How to Choose A Lubricant For Masturbation Or For Your Sex Toy
Whether you call it lube or lubricant, using something additional to make things a little smoother during sex, masturbation or just whilst using a sex toy can be great and in some cases even recommended. While a lot of people can masturbate without lube, there are sex toys can be uncomfortable without it. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know which lubricants are suitable for your body or your sex toy. Here's a quick guide to the types of lube you can find online and how to use them!
Contents
What is Lubricant/Lube?
As mentioned earlier, lubricants can be used during sex, masturbation or with a sex toy. There are multiple reasons for using lubricants, from increasing your pleasure to preventing injury during masturbation and sex, and even for medical issues such as for people who have had difficulty producing their own natural lubrication. As with anything used on sensitive areas such as around your genitals, it's good to know the different types of lubricants, their uses and the problems that may arise with their use.
Types of Lubricant You Can Use During Masturbation or With a Sex Toy
There are three main types of lubricants that we'll cover here, although there can be small variations or even hybrid lubricants. Therefore, we advise you to take some time to learn about the type of lubricant you may want to buy.
Water-based lube
Water-based lubricants don't tend to damage condoms or sex toys, and can generally be one of the safest options for both masturbation and sex.
There are two main varieties of water-based lubricants: those that contain glycerin and those that don't. Water-based lubricants that contain synthetic glycerin are usually flavoured or offer a warming sensation.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of water-based lubricants.
Oil-based lube
Often oil-based lubricants are among the first things people experiment with. This is because there are notoriously easy-to-find everyday products such as petrolatum jelly, baby oil, many hand lotions and similar products that men in particular are often depicted using in popular media. All of these products are oil-based, but may not always safe for use with a sex toy or masturbation. These oil-based lubricants can also damage and destroy condoms, for example.
There are natural oil-based lubricants made from natural ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil, aloe vera etc. It should be noted that if you decide to use this type of lubricant, be sure to find out whether the substances could be potentially harmful and whether they can be used internally or externally safely.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of oil-based lubricants.
Silicone-based lubricants
Silicone-based lubricants generally don't dry up as quickly as other lubricants on this list and may be particularly useful for women who suffer from issues such as vaginal dryness or frequent yeast infections or frequent urinary tract infections. Silicone-based lubricants are also usually waterproof and not absorbed as fast by the skin, which means they can be perfect for longer-lasting masturbation sessions or prolonged sex.
Silicone-based lubricants, like silicone-based sex toys, are usually more expensive than other varieties. It's also been reported that lubes can damage silicone sex toys over time when used together. This usually happens when the lubricant is used together with the sex toy and not cleaned sufficiently, but again, additional research is recommended depending on your specific sex toys and type of lubricant.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of silicone-based lubricants.
Safe Use of Lubricants
One of the most important things to remember about using lube safely is to make sure you don't have a potential allergy to the ingredients in your lube before you use it on sensitive areas. A simple patch test is the easiest way to find out, preferably on the inside of your elbow. If you're using the lube with a sex toy, you should also make sure that it's suitable for use with your toy. As mentioned earlier, silicone-based lubricants can damage silicone toys over time, so a water-based lubricant is possibly safer.
Whether you use a condom during sex or masturbation, make sure your lubricant is compatible with the condom you're using. As mentioned earlier, oil-based lubricants aren't safe for condoms because they can make the condoms porous, which can lead to breakages. They can also alter the pH and bacteria levels of your genitals, which can lead to infections and other issues.
Finally, lubricants shouldn't be used as contraceptives. Most of them don't contain spermicide, so they neither prevent pregnancies nor stop the transmission of STIs.
Which Lube Should I Buy?
Now we've noted the advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds of lube available, what kind of lubricant should you buy and why?
Water-based lubricants are a good and safe choice for sex toys. TENGA offers four different water-based lubricants with the HOLE LOTION series. Each lubricant is graded on a scale according to viscosity, so you can easily find out which LOTION is suitable for your sex toy. If you're still unsure, we recommend REAL HOLE LOTION as the best introduction to the range and to water-based lubricants in general.
If you are interested in learning more about the TENGA HOLE LOTION Series and finding out which lube is best for masturbation for you, check out this article.
If you're looking for a lube for coupled play, whichever lube you choose, you should always make sure to check the ingredients and make sure you or your partner don't have any potential allergies.
Ultimately, lube is like food: Everyone has different preferences, likes and dislikes, so try them out with the above recommendations in mind and find what suits you.
