For The BEST Sex Of Your Life Use This MAGICAL Substance

I consume sex education-related material on the web at an alarming rate. I always have my nose in a blog or video.

The misconceptions I come across about silicone personal lubricants are plenty.

I was watching a safer-sex video the other day and was really digging what I heard — until the woman in the video said, “With a male condom, especially a latex condom, you can only use water based lube.”

AHHHHHH! Not true at all!

(I really did scream at my computer.)

To clear up such common misunderstandings, I've created this handy dandy silicone lube pro/con cheat-sheet for you right here ...

PROS:

1. Silicone, water-based, and hybrid lubes (hybrid is a mixture of silicone and water based) are all 100% safe to use with latex.

They are also safe to use with any safer-sex material like polyurethane, nitrile, etc. I actually much prefer silicone with condoms — especially when using latex condoms for blow jobs — because it doesn’t dry and gum up like water-based lube does. The latex exacerbates the gummy effect, which I don’t like, whereas silicone lube stays smooth and slick and lasts a very long time.

It’s actually oil-based lubes that aren’t compatible with latex.

Silicone and oil are two very different things. Oil breaks down latex, rendering latex barriers ineffective. Also, never use oil based lubes in the vagina, as oil harbors bacteria and can lead to vaginal infection.*

*There is one exception. Coconut oil is safe for vaginas.

Oil-based lube works nicely for jacking and stroking the penis, and is popular for use in anal sex and extreme play along the lines of anal fisting. If you use an oil based lube for anal play, just remember to use non-latex condoms, gloves and dental dams.

2. Not only does a little bit of silicone lube go a long way — it’s AWESOME for water play. 

Since it isn’t water soluble, it won’t wash away in the shower or pool. When you’re finished with sexy-time, all it takes is a little soapy water or a thorough shower to wash it off your body completely.

3. Silicone lubes are hypoallergenic. 

This is a huge plus for those of us who are sensitive to other kinds of lubes. If your regular sexual lubricant leaves you irritated after use, you may be having a reaction to it. Switch over to silicone and see if that helps.

Always check the ingredients closely before you buy. If you’re sensitive, you don’t want to buy a product with a bunch of fillers and unnecessary chemicals. 

My general rule of thumb is look for a silicone lubricant with 2 to 3 ingredients max. I steer clear of anything with 4 ingredients or more.

4. Higher quality silicone lube is generally easy on the digestive tract and the skin. 

They are safe to use for oral sex and are relatively tasteless and odorless. 

They also have a moisturizing effect on the skin. When my hands or lips are dry I often apply silicone lubricant to them for relief (I use it for a bunch of other non-sexy things too — I’ll get to that later!). 

For this reason, I’m never too concerned if I don’t shower right away after using it during sex. Heck, if I leave it on, it’s like a beauty treatment for my vulva!

(Not really but I can pretend ...)

5. Yes, you CAN use silicone lube with silicone sex toys.

At one point, using silicone lube with silicone toys was a huge no-no, but, depending on the quality of toys and lube you use, this is not such a concern any more.

I know exactly what you’re thinking ...

“What? Come on. I’ve read that if you put silicone lube on your silicone toy it'll melt! I even heard it might make them explode! Like, you could DIE! Right?!”

Not really.

A few years ago it wasn’t a good idea to ever use silicone lube with silicone toys. It also was advised to never store silicone toys touching each other because silicone reacts with silicone. Piling your toys on top of each other could cause them to discolor or develop microscopic pores that harbor bacteria. 

This was certainly true when silicone toys first hit the market. Because back then, toys labeled "silicone" were often made of something else, like TPR (Thermoplastic Rubber) or TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), and not labeled as such. THAT is where the problems came in.

Quality has greatly improved in the sex toy industry. 

Both manufacturers and consumers have significantly raised their standards. Today we’re seeing pure food grade and medical grade silicone used in toys on a pretty consistent basis. A high quality silicone toy coupled with a high quality silicone lube often has no ill consequences.

Dangerous Lilly published an interview with Metis Black of Tantus on the myths of silicone sex toys addressing this subject in more detail. I highly recommend reading it. There’s chemistry and it’s super sex-geeky. There are also links to videos of sex toys being lit on fire (for SCIENCE!). You’ll love it.

Here's one for you now!

Granted, using silicone sex toys with silicone lube is a YMMV (your mileage may vary) situation — there are so many silicone toy/lube combinations in the world that it’s difficult for me to tell you with certainty which is a good combo and which isn’t. You’re always taking a risk trying it out.

One thing you can do is spot test a toy on the non-insertable portion to see if it gets gummy or discolors. If you’re a really daring sex-geek, you can even light your dildo on fire like Dangerous Lilly.

You can also opt for trying a high quality hybrid lube with your silicone toys. Since hybrids are only half(ish) silicone, they minimize any potential risks to your toys as well.

Personally, I always store my silicone toys together and use a good silicone lube with them and have absolutely no problems. EVER.  

Keep in mind, every silicone toy and silicone lube I use is premium quality. Sticking with industry-praised, award-winning, and reputable companies is a good rule of thumb.

CONS:

1. Silicone lube can stain fabric. 

You’ll need to be mindful of your clothing or sheets. 

Personally, I haven’t had an issue with this. I use dark sheets and I’ve never spilled a large amount of it on any fabric, so it’s never been a concern. Even with all the wacky ways I have used silicone lube, I have never stained anything (and we use A LOT of silicone lube in our house!).

Also, keep in mind, different brands stain at different rates and to a different degree.

2. Silicone lube can be pricey. 

Although you’ll pay a bit more upfront compared to water-based lube, you‘ll make up for that on the back end. 

No, I’m not talking about anal sex — unless that’s what you’re into. I LOVE silicone lube for anal!

Because a little bit of silicone lube goes a long way, you won’t use nearly as much as you would if you were using water-based lube. One bottle of silicone may last you three times as long as its water-based counterpart, so silicone’s staying power makes up for the hefty price tag IMHO. 

That staying power is also what makes it my favorite type of lube to use for anal play.

3. Availability can be an issue.

You probably won’t find silicone lube in the drugstore, so you may have to go out of your way to pick some up at a sex shop or on the internet. 

Drug and grocery stores almost exclusively carry water-based lubes. And no, cooking oil, baby oil, Vaseline and the like don’t count. Those types of products should not be used as lubes — especially if you have a vagina. 

The truth is, most drugstore lubes aren’t the best out there anyway. Drugstore brands are the most likely to cause irritation and other potential adverse effects. So, again, you're best off opting for better quality lubes of any type from sex shops or online.

The next time someone tells you really, really, really bad things are going to happen if you use silicone lube, take a minute to think twice.  

Although it’s never a guarantee, odds are you’ll be fine mixing the two if you make a habit of buying quality silicone products.

I'm actually starting to wonder if silicone lube is the elixir of the gods. I think it might be.

SCIENCE! F-yeah!