lube lessons

During a discussion of safer sex the other night, I suggested that my class start thinking of condoms and lube as a duo. "Just get into the habit of picking up lube every time you buy your Trojans," I told them.

The giggles that followed suggested that my idea wasn't going to catch on immediately.

What's the deal? Why is lube that much more awkward than a condom?

I think it has something to do with the fact that a lot of people assume that a woman's vagina is supposed to be naturally lubricated. Having to use artificial lube can make girls feel like their bodies are somehow lacking, and it can make their partners feel like they aren't hitting the right buttons. But it shouldn't.

Not everyone's vagina lubricates to the same degree. Some girls get really wet, while others don't. Sometime girls don't get wet if they're not turned on, other times medication (like the pill) decreases vaginal lubrication.  Plus, it's important to realize that if you have sex for a while, you might not stay wet the whole time.

Using lube is important. Not only can dry sex hurt, but if you are using a condom, it is way more likely to break if it dries up. That goes double for anal sex, when the body isn't really going to add anything in the lube department.

Back to the issue of buying lube with your condoms--I know it's tempting to break out Vaseline or moisturizer.  Don't.  If you are using a latex condom, anything with oil in it can erode the material.  Store bought lubes like K-Y and Astroglide are water-based and latex safe. Few household products can make the same claim.

Photo provided by chris breeze

Comments

[Denise]

I am a virgin so i obviously dont need lube.
I have heard (the the morning show The View of all places) that strippers use lube to shave their legs instead of shave gel and it makes them much smoother.
I told this to my friend and she tried it, said it works very very well.
So just passing on the info. If you want realy smooth legs, take the lube out of the bedroom and into the bathroom lolz

[Gia]

My boyfriend and I use lube and while its awkward it makes sex way better. I must admit that I was embarrassed the idea of lube when we couldn't get it in and he even teased me about it. It was frustrating for us both to accept I just wasn't going to get wet enough on our own. But it was worth it!

[noe]

i always use lube, why even bother start on having sex if it's going to dry up eventually >< so yeah, i love lube lol

then again, i don't buy it as often. i mean, i've had the same little bottle for the entire summer and there's still like half left.

[Marie-Hélène]

I usually just buy lubricated condoms: less hassle, free spill risk and less "glue-like" feeling on my hand. It seems to work just fine for me. And if I do not lubricate enough, I found that saliva was a great free lube :P

I do love the combined lube/massage oil that some company ( I think it's durex) makes. It does not stick, does not smell and can be used all over the body so it may be used for massages or mutual masturbation.

[Jayne]

I'm not embarrassed at all about buying lube or condoms. I think my boyfriend felt more awkward than me... the fact that he was edging his way to the door of the Pharmacy (whilst I was asking "Which kind do you think we should get? Do you think this lube would be alright?") told me that. =)

[Althaea]

To courtney,

Yes lube can make sex more pleasurable, apart from being less painful or uncomfortable it makes everything smoother and feel so much more natural.

You can get verious special lubes. You can get ones that make a tingling sensation, these can be really fun, but some people find it too strong. You can get ones that get warm when rubbed, these are great on winter nights, lol. Flavoured lubes are in general over rated, it's hard to get any that taste nice. You also shouldn't use them if you intend to have vaginal intercourse as some can case yeast infections. Besides that they're great for oral sex, I refuse to preform it without some nice tasting lube.

You can also get spermicidal lube which is useful as an extra contraceptive measure.

As far as I know lube is not an age restricted product. It can be abit embarrasing to buy, and if the cashier has 'views' they may (although they're not suposed to) refuse you. I find the best tactic is to buy with confidence, if you act like you're not embarrased, they're far less likely to try and embarrase you further.

How you aply lube depends on what works for you, some people prefer aplying it to themselves, most find aplying it to the penis (after the condom is on) works best. This can be a form of fore-play, which is another reason lube is so great.

And a side note to everyone else. Lube is wonderful, I used to find sex painful or at least uncomfortable, even after loads of fore-play. After I started using lube everything felt sooo much better. I thoroughly recomend it.

[courtney]

Ellen,

We had a teacher talk about condoms but only briefly mentioned lube, she didn't even give us time to laugh it was so fast. at least you went over it with your class

I know friends using lube but I know for myself, buying lube might be a little more embarasing than buying condoms. I do plan on using lube just because I have heard it helps.

Does lube not only help with dryness but does it help sex feel better or more pleasurable? like those gels and flavored lubes, do they make sex more fun?

And can't anyone buy lube no matter what your age, like with condoms it doesn't matter how old you are, does it?

I think some of it may also be that people don't know how to use lubes, like do you rub it on his penis after you put the condom on him or can you apply it on yourself?

Its things like that about lube that people wonder about. I hope you reply.