Ahhh the Joy of Lube

Now, all of this is totally informal life experience. No real scientists were used in gathering this information. Just a very willing human guinea pig or two. Here are some specifics about lubes that I like, dislike, have tried or even heard about from people that have USED them. Not the bunch of hype that you get from the sales person at your local store or from the manufacturer's. Let's face it. They are NOT going to tell you that their lube gets sticky in less than 10 min. They are also not going to tell you that it stains the sheets. I will. As I mentioned in my short bio, I have several allergies and skin sensitivities, so even if a lube doesn't work for me, if you don't have those problems, you should go ahead and give it a try. I also know many many people that swear by KY. Personally, it just doesn't give me the performance I look for. If there is a lube you have been wondering about, leave a comment. If I haven't already tried it, I may just go and field test it for you. ;) As I said, these are my personal opinions (and those of a few of my friends). Yours may differ. Not everyone has the same body chemistry or needs. For example, I have one friend that hardly ever uses lube. Her reason, she gets lubed enough on her own that when she does... she can't hardly feel her husband. (Name excluded to protect the lesser endowed and my own neck.) Another friend can't even begin to think about playing without it. A total hysterectomy put her into early menopause. You have to look at finding the right lube as a treasure hunt. Sure, it is gonna cost you a bit. There are times when the sex is going to be laughably horrible because of a bad lube. Even those memories are good ones. Like the time my husband got so into things that he grabbed the silicone lube after first using a water based. I love he got that distracted, even if I didn't like the first degree burns. I still smile when I think about that night.

In my toy chest now:

Kama Sutra brand Love Liquid - The love liquid is their lightweight water-based. They have other ones as well. I have also tried their silicone-based Pleasure Potion. The water-based is one of my top ranked water-based lubes. It is pretty thin, so didn't hold up to everything I put it through, but it never did get sticky on me. You should know, I HATE sticky. If a lube gets sticky, the bottle gets tossed before I am done playing that night. I actually didn't like the silicone-based as well as their water-based one. Normally, I have a preference for the silicone because of its endurance. The Kama Sutra Love Liquid also got a good rating from my husband. Not the most expensive on the list and it is pretty easy to find. If you find you need to upgrade your lube, this might be worth a try.

Jo H2O- I have two different formulas on this one. I have the original and the anal. Now, this stuff has the staying power of silicone without the interaction issues. The Anal is slightly thicker than the original. This is the priciest lube I have purchased... but WOWZERS it is worth it. The only down side... it tastes horrible. I don't just mean bad. I mean it will gag you like never before. Still, it doesn't get sticky. Even after 3 hours (!!!!) of continual play. (Have I mentioned I adore my husband?) This is a bit trickier to buy. There are tons of places that sell it online. The only stores I have found it in (in my area) are the hardcore toy stores, (e.g. Castles and Hustler). Not that this is a great hardship for me. Even if we never buy anything, my husband and I have fun going and looking around on a date night.

Pure Romance brand Whipped- I have the white chocolate fluff. This is a cream style water based scented and flavored lube and massage cream. (Isn't that a mouthful, but it least it was a good tasting mouthful.) The staying power on this one is not bad at all. I enjoyed the taste. It works as a massage cream too, gotta love it when a product is multi-purposed and works for both! Another advantage to this product is that it pretty much stays where you put it. None of the annoying drip factor. I have decided that this one needs further testing. ;)

Pure Romance brand Just Like Me- I have the strawberry flavored. This one just bordered on getting sticky... until... you get it wet again. Yep, you heard me, if it looses it's slickness you just lick it and it gets nice and lubed again. I bet you can already imagine the possibilities that this one feature brings to mind. Now, this is not the lube I grab for the more, intense, nights, but it works beautifully for every day kind of play. It also means you don't have to plan what happens when as much as with the lubes that don't taste as good. This product is more of a gel like consistency so it didn't do a lot of dripping either. More than the cream, but less than the first two types in my toy box.This one is not in my toy box now, but it is on my next to buy list. I haven't gotten to try it yet, but my husband raves about it. (We have only been married a few years so don't go gettin any ideas ;) )

This is not in my toy chest, I hope I can put it in the "coming to you soon" catagory though.

