Know your lube and save $$$!
- By Sacha Kinksky
- Published 10/20/2008
Sacha Kinksky
Sacha hopes to enlighten readers with new views and reviews of everyone's favorite hobby. Just shy of middle-age (but with the energy of a 20-year-old!), Sacha hopes to provide a new perspective on videos, toys, and all things erotic. She's a big fan of adult entertainment and wants to make sure you're one too!
I don't know how many times I've heard the excuse that someone won't bother to use lube when it's needed simply because it's too expensive. Puh-lease!! There are plenty of excellent lubes out there that are easy to find, work fabulously, and are inexpensive.
I've written a review on my favorite (Liquid Silk) and it's very reasonable for the quality of product you're getting. However, even all the variations of Astroglide are inexpensive and you can find them most everywhere. ReviewersClub.com offers WET Original Classic and WET Light Classic -- both of which are excellent water-based lubes that are very reasonably priced. Even Gun Oil in both silicone and water-based versions lasts forever and you won't bust your budget trying to get some!
Just be sure that if you're going to use it, you know what you're buying. Most lubes don't contain spermicides anymore -- so if that's what you're looking for you'd better read the fine-print. If you're looking for a lube with spermicide, remember that many people have bad reactions to Nonoxynol 9 (spermicide) and you don't want you or your partner with an awful rash. If you get a rash, it makes passing HIV easier if the sores open up because of friction. Also, Nonoxynol 9 has been proven ineffective for contraception but some still prefer to use it along with condoms as a secondary measure of protection.
There are many lubricants with flavors that taste fabulous but can also leave fabulous stains on you, your clothes, your furniture, your carpet, and anything else you touch because they're tacky and hard to get off. And those flavors usually mean there's something sweet in the ingredients list -- and that means an itchy crotch if you're lax on your hygiene!
If you're using condoms (which you should if you're unsure of your or your partner's health!), ONLY use water-based lubes with latex condoms!! That goes for the thicker condoms marketed for anal sex, too!! Plenty of lube on any condom in any orafice will get the job done. Oh -- and NO Nonoxynol 9-containing lubes for anal sex!! You'll damage the lining of the rectum and make it WAY easier for HIV and STDs to spread!
Water-based lubes clean up the easiest. They can be used on most toys and and are a MUST for silicone toys. If you put your silicone-based lube on your silicone toy -- you'll just have a pile of melted silicone in your hands and that's not gonna get you off very easily! But, silicone-based lubes are excellent for water play as they last longer, work well on waterproof toys, and can be revived with water when the slick starts to wear off. Petroleum-based toys are best with non-latex anal toys. Everyone's favorite Anal Eze (available at ReviewerClub.com) is one of the best petroleum-based lubes and is STILL inexpensive enough to be a staple in everyone's toy kit.
So, find out what you need and make sure you're using the right lube for the right job. Just because a lube is expensive doesn't mean you can get a Cadillac through a mousehole with it, and just because it's cheap doesn't mean you'll suffer friction burns for weeks afterwards. The best way to find out what you like is to go to your local toy shop and visit the lube bar. The people who work there will be happy to let you try a sample so you can decide which to take home. Then just slather it on and slip-slide the night away!
I've written a review on my favorite (Liquid Silk) and it's very reasonable for the quality of product you're getting. However, even all the variations of Astroglide are inexpensive and you can find them most everywhere. ReviewersClub.com offers WET Original Classic and WET Light Classic -- both of which are excellent water-based lubes that are very reasonably priced. Even Gun Oil in both silicone and water-based versions lasts forever and you won't bust your budget trying to get some!
Just be sure that if you're going to use it, you know what you're buying. Most lubes don't contain spermicides anymore -- so if that's what you're looking for you'd better read the fine-print. If you're looking for a lube with spermicide, remember that many people have bad reactions to Nonoxynol 9 (spermicide) and you don't want you or your partner with an awful rash. If you get a rash, it makes passing HIV easier if the sores open up because of friction. Also, Nonoxynol 9 has been proven ineffective for contraception but some still prefer to use it along with condoms as a secondary measure of protection.
There are many lubricants with flavors that taste fabulous but can also leave fabulous stains on you, your clothes, your furniture, your carpet, and anything else you touch because they're tacky and hard to get off. And those flavors usually mean there's something sweet in the ingredients list -- and that means an itchy crotch if you're lax on your hygiene!
If you're using condoms (which you should if you're unsure of your or your partner's health!), ONLY use water-based lubes with latex condoms!! That goes for the thicker condoms marketed for anal sex, too!! Plenty of lube on any condom in any orafice will get the job done. Oh -- and NO Nonoxynol 9-containing lubes for anal sex!! You'll damage the lining of the rectum and make it WAY easier for HIV and STDs to spread!
Water-based lubes clean up the easiest. They can be used on most toys and and are a MUST for silicone toys. If you put your silicone-based lube on your silicone toy -- you'll just have a pile of melted silicone in your hands and that's not gonna get you off very easily! But, silicone-based lubes are excellent for water play as they last longer, work well on waterproof toys, and can be revived with water when the slick starts to wear off. Petroleum-based toys are best with non-latex anal toys. Everyone's favorite Anal Eze (available at ReviewerClub.com) is one of the best petroleum-based lubes and is STILL inexpensive enough to be a staple in everyone's toy kit.
So, find out what you need and make sure you're using the right lube for the right job. Just because a lube is expensive doesn't mean you can get a Cadillac through a mousehole with it, and just because it's cheap doesn't mean you'll suffer friction burns for weeks afterwards. The best way to find out what you like is to go to your local toy shop and visit the lube bar. The people who work there will be happy to let you try a sample so you can decide which to take home. Then just slather it on and slip-slide the night away!
