, that’s usually a good idea with these things in general). The other thing is that the amount of essential oils is bothering you and that you could make another batch with smaller amounts and see how that goes. Good luck! I hope it gets better soon! I know that’s super miserable.