WHY LUBE?

Moisture is essential to any kind of sex- rubbing dry on skin will quickly show you how uncomfortable sexual activity can be without it. Moisture prevents micro abrasion in our most sensitive areas that can happen  from sexual friction, as well as heightens sensation. Jenne from Clitical.com illustrated it well when she describe her "finger on lip" test... first run your finger over your dry lip, then lick it and  try it again... and you'll understand why moisture, or saliva as a second runner up was enough. Lube is more than just moisture... it's formulated to be more slick than our natural juices  and to give it a bit of padding between surfaces in motion.

Some of you might be reading this because your natural source of moisture has well, dried up. There are endless reasons why this can happen, most relating to changes in our estrogen levels, which directly effect how moist we are:

-- Time of month- some people are more dry the closer or farther away they are from their monthly cycle.

--Individual differences- some women just produces less estrogen, affecting moisture than others.

--Age- as we mature our body produces less estrogen, affecting moisture

--Menstrual Cycle- Our periods change our estrogen levels, and you guessed it- affect how moist we are.

--Diabetes- diabetic angioplathy can decrease moisture.

--Stress- Effects sexual response in both men and women.

--Drugs- recreational, over the counter and heavier medications can also decrease lubrication, even such common ones as birth control pills, cigarettes and alcohol.

-- Weather- those in dryer weather that don't keep their bodies hydrated can pass the dryness on to their  nether regions.

--Pregnancy/Childbirth-the hormonal fluctuations involved in having children can cause issues.

And these aren't all reasons... travel, quantity of sex, even how much coffee you drink can be contributing factors. Combine the added benefits of using over vaginal fluids or saliva with the oh-so- many reasons for our natural juices  to dry up and you should be reaching for the lube.

Years of having sex without ever using lube taught me that hard way that our fluids aren't enough.

Without going into gory details, here  I spent 14 years having sex with only my own moisture as lubrication. This was especially unwise when having anal sex: Our anal activities produce absolutely no moisture of their own, so when saliva dries up, there's nothing left to keep your skin from tearing or worse.

I'm example of what can happen : I've inured my (inner) involuntary sphincter muscle which gives our body a head's up that there's something coming down the pike. I get no such warning. I'll go into the details  in my Anal Sex 101 article, suffice it to say, lube is the first thing i grab when its time to play.

Ok, so we've established that lube is a good thing, now which one to get?

CATEGORIES OF LUBE

  The amount of information about the lube in general is so vast and confusing, I wanted to pare it down to just the essentials. There are basically 3 different  kinds of lube; below are the descriptions of each, with some general tips to round things out.

Oil- Based

Oil- based lubes were the first recorded lubes: Egyptians started using olive oil back in the hieroglyphic days. Without better options available, we've been reaching for anything slippery, like cooking oil olive oil or Crisco) and the make-up remover Aboline; all oil-based and all will cause yeast infections in women, and break down latex (destroy condoms and toys).

It's only in recent history that we've found out that oil anything wreaks havoc on the vagina, harboring bacteria and creating yeast infections. Some sex educators therefore reserve oil-based lubes for anal sex and male masturbation: recent research is also ruling out use for anal sex, as some say it can coat the lining of the rectum, providing a haven for many potential infections. Whether  that's true  or not, I'm not one to try and use one lube for my anus, and hope that none gets near my vagina; the trouble and expense of a yeast infection simply isn't worth it to me.

Oil-based lubes also break down latex, which will either render your condom useless, or destroy your favorite toy.

Which leaves us with male masturbation, which oil-based lubes are uniquely suited for. They are supper slippery and thick without being sticky, ideal for men's use There are oil-based lubes based on mineral oil, which are liquid at room temperature, hypoallergenic, and clean up with soap and water.

Petroleum also fits into this category ; white or food -grade petroleum is what products sold as sexual lubricants; yellow has more impurities and is not good for the body. It's solid at room temperature, hypoallergenic, more slippery than mineral oil, and doesn't clean up very easily, though you can wipe off as much as you can and call the rest "moisture".

Common Ingredients:  Mineral Oil, Petroleum

Water -based

Lube as we know it descended from a cellulose water combination called "Surgilube", released in the 1950s and still common today for "medical applications," translation, one-time insertion. Astroglide was one of the first lubes designed just for sexual playback in the 1950s, though most lube (and sexual health) studies have been in more recent years. What about KY-jelly, you ask? It was designed to aid with medical examinations and it tends  to gum up quickly when used for sex play , though KY designed  actual sexual lubes since.

The majority of lubes are water -based; they are all great all purpose lube because they are condom safe, generally don't stain (depends on if coloring has been added or not) and can be flavored easily. Because they are water based. they dehydrate (dry up), but remember  that the slippery ingredients are still there... so a quickly dunk of your hand  in a glass of water on your bedside table, touched the lubed area and your back in business.

Water-based lubes are thicker  than silicone lube because water molecules are thicker than silicone molecules, so often recommended for anal sex (more padding back there is good thing), though some prefer silicone lube because  it doesn't dry up as quickly. Water-based lube  cleans up easily with soap and water, though some of the better water-based lubes will just soak into your skin ( double moisturizer with the right ingredients).

The only across-the-board disadvantage to water- based lube is that it's water-based, so it dehydrates quicker than other types of lubes.

Common ingredients:

Glycerin or plant cellulose (slippery stuff), Methyl, butyl,. ethyl and propyl parabens (preservatives, bonding agents  and antiseptics); propylene glycol (thickening agent and preservative).

Products we suggest:

There are so many lubes in the market, we don't even want to carry them all, though we have tested more than we can count. We like Adam & Eve lubricant because  they are the biggest lube nerds around , and are passionate about keeping lube safe from our bodies. Cherry flavors (one of the few lines who's flavor are consistently good combined  with a quality water-based lube