There are many types of lubricants available on the market. But which one is suitable for what, and why? Let’s take a look at this together.
For lovers of sex toys, lubricant is almost an indispensable aid. When playing with a vibrator or masturbator, only one person contributes to natural lubrication, and that may not always be enough. Love play can thus become uncomfortable or even painful.
Lubricants under our editorial team’s microscope
Even during sex with a condom, lubricant is a good partner. While some condoms are pre-lubricated by the manufacturer, this lubrication is mainly intended to make them easier to put on. By using gel, you reduce the risk of breakage and thus the escape of millions of potential children. And that’s in the best-case scenario.
If you’re not particularly into sex toys, lubricant can be an interesting way to spice up your sex life. Especially if you choose a flavored, warming, or cooling one.
Lubricant can also come in handy in cases where there isn’t enough natural lubrication in the genital area. This issue is more common among women. The cause may be fatigue, stress, shyness, insufficient arousal, or prolonged sexual intercourse. That’s why it never hurts to keep at least a small bottle of lubricant in your nightstand or purse. You might then discover that even masturbation with it takes on a slightly different dimension.
Water-based lubricants
These gels are among the most commonly used. They are suitable for more sensitive individuals, but they absorb and dry out, so you need to add a little more from time to time during the act. However, this property can be useful with toys that need to stay in place for a while after you position them with the gel. These include, for example, cock rings, Venus balls, and vibrating eggs.
If you’re buying a water-based lubricant, I recommend choosing a version with a pump, which prevents air from entering the container. This slows down drying, which is mainly characterized by the gel becoming lumpy and sticky.
Water-based lubricants are suitable for all types of sex toy materials. These gels are organic-based, so it is not advisable to use them after their expiration date. Bacteria or mold may develop in them over time.
Silicone-based lubricants
Silicone gels resemble oil in appearance and properties . They are therefore much more slippery than water-based gels. Unlike oil, however, you can use them with condoms and other latex products. Thanks to their high slipperiness, a single drop is enough, and you don’t have to worry about the gel during sex. Due to its properties, this type is also suitable for anal sex. Unlike the genitals, the anus cannot self-lubricate, so the use of lubricant is absolutely essential here.
Among other things, this gel will last you a long time, because just a drop is enough to achieve the desired effect. It also hardly spoils (it is not organic).
So you don’t have to worry about not using it up in time. These gels often remain effective even some time after the recommended expiration date.
Their downside, however, is that they are harder to wash off. If you want to get rid of the greasy feeling, simply wiping isn’t enough. It’s better to wash your body parts with intimate soap and the toy with a sex toy sanitizer (which I recommend in any case). However, this property can also be used to your advantage. Since you can’t rinse the gel off with just water, you can use it to spice up your water play. The sky’s the limit.
Silicone lubricants are also not suitable for use on certain types of materials, such as natural skin (imitation leather) or older silicone toys (this shouldn’t be a problem with newer ones).
And what if silicone gel doesn’t suit you? Don’t throw it away! It’s a multifunctional household helper. You can use it for massages or, for example, to polish and condition leather and faux leather shoes.
Flavored, cooling, and warming lubricants
Flavored and scented lubricants are suitable for spicing up oral sex. They are usually water-based.
However, the flavor and scent can cause issues for people who are more sensitive to intimate hygiene. If you don’t have any issues in this regard, try treating your partner to a dessert flavored with strawberry, cherry, coconut, or mango. Specialties also include Crème brûlée, vanilla cream, and other gourmet delights.
The selection is truly vast, and everyone is sure to find something to their liking. Perhaps only the beer and sausage flavors are still unavailable anywhere.
Cooling and warming lubricants also guarantee a more varied experience. Warming gels promote blood flow, and therefore increase the sensitivity of the genitals. Conversely, cooling gels slightly numb the area, thereby delaying orgasm. Try surprising your partner with a gel that has this effect, and you’re sure to have an unforgettable experience.
