Confused Which Lube?
Currently there are hundreds of different lubricants out there on the market. Buying sex toy lubes or sensual sex lubricants can be very confusing especially as lubricants are marketed as having enough features to make your head spin. In this article, we will push aside those myths about sex toy and other sensual lubes to give you a clear understanding on what you are buying and how best to use it. First of all, you have to decide what the intended lubricant is to be used for: vaginal intercourse? Anal penetration? Sex toy masturbation? Or just for fun? Answer these questions and you are on your way to choosing a lube.
Lubricants come in three basic variations:
Water-based lube, which is the most common and most versatile;
Silicone-based lube, which is similar to water-based lube but waterproof;
Petroleum-based lube, which is great for anal play.
Water-based lubricants are a lot thinner in texture than oil-based lubes. These lubes are safe to use on all sex toys regardless of composition and are often flavored. Water-Based lubricants can be used for all intended sexual purposes whether you are using it for vaginal or anal penetration with or without a sex toy. However, beware of using any flavored lubricants for penetration as these lubricants all contain glycerin or sugar which gives these novelty lubricants a sweet flavor but also the ability to change the sensitive pH level of a woman's vaginal tract making her susceptible to yeast infections. So beware of the strawberry, lime, kiwi and other flavored novelty lubes; they are only meant to be used for licking them off of your partner's nipples or other hidden places. There are some fantastic water-based lubricants for penetration out on the market such as Astroglide or Moist Personal Lubricant that may be used on virtually any vibrator sex toy, masturbation sleeve, erection ring or dildo sex toy for penetration. Special water based lubricants may be used for anal play sex toys, as you may want a lubricant like rear entry anal lube that also contains a desensitizer. A water-based lube is essential for any sex toy made of silicone as a silicone lube used on a silicone sex toy will destroy the sextoy. Silicone is essentially made up of tiny glass beads and when these almost microscopic beads rub together, the friction between the beads will wreak havoc on the silicone toy. So stick with a water-based lube for your premium silicone toys, and use silicone lube for the purpose for bath time sex toy fun!
However, the greatest advantage of water-based lube is the no fuss clean-up - rinse the sex toy with warm water, and voila… you're done! However, if you like to use waterproof toys (during a bath, in a hot tub, etc), a water-based lubricant will rinse right off, so read on to discover the uses of silicone and oil based lubricants....
Silicone lubes are the perfect choice for sensual sex toy fun in the water. If you love your waterproof sex toys (or just love having sex in the water), snag some silicone lubricant and jump in the tub! Another positive for silicone lubricant is that it lasts longer than the average water based sex toy formulas and can be easily revived after a lengthy encounter with your favorite vibrating sex toy, just by adding a little water or saliva to the sex toy. Silicone lubes never absorb into the sex toy nor do they evaporate like some water-based sex toy lubes. The flip side is that cleaning your sex toys (and yourself) will take a little more effort—-a good soapy wash usually does the trick.
Oil-based lubricants are usually made from natural products, such as vegetable or nut oils which tends to make oil-based lubes a guaranteed fabric stainer. Oil based sex toy lubricants can be difficult to wash off, but they are safe for use with the vagina or anus. Oil-based lubes, like petroleum-based lubes, destroy latex, so they should never be used with condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps or for latex or rubber sex toys.
Oil-based lubricants are great for anal sex, vaginal intercourse, and male or female masturbation.
Petroleum-based lube should really only be used with non-latex anal sex toys or for male masturbation. These lubes are great for anal sex toy play or penetration because they're generally thicker than other types of lubricant, making entry easier.
However, do not use a petroleum-based lube with anything made of latex - sex toys, condoms, or other products, as the petroleum will destroy the latex on contact. Petroleum also tends to irritate a woman's vagina, so we don't recommended this type of lubricant for intercourse or for use with any sort of vibrator or dildo intended for vaginal penetration.