Best way to lubricate yourself to get into a wetsuit?

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LeggoDiveyDivey

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Location
London, UK
# of dives
200 - 499
This is mainly a problem for wetsuits at or above 5mm. I have done extensive research and seen people use different methods and wanted to get some recommendations online. I am generally leaning towards using coconut oil or avocado oil and wanted to ask if anyone has had experience using it.

So far here's what I have seen:

Recommended:
Stream2Sea hair conditioner
Aloe vera gel
Coconut, aloe vera, olive oil. (Assuming here that the first person that used fish oil got bitten)
Professional lubricants (Neoslix, anti chaffing sticks, expensive though)
Water (Wet the suit, take a shower)

Good but not reef safe:
Hair conditioners (most contains sulfates or chemicals)

Unorthodox (Sounds bad, works):
Water based dildo/sex lube. Likely not reef safe

Sounds good, doesn't work:
Soap (will dry you out)
Vaseline (petroleum jellies degrade wetsuits)

Out of scope:
Plastic bag. I disliked using this because in tight corners the bag will stretch, maybe even break off and then fly off into the ocean.
Wearing a rashguard or lycra. I somewhat already do this but the wetsuit gets snagged on tricky areas like the calves and hips.
 
Water (Wet the suit, take a shower)
I like this as it’s a 2-in-1 method: I need to clean both my skin and the suit from the salt (and the occasional wee)

Edit: oh my bad, it’s into not out of — actually I tried that once (water to get in), failed miserably. I use a plastic (small sized) drybag to get in as they are durable and can be used for other purposes (I carry a few to leave my phone/wallet in; esp if on boat) — I get your pain about shopping plastic bags amd their risk factors
But I also use only 3mm or lower so 🤷🏽‍♀️
 
Depending on the lining of the wetsuit you might want to reconsider slathering it with lubricant. I certainly wouldn't do with to my Henderson Aqualock 5mm. A lycra rashguard and an exra pair of lycra socks over my hands lets me slide right into it. (The Mako website says that their lubricant is for open cell neoprene.)
 
A full suit rash guard is the simplest solution, particularly for LOB diving. One has to be careful with zippers and such, but once you get used to it you won't want to go back to struggling. And a pair of lycra socks adds to the overall ease of getting in and out of a heavier wetsuit.
 
A full suit rash guard is the simplest solution, particularly for LOB diving. One has to be careful with zippers and such, but once you get used to it you won't want to go back to struggling. And a pair of lycra socks adds to the overall ease of getting in and out of a heavier wetsuit.

Do you recommend any lycra trousers or socks? I have the Cressi Fin socks but am starting to dislike the stitch in the center.
 
Plastic bag or in my case: water. Dip the wet suit in water for a min but I have no experience with 7mm suit, 5 is the max.
 
I regularly wear a 7mm wetsuit, and have never found any kind of lubrication necessary. It gets easier with practice.

Getting into a very dry wetsuit that’s been stored in the A/C for months is hard - if I have a wetsuit that’s hasn’t been used for a while, I run it under the shower a few days before I plan to wear it, to give it some stretch back. Other than that, it’s easiest to get into dry wetsuits if you’re dry, and wet wetsuits if you’re wet - getting into a bone dry wetsuit when you’re sweaty all over doesn’t usually work very well. I find it easier to dampen the suit or at least try to wipe the sweat off to dry your skin so you don’t stick.
 

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