Gels for delaying ejaculation / accelerating orgasm
In this oxymoronically named category, there are actually 2 distinct products, but they aren’t very common, so we wanted to give them a shared space. These special gels generally affect the sensitivity of our mucous membranes—both the glans/penis and the vagina. And each works differently. Those designed to delay ejaculation in men cause “numbing,” so they last longer during sex.
Conversely, those designed to speed up orgasm (usually gels exclusively for women) are applied to the clitoris and specifically stimulate it (according to our tester, it’s an unconventional mix of cooling and warming sensations), thereby increasing blood flow and noticeably accelerating the onset of climax. The effects of these gels can be partially replaced by lubricants for anal/fisting (below), or warming/cooling lubricants, but none of them have as strong an effect as special gels designed purely to delay or accelerate orgasm.
Lubricants for fisting
Fisting is a sexual practice in which an entire fist is inserted into the vagina or anus (English: fist). However, it requires a bit of practice, both on the part of the “recipient” and the “performer.” Fisting gels are typically silicone-based or hybrid (silicone and water-based).
They usually also contain a small amount of a numbing agent (procaine, lidocaine, mesocaine, or benzocaine). These substances are also used in condoms designed to delay ejaculation.
Thanks to this property and the fact that they are the smoothest gels on the market, I have no hesitation in recommending them even to people who want to try anal sex but are still a little afraid. Just be careful where you apply the gel. We don’t want everything to be desensitized. Or do we?
Lubricants for electrostimulation
Want to try something truly shocking? Then electrosense is just for you. With this practice, you can bring your partner to the peak of bliss using sex toys that generate more or less intense electrical shocks. You can use specially designed dildos, anal plugs, small eggs, and many other toys for this.
Lubricants are also available for this practice. They are water-based and designed to increase conductivity, thereby enhancing the experience.
It is not uncommon for them to contain tiny flakes of real gold.
Fisting and electro-sex may not be activities for everyone, but for the sake of completeness, I felt it was necessary to mention the gels used for these activities.
Gels reviewed by us
Our editorial team reviewed a few lubricating gels that can be used for sex toys and anal play, and, paradoxically, we even ventured into the segment of female orgasm enhancers 🙂 Want to know how the individual gels fared? More in the tests:
Where can you buy them?
If you’ve already made up your mind about which lubricant to choose, all that’s left is to head out into the world to find your perfect match. Gels are available at pharmacies and drugstores (though the selection there is significantly smaller) or at sex shops, where, on the other hand, you’ll be spoiled for choice by the sheer variety of lubricants on offer.
If you don’t feel comfortable visiting a brick-and-mortar sex shop in person, you can order the gel from one of the online stores. The packages are usually discreet, so you don’t have to worry that everyone will immediately realize you’re bringing home a little intimate secret. Here’s a tip for a verified seller of high-quality gels.
Your opinions 1 opinion
Ahoj chci se zeptat zda by byl velký problém kdybych si ten gel EROS namazal na penis co by se stalo??
Good day,
if you mean specifically the fisting gel, what would happen is that the penis would become slightly numbed, which may not be a bad thing for problems with premature ejaculation.
Hi,
that’s partly true, but I’d be a bit careful with it. Some fisting gels do have a mild numbing effect, and reduced sensitivity can sometimes help a man last longer. But they are not made primarily as ejaculation-delay products.
The problem is that if the gel numbs too much, you may lose useful sensitivity, miss warning signs like friction or irritation, or transfer the numbing effect to your partner. Then she may feel less too, which is usually not the goal.
For premature ejaculation, I’d rather use products made directly for delaying ejaculation, because the dose and effect are easier to control. And even there, less is often more. You don’t want a completely numb penis, you want just enough sensitivity reduction to stay in control.
So yes, in theory it can help a little. But I wouldn’t make fisting gel the main solution for premature ejaculation. It’s more of a workaround than a proper method.
Hezký den, určitě v tom nevidíme problém, vždyť lubrikační gel je přímo určený na kontakt se sliznicemi – tedy přímo vagínou a penisem. Takže jeho využití tímhle směrem je přesně to, co má dělat.