Lubricant (aka lube) is a very important part of sexual health! You might know that lube can help sex feel better, but lube can also improve your health—it can reduce friction-related pain and injuries such as micro-tears. However, some lubes are better for your health than others, and it’s important to know how to use your lube correctly.
Why do I need lube at all?
- It can increase pleasure: Lube can make sex more pleasurable! It can make sex more fun and more comfortable. It can also increase sexual sensation when using condoms, oral barriers (ex. “dental dams”), or other similar contraceptive barriers—placing a drop of lube on the inside of a condom or the side of an oral barrier facing the genitals can help sex feel even better and lessen the sensation of the condom or oral barrier.
- It reduces injuries: Sexual activities can lead to microscopic tearing from friction. These tears can increase your risk of transmitting or developing STIs. You may or may not notice these micro-tears, but they can cause discomfort, especially while using the bathroom. Further sexual activity may also worsen micro-tears. Using lube helps reduce micro-tearing and decrease the risk of transmitting STIs!
- It reduces the risk of condoms & barriers breaking: As mentioned above, lube can decrease the risk of transmitting STIs. Micro-tearing in the skin of the genitals can make it easier for viruses and bacteria to get into the body and increase the risk of STI transmission. By using lube to reduce micro-tearing during sex, you can lower the risk of getting or giving an STI! Lube can also reduce STI risk (or pregnancy risk when applicable) by making it less likely that condoms, oral barriers, and other barrier methods will break from the friction associated with sexual activity.
- Not all bodies & body parts produce natural lubrication: Different bodies and body parts are different and have different needs! While some bodies and body parts may be capable of producing enough natural lubrication for sexual activity, other bodies and body parts are not (ex. the rectum). Lube is especially important for sexual activity with body parts that don’t produce natural lubrication, bodies that may naturally produce less lubrication, and bodies that experience pain during penetrative sex (aka dyspareunia). It’s also important to note that the vagina’s ability to self-lubricate isn’t a reliable indicator of being aroused or turned on. There are many reasons why a vagina produces less lubrication during sexual activity, such as having intercourse for a long time, where a person is in their cycle, being on hormonal contraception, having an off day, and more! Using lube from the beginning can be a more reliable way of making sure sex stays slippery and fun the whole time.
Why is it important to choose your lube carefully?
- Skin sensitivity: The skin on and around your genitals are more sensitive than other parts of your skin. They contain mucous membranes that can absorb chemicals and other compounds faster than the rest of your skin. This means that products that are safe to use on other areas of your body (ex. hand lotion) may not be suitable to be used in or on your genitals and may irritate the skin in these areas.
- pH: Using products that change the pH of your genital area too much can increase your risk of infections or interfere with your body’s regular functions. This is especially important for vaginas, as the vagina needs to maintain an acidic pH to kill germs and protect against infections. Some products can cause an imbalance in your natural microbiome and may lead to yeast infections or urinary tract infections (UTIs), making them unsafe to be used as lube.
- Compatibility with products: If you’re using lube with sex toys or safer sex products (ex. condoms, oral barriers, etc.), it is important to make sure your lube is compatible with the products you’re using. Using a lube that is incompatible with your sex toys or safer sex products can lead to your sex toys or safer sex products breaking down. Silicone-based lubricant can degrade silicone-based products, so they are not safe to be used with silicone sex toys. Oil weakens latex, the material from which most condoms and oral barriers are made. Oil can also weaken polyisoprene, which many non-latex condoms and oral barriers are made of. This can cause the condom to break.
What irritants/harmful chemicals should I look out for in my lube?
Common irritants that are in lubricants include:
- Glycerin (aka glycerine, glycerol) and flavoured lubricant: the chemical structure of glycerine and compounds that are in many flavoured lubricants are very similar to sugar. The natural bacteria in your body can feed on these compounds and throw your body’s natural microbiome out of balance.
- This is also why we do not recommend using food items as lubricant or near the genital/anal areas for sex—the natural sugars in food can also disrupt your body’s natural microbiome.
- Parabens: the chemical structure of parabens can be very similar to natural hormones in the body (such as estrogen) and may disrupt your body’s natural hormone systems.
- Propylene glycol & fragrances: Propylene glycol is a known skin irritant; other fragrances may also similarly irritate your genital and anal regions.
Types of Lube
There are 3 main types of lube that you can buy: water-based, silicone-based, and oil-based.
Water-based lubricant
PRO
- Compatible with all condoms or sex toys.
- Usually less expensive than other types of lube
- Easiest to clean up and least likely to stain bedding or other fabrics.
CON
- Can “dry up” faster than other types of lubricant and may need to be reapplied more frequently.
- Washes away easily in water (not recommended to be used in the shower or bath).
Silicone-based lubricant
PRO
- Compatible with all condoms and oral barriers.
- Can be used in the shower or bath (doesn’t wash away as easily as water-based lubricant)
- Needs to be reapplied less frequently, if at all (doesn’t absorb into the body like water-based lubricant)
CON
- Not compatible with silicone products (ex. silicone sex toys).
- Not designed to be ingested orally (should not be used for oral sex).
- Generally more expensive than water-based lubricants.
- Harder to clean up and wash out of bedsheets—it is more likely to leave stains.
Oil-based lubricant
PRO
- Common household items may be used as oil-based lubricants (ex. unrefined coconut oil, olive oil).
- Longer lasting than water-based lubricants (don’t need to be reapplied as frequently).
CON
- Not compatible with latex or polyisoprene condoms and oral barriers (will break the condom/oral barriers). If using oil-based lubricant with condoms, it should only be used with natural membrane (ex. lambskin) and polyurethane condoms/oral barriers.
- Difficult to clean up and may stain fabrics.
- May interfere with the body’s microbiome or clog skin pores.
Ultimately, it’s your choice whether or not you use lubricant, as well as what type of lubricant(s) you choose to use! Lubricants can be a key component of safer sex and we hope that this blogpost helps you make a more informed decision about whether you would like to use lube during sex, and what type of lubes may want to use.
If you’re interested in using lube but aren’t sure what type is best for you, many adult stores/sex shops will sell small sample packs of lubricant. You can buy a few sample packs and test them out before buying a full bottle!
Options would also like to note that we recently became an affiliate with Nixit. Nixit is a Canadian company that focuses on providing body safe sexual wellness and menstrual health products. If you’re interested in Nixit’s water-based lubricant, you can use our affiliate link to help support us with your purchase: https://go.shopmy.us/p-38809564. We receive a portion of the proceeds through sales on this affiliate link, which helps us to continue to provide inclusive sexual health information and care throughout BC. This partnership helps provide us with additional unrestricted funds that are essential to the continuation of our non-profit, while also providing you with a product that we know doesn’t have glycerin, parabens, propylene glycol or other common irritants in lubricants.
References
https://bcmj.org/sites/default/files/BCMJ_Vol66_No9_premise.pdf?utm_
https://www.ippf.org/blogs/lube-5-great-reasons
https://helloplayground.com/blogs/blog/lubricant-vaginal-ingredients