Lube, Lube, Lube!

Things were getting heated between Brandon and I last weekend when he asked if I wanted to use some lube. The question took me aback for a minute, I was like LUBE?? I had heard about it before and knew generally what lube was, but I didn’t know people actually used it. I was kind of scared at first, the idea of pouring a foreign liquid on our private parts and having that enter my body, to be completely honest, kinda freaked me out.

Luckily Brandon was cool about it that night and the next day we looked up some things together to find out more. Wow was that interesting! There is SOOOOO MUCH INFORMATION out there on the internet about lube. It was really difficult to sift through everything – some people swear that a certain type of lube is basically the answer to all life’s problems but then another website would just completely tear that lube apart. Brandon and I spent a good 2 hours looking at different websites to figure out what was true and what was a load of baloney. Here are the basics of what we finally nailed down:

  • Lube in general is definitely recommended!
    • It decreases your risk of condom breakage- aka less likely to get STDs
    • Makes sex more comfortable, especially when there is a lack of natural lubricant (anal or vaginal)
  • But BE CAREFUL!
    • Stay away from these two chemicals: Parabens and Glycerin because they are most likely to cause irritation and they actually kill the good bacteria in a woman’s vagina
    • Know your body- if you’re allergic to something or have a strange reaction talk to a doctor!
  • There’s 3 types of lube and here’s the lowdown on each one:
    • Do not use oil based lube with condoms. This was something pretty much everyone out there agreed with because the oil will deteriorate the condom and causes it to break.
    • Water based lube:
      • Pro: Least amount of chemicals and therefore less likely to irritate
      • Pro: Safe with condom
      • Con: The body absorbs the water quickly so it needs to be reapplied
    • Silicone based lube:
      • Pro: Still effective in the shower or bath (Although it doesn’t always play well with water)
      • Pro: Better for anal sex because the anus absorbs water base lube very quickly
      • Pro: Safe with condom
      • Con: Doesn’t come off sheet or body easily
      • Con: Contains more chemicals so it might be more irritating to some
      • Con: Cannot be used with silicon sex toys, diaphragms, or cervical caps because it will deteriorate them
      • Con: More expensive

After all our research we decided to take the plunge! Glad we did the research, using the right kind of lube was GREAT! It made sex with my partner so much more enjoyable and I didn’t have any irritation or side effects. That being said though, I 100% recommend you do some of your own research until you figure out what’s right for you!