Empowered Products Pink Water- This is billed as a flavor free, dye free, scent free personal water-based lubricant with aloe vera that is formulated for women specifically. My husband has this to say about it: "It's as slick as the Jo H2O, but even more woman-friendly as far as slickness and lasts for what seems an eternity. It's not very thick, so there is some drip factor, but that is minimal." I can't wait to get my 'hands' on some.

I will post more about some of the lubes I didn't like. I just thought that I would give you a sampling of what has worked for me to start with. There are so many products out there I could do an entire blog just on lube. Interesting thought, but not what this one is about.

Let's talk about Lube Baby...

Yep, I am starting with the basics. Lube is the secret that is NOT passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter (though the latter is more likely). Lube is also what can make a complicated and intense night actually NOT painful. Lube is... the best thing to have in your sexual arsenal. Like so many things all lubes are not created equal. Lets discuss the major types of lube.

Oil based- Ok, this one I have to take a pass on. I tried it on my inner arm once, ended up with hives. Tried another brand... same result.. and another.. and another... and another.. You get my point. It is not condom safe (even the non latex condoms don't like it that much) and it tends to cause more irritation in more people.

Water based- Water based runs the board for good and bad. Some of the worst lubes are water based, so are some of the best and most non-reactive. The number one thing to watch out for in water based lubes is glycerin. Glycerin is what makes water based lubes become sticky messes that will annoy even the most in-to-things couple. They are totally joyless for your quality alone time as well. Water based lubes also lend to a variety of flavoring, coloring and perfuming options. Personally, I usually, avoid all of these things due to very sensitive skin.

Silicone-This stuff is amazing. No, amazing does not even cover what this lube is... unless... you happen to like silicone toys. Then it is a dangerous interaction waiting to happen. Silicone lube breaks down silicone toys, it literally dissolves the surface of the toys. Also, mixing water based lube and silicone can cause irritation on skin. (I learned that by accident, the hard way.) Silicone is very long lasting, hardly ever gets sticky, and it allows you to play for hours. All in all, if you are not using any silicone toys, (harder and harder to do these days with all the wonderful silicone toys, but that is another post) I highly recommend it.

There are a huge range of things that I have heard, or seen, used as lubes. Things like butter, shortening, olive oil, etc. All of the ones I mentioned can work, but have some major health and safety drawbacks. They can all go rancid. They can also carry contaminants that just do not make for safe play. While cheap and readily available I cannot think of any other really good points.

Now, even if you have sensitive skin, it is worth trying the scented and flavored lubes. I recently went to a "Pure Romance Party", where they actually let you try some of the products. There were several flavored and scented options that I could use, and boy do they allow you more flexibility in play options. I love not having to plan "ok, we can do this, then that, then that other thing" because of nasty tasting lube. Having good lube should increase your spontaneity, not decrease it.

There is another choice out there for each of these major categories. Liquid or cream. Part of that is personal preference and part of it is how much... friction.. you can expect from that activity. A lot of anal lubes are cream for that reason, they tend to stay in place better and the thicker formula decreases friction even more.

There are also specialty lubes, things that warm or cool or even plump the tissues. Most of these use mild irritants, stimulants or additives such as menthol. They can give some very interesting sensations. Once again, if you have sensitive skin or allergies, you will need to be careful with these. I react badly to most all of them. I also get reports of not liking the intensity caused by a lot of these lubes. One friend mixes a water based warming lube with her regular water-based lube so that it wouldn't be so hot.

Here it is, a basic primer on the types of lube available. Go out, find a store with testers, or buy small test packets, try them, have fun with it. It is worth spending money on the small sizes or the one-time test sizes. In the next post I will get into specifics of products I have tried, liked or disliked. I just wanted to start out with a general idea of what I am talking about.

What you will see through the rest of this blog...

What you will see are my personal reviews of adult toys that I have tried and liked, or disliked. This will be an open candid and sometimes detailed discussion. If you are easily offended, or judgmental, I do not recommend reading here. I will be touching on topics that are not always mainstream acceptable. Thank you girltoys69