Your which, what, and wheres about lube answered
What is lube?
Lubricant or lube, is a liquid or gel that you can apply to enhance masturbation or sex with a partner. Let’s make one thing clear: using lube to enhance your sex needs to be normalized! Using lube doesn’t mean you’re trying to fix anything in your sex life. Rather, its purpose is to intensify the experience. Lube provides a slicker encounter and reduces friction, which can increase pleasure.
This guide will take you through the ins and outs of where on your body you can use lube, how to apply it, which lube to choose, what to use lube for, and how to apply lube, so that you feel fully prepared to bring it into the bedroom.
Is it safe to use lube down there?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk safety. If you’re new to lube, you might be wondering where it’s safe to actually use it. Can it go inside the vagina, or just around the vulva? Inside the anus, or just around the anal opening? You can rest assured knowing most lubes are safe to put on the penis, vulva, inside the vagina, around the anal opening, and inside the anus.
The caveat is, you might find you are prone to reactions such as yeast infections from certain lubes. If this is the case, make sure you steer clear of any ingredients in the lube that could cause yeast infections. Different lubricants such as silicone or oil-based lubes can cause yeast infections, UTIs, and increase susceptibility to STIs. Both of these lubricants stick around a bit longer than water-based lube does, so they create an environment for more bacteria to hang out. If you might be prone to yeast infections, choose a water-based lube.
Using lube and condoms
Lube is not a contraceptive, so it’s essential to make sure that you still use protection with lube.
One thing you MUST take into consideration with lube is that latex and oil-based lube do not work together! Oil-based lubes (and yes, this includes the pantry-favorite coconut oil) degrade latex, so using them together should be avoided at all cost. However both silicone-based lubes and water-based lubes are viable options to use with latex.
You can apply a water-based lube or silicone lube to the outside of a latex condom before penetration. If you’re wondering, can lube go inside of a condom? Yep! Apply a few drops of lube on the tip of the penis before rolling the condom down. Make sure you roll the condom down the right way, and if you accidentally roll it the wrong way, grab a new one and start over.
What types of play can you use lube for?
Lube can intensify solo-play, use of sex toys, anal play, intercourse, or even dry humping. You can use lube to enhance foreplay as well. Lube creates more sliding and less friction. If you are using lube with a sex toy, aim for either oil-based or water-based as silicone can degrade silicone sex toys.
How much lube do I use?
Pro-tip. You can’t use too much lube. A few drops may be all some people need to make things wet and slick, but this also depends on which activity you’re looking to dive into. If anal play is on the menu, rule on the side of using more, as the anus doesn’t self-lubricate.
One thing to note is that oil-based lubes and silicon-based lubes stain your sheets, so if you have a high thread count, put a towel down or put your sheets immediately into the wash after use.
Is there a wrong way to use lube?
You can safely relax when using lube and know that there’s no wrong way to use it. Some lubes are flavored, making them a more appealing option for oral sex. Ensure that the flavored lube you choose is also edible and doesn’t contain harmful ingredients to swallow.
So, after doing a bit of research on which kind of lube is right for you, you may be ready to experiment.
Here’s how to (actually) apply lube
- Squeeze a few drops on your fingertips. Keep the bottle of lube within reach so that if you need more later, you can quickly add it! If you are doing any form of anal play or tend to need more help self-lubricating, use more.
- Rub your fingertips together to warm up the lube. Cold lube on the genitals is not fun, or enjoyable.
- Apply lube onto the genitals, fingers, or sex toy.
- Get your freak on, bone, make love, or whatever you’d like to call having sex
- Reapply lube when needed.
One thing to note is that after using oil-based or silicone-based lubes, wash these lubes off if you are prone to yeast infections.
From lubricant to lubriCAN!
That was easy, right? Now that you know the ins and outs of using lube, you’re ready to bring it into the bedroom and turn up the pleasure.
1 comment
Should I use lube on my tongue when going down on a woman?