I have some fun news. I was asked to blog for Guy.com and I’m so excited to be a part of the Guy.com team!  So don’t forget to show some love to Guy.com and check me out there!

Now, I did some reviews on different condoms that I’ve had experience with, and mentioned I’d write a review on some of the lube I’ve used.  I’m fairly sensitive to most lubricants on the market, and so I’ve tried a whole bunch while trying to find one that I can use, that doesn’t make me swell up and burn inside.

Some things to know about lube in general.

1. Oil-based lube (anything with oil in it, actually, including lipgloss!) breaks down latex and polyisoprene condoms.  If you are using latex condoms, you MUST NOT use oil based lubricants.  Also be cautious if you’ve been using massage oil before sex.  Make sure to wash your hands before handling the condom to make sure no oily residue makes it onto the condom. There’s no point in taking a chance, right? Be smart and be safe!

2. Make sure to use enough!  There’s nothing worse than trying to have sex when your coochie is dry.  Sometimes, whether for hormonal reasons, or maybe nerves, or just from being exhausted from marathon sex, us girls can have trouble naturally self-lubricating.  Don’t take it personally, guys! I know some guys equate a girl’s being wet as a sign of her not faking it, but please put that thought out of your mind.  It’s simply not true.  So make sure to have some lube handy, because not only does sufficient lubrication make sex feel better for both of you, if you’re using condoms, it reduces the chances of their breaking if they are good and slippery.  Don’t worry about wasting it, or being thrifty trying to conserve, because this is an expense that’s worth making – even if you have to re-stock every week. (though honestly, if you’re having enough sex that you need to restock that often, good on ya!)

Now, with that in mind, on to my experience with lube

First I’ll start with ID Glide, a basic water-based lube.  Tried and true, this is your basic non-flavored, water based lube.  It is latex safe.  I found it to be very slippery at first, and not too thick.  As with most water based lubricant, it dries out fairly quickly, and gets very sticky. However, if you keep a bottle of water next to the bed, you can replenish the lube with a few drops of water.  I wouldn’t recommend it for anal sex, however, I don’t think you could replenish it as quickly as you’d need it – and you need lots of lube for anal!  Because it’s water based, clean up afterward is a breeze! I’m sensitive to glycerin, so I could not continue to use this lube, as it burns me.  Glycerin sensitivity is very common with women, so if you’ve never used it before, test a little bit by dipping your finger in some and rubbing on the inside of your labia.  If after 5-10 minutes it still feels fine, then you’re probably okay with it

Next, the ID Juicy Lube.  It’s the stuff that comes in all the fruity flavors in packets that they call ‘pillows.’  It’s water-based, and latex safe, and has no sugars or dyes, which is a plus.  I’ve tried the cherry and the strawberry, and I distinctly remember the flavor being anything but cherry or strawberry.  To me, it just tasted like sweet glycerin, with a hint of artificial fruit flavor.  It wasn’t a terrible taste, just not what I was expecting.  I found it to be exactly the same performance-wise as the regular ID unflavored lube.

Astroglide.  I found this stuff to be a little slicker than the ID Glide, but it’s performance was equal to ID’s.  Also water-based and latex safe.  Not very tasty though (not that you plan on dipping your chicken fingers in it or anything!), it was bitter and almost medicinal tasting.

Pjur Eros (pronounced “pure”) is a silicone based lube.  The benefit of a silicone based lubricant is that it’s much slicker than it’s water-based competitors, and doesn’t dry out very quickly.  It’s thicker, and more viscous, making it ideal for anal.  It doesn’t taste good, but given the choice of flavor between water based lube and silicone based lube, I’d pick the silicone.  Unlike water-based lube, this stuff is hard to wash off after (which kind of shows how good it is as a lube as far as staying put!) It definitely needs soap and water for removal, which makes an after-sex shower mandatory (but it should be anyway!)  Some people like to use this stuff in the bath or shower because of it’s nature, and not washing away with just water.

Sadly, I’m very sensitive to one of the ingredients used in silicone lube, and this stuff burned me almost instantly upon contact, but I’m kind of a freak of nature in that regard.  Silicone lube is the stuff that is regarded as the most hypoallergenic, and inert, and best to use for people who are sensitive to other lubricants.  So don’t get scared because of my reaction, the chance of having trouble with silicone lube is ridiculously small, like less than 1%.

URGENT NOTE: You CAN NOT use silicone lube with silicone based toys.  It will melt them.  I’ve had this happen when a bottle of silicone lube leaked in my toy drawer.  they looked like candles that were sitting on a window sill in the sun! Don’t mix silicone lube with silicone toys!  Silicone toys are great, but they’re on the more expensive side, and it would suck to have to replace just because of a little of the wrong kind of lube!

KY Sensual Silk – this is the only water-based lube I’ve found that doesn’t irritate my girlie bits.  I’m  not sure what’s different about this lube than other water-based lubes, but I like it.  Normally I’ll just use grapeseed oil (one of the few oils that can actually be absorbed by your body, as opposed to just sticking to the surface of your skin and mucking things up a lot!) because I prefer polyurethane condoms.  But when I’m with someone who is larger in size (sadly, polyurethane doesn’t come in a variety of sizes, nor does it stretch very well), I will use this lube because it’s latex safe.

I’m not going to go on about other brands of water-based or silicone lubes, as honestly, the differences are negligible.  The bottom line, is try ‘em out, and find the ones that work for you.  Make sure to be mindful of what they’re made of and where you’re using them.

So now, I leave you to get slippery and have fun!

xo Violet

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 10:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.