3 Kinds of Personal Lubricant: Which One Is Right For You?
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A myth about sexual lubricants is they are only for women experiencing vaginal dryness, says OB/GYN Dr. Lyndsey Harper.
“That’s just not true. Lubricants can improve everyone’s sexual satisfaction. Right now about 60% of people use lubrication for sex, and I think it should be 100%,” she adds in one of her educational videos on the sex and mindfulness app Rosy.
I was gifted a three-month paid membership to the Rosy app, a sexual wellness and intimacy coaching app, and will publish my review shortly. In the meantime, as I find myself writing about CBD-infused lubricants and bedside warming systems for lubes, I thought it was time for a refresher on sex lube basics.
Who better to teach us than a medical doctor who specializes in the sexual health of vulvas?
Dr. Harper’s overview of the main three personal lubricants for sex and their pros and cons is available in the free version of the Rosy app. Here I’ll also share some of her expertise on water-based, oil-based, and silicone-based lubricants.
Water-based personal lubricants
Personal lubricants for sex that are water-based are the most widely available kinds. For example, Dr. Harper points to K-Y Jelly and Replens, which are often found at local drugstores.
She adds that water-based lubricants also wash off easily and that many people “tolerate” them well.
But there are two main cautions to be aware of before buying a water-based lubricant for sex.
First, read the label in order to avoid commonly used additives such as glycerin or parabens, particularly if you have a sensitivity to them. According to the University of Texas, glycerin can increase the growth of yeast that can trigger a yeast infection.
Secondly, water-based lubricants evaporate quickly and may require additional applications This is normal but can get annoying,
Lastly, don’t use water-based lubricants during shower sex, or any place in the water. It will simply wash away.
Related Read: The dripstick Awkward Essentials after-sex sponge
Oil-based personal lubricants
If you are sensitive to additives, which are often found in water-based lubricants, then Dr. Harper suggests trying oil-based sexual lubricants. Some are made with common household ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, or baby oil. There are also sexual lubricants that use aloe vera as a base.
However, Dr. Harper warns that oil-based lubricants can increase the risk of vaginal infections.
“So if you’re prone to yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis, then you do not want to use oil-based lubricants. And after you use an oil-based lubricant, you want to take some soap and water make sure and get it all off because the bacteria really like that and can kind of stick around,” says the OB/GYN.
Condoms and oil lubes are also not a good match. Oil lubricants break down condoms and their ability to prevent unwanted pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections
Silicone-based personal lubricants
Silicone lubes are a great option for people who enjoy anal play. But just like how water-based lubes don’t work in water, silicone lubes don’t play well with silicone sex toys.
Using them together will destroy the silicone sex toy’s liner. However, silicone sex toys from Love Not War appear to be the exception and can be used with silicone-based personal lubricants.
As for Dr. Harper, she says silicone-based sexual lubricants are her favorite. They feel super silky and don’t need to be reapplied, but do require some cleanup.
“They’re very long-lasting. But what that also means is that it takes a little work to get it off so you need soap and water to remove the lubricant afterward. They might stain your sheets and they also don’t taste very good.”
She recommends the silicone sex lube brand Uber. Lube: “It feels so good and it’s that you only have to really apply at one time.”
Related Read: Love Not War’s NeoSilicone™ Make Silicone Sex Toys Safe with Silicone Lubes
Water, oil, or silicone?
You don’t need to pick just one type of personal lubricant. You can shop around or try travel and sample sizes of different lube types, advises Dr. Harper.
Experiment and figure out what works best for various needs and different kinds of sexual play.
“It’s fun to have kind of an arsenal of lubricants, but what’s really important for you to know is that they can improve sexual satisfaction for everyone, not just women who have vaginal dryness,” says Harper.
You can find more adult sex ed videos from Dr. Lyndsey Harper on the Rosy app.
Jenna Owsianik is a Canadian journalist and sex tech industry expert. She is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sex For Every Body®.
Her expertise covers state-of-the-art sex technologies and the major fields driving innovations in intimacy: robotics, virtual reality, remote sex (teledildonics), haptics, immersive adult entertainment, human augmentation, virtual sex, and sexual health.
A trained journalist with a Masters of Journalism from The University of British Columbia, Jenna’s reporting has appeared on Futurism.com, Al Jazeera English, CTV British Columbia online, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS 60 Minutes, Global News, and CKNW Radio in Canada and the United States.
