I mainly use water-based lube, but the brands are getting more expensive. Some of them aren't formulated well, while others break down too fast. So I went online and collected a bunch of recipes. After making about 10 batches, here's the winner:

= = = = = = = =
HOMEMADE LUBE
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons food-grade vegetable glycerine
6 tablespoons water
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NOTES:
**IMPORTANT: Stir the xanthan gum and glycerine together until the xanthan gum is fully incorporated and there are no clumps. Only then should you add the water. Stir well until everything is combined. 

**Xanthan gum makes the lube cloudy, but it's essential. Get it online or in health food stores. It's expensive, but even 8 oz. (226 g) of it is cheaper than two bottles of Astroglide. Put the remainder in an airtight Ziploc bag and stick it in the freezer.

**If you want to add a preservative, get citric acid or replace 1 tablespoon of water with one tablespoon of white vinegar.

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-gf

I tried nitro-glycerine and ended up at the local hospital for two days ...

olive oil works fine 

Hi GF, you  really should get a job. So wots this lube for?, add ethanol to your recipe and run a glow plug motored aeroplane?. Or  add a tiny drop of nicotine and smoke it in an electronic vapour stick?. Ok, here I go showing my age again, Ooops yeah......Public Health Warning!!. Some of these are no longer available, some I tried once only(?), and old rockers like me never bought anything. Right, early days, nice girls a pint or bottle of beer to spare and Ponds cold cream she nicked from her mum, no beer wasnt drunk, use your imagination. Vasaline, only if nothing else about, ok for keeping feet soft when hiking, and lubing nylon geartrains. KY jelly hard to get in UK, but  was given couple of tubes by guitarist in well known band. Tell the truth he threw them at me, when i wandered in on him and a groupie, (yes both are still alive now). I didnt like KY at all, overated. For many years used Nivea face cream, if its gentle enough for yer face, girls seemed to approve. Nowaday, I got a few injuries over the years and have to keep damaged and thin skin supple, so doctor, regularly gives me a two litre E45 dispenser, rehydration cream, disapears into the skin, hmmm, in all sorts of places. Ok thers the donts.....Butter, it goes rancid with friction. Marge similar. No lards or dripping fat. Mayonaise might seem a fun idea, it is!, but girl will kill you next week. Ice cream and IcePops, well it was the 60s. Honey is interesting. Dont believe old tales about Mars bars, if you do, dont do it on the bed, messy. The story about chocolate flake is true. Peanut butter and jelly(yanks are odd) yep its ok, smooth of cause. Tomato sauce works(i'm getting strange memories typing this). Ooops yes there  was the lovely Linda, who had a maple syrup fetish, Heck, thats 1968. think stop there.  Drum

Drum:
After reading between the lines of your reply, I agree. Very few people would ever try making this. Choosing a lube is like choosing an electronic cigarette. There are way too many options and no one will ever agree on a type to use. (And you're right about another thing: you CAN add nicotine to food-grade vegetable glycerine and smoke it.)

Then there's the time factor. Spit? Quick and easy. Shampoo? Sure. Or if you're into entertainment, gross out your significant other and hollow out a honeydew melon... they might pretend to be mortified. But. They. Will. Watch.

I'm a life-long DIY'er. I've made my own computers. Tunnel earrings. Window cleaner. Salad dressings. Hell, I even tried to make my own soap once. For people who are curious or stubborn enough to make their own water-based lube that mimics the store-bought stuff, there are an insane number of "recipes" online. This really is a thing.  

For the record, my wife is VERY particular about what goes near her special spots. Silicone lube mostly. But there's absolutely no way for a DIY'er to make that. So yeah, I still buy actual products from actual stores.

-gf

Hi,GF.......not quite last word on subject, for last few years a substance called '  Bio-Oil ' has been on market. Used to massage out stretch marks and scars etc, girls are known to keep a bottle, its ok. Making soap?, we learnt that in science class, age ten. Just a thought, if using soap as lube, dont use any from india, well not without checking contents. Drum