Lube!
Sexy, sexy lube is super awesome and important, but it's something that a lot of people don't
give much (if any) thought to, which boggles my mind!
So let's break it down - what it is, what it does, the different kinds, and ingredients
you should watch out for.
Lube is a liquid applied during sexy situations like intercourse or masturbation to help reduce
friction, aid in penetration, etc.
Vaginas, when aroused, will produce their own natural lubrication, but the amount will
vary from person to person and even situation to situation, so lube is great for keeping
things as comfortable and pleasurable as possible at all times.
It's also really good for penises (like keeping things slippery during masturbation) and absolutely
necessary for any sort of anal play.
Lots of people use random household products like lotions and hand creams and Vaseline
as lube, but the problem with that is that none of those things are meant to come in
contact with your nether regions.
They can cause infections and a whole host of other problems, and in a lot of cases they're
not nearly as effective as lube made specifically for sex.
Lube is easily accessible anywhere you can buy condoms, and it can make your sex life
so much better.
There are several different types of lubes out there, but the most common are water based,
silicone based, hybrid, and oil based.
Water based is probably the most widely available type of sex lubricant.
It comes in a huge range of textures from thin and watery to more of a heavy, gel-like
consistency, and a lot of water based lubes try to mimic the feel of natural vaginal fluid.
Water based lubes are super versatile, in that they're compatible with literally any
body part, safe sex barrier, or sex toy.
They can dry out during use but are easily reactivated with a little bit of water (which
can include saliva), or you can just reapply.
Though they aren't great for any sort of bathtub or underwater use because they are water-soluble
and will disperse.
Next we have silicone lube, which is the second most common variety and includes a lot of
the lubricants available on condoms.
These lubes are waterproof, long-lasting, and ultra-slippery.
The only downside is that they're not recommended to be used with silicone sex toys because
"like dissolves like" and certain silicone lubes can break down certain silicone toys
depending on the types and qualities of silicone you're dealing with.
Hybrid lubes are a bit less common.
They are water based with a little bit of silicone added to enhance longevity and slickness.
They're a bit safer to use with high quality silicone sex toys (though I'd always recommend
doing a patch test first), and they're especially great for combating vaginal dryness.
Finally, we have oil based lubes, which are VERY long-lasting and slippery.
These lubes are not compatible with latex or polyisoprene condoms, dental dams, etc.,
nor are they great for vaginal use because they can clog pores and sometimes cause infections.
That said, oil based lubes are fantastic for penises and/or anal play.
Which is why you'll most often find them at male and LGBT oriented sex shops.
Seriously, if you're not using condoms (or only using polyurethane ones) and you're sticking
things in your butt, oil based lube will be your best friend.
Now, when shopping for lube, there are some things you should look out for.
One is parabens, which are a common preservative in all sorts of different products that some
people are wary of and some EU countries have banned due to a potential breast cancer link.
Another is glycerin, a sugar-alcohol present in many, many water based lubes.
It's great for helping lubes last longer and keeping them slick, but it's not great for
vaginas and can cause yeast infections in people prone to them.
So watch out for that.
Also, numbing agents.
You'll see lots of lubes advertised as "desensitizing," made for numbing the anus to reduce pain during
anal sex.
The problem there is that there SHOULDN'T BE significant pain during anal sex.
That's a sign that something's wrong, you're tearing the tissue, and you should probably
slow down or stop.
Pain is an important signal from your body, and using a numbing lube or cream to ignore
that signal is probably going to result in physical damage to the orifice.
So don't do that.
I'll link my recommendations for different types of lube down in the description.
In other news, if you follow me on social media you may have seen me talk about this,
but I've finally bit the bullet and got a Patreon page.
Patreon, if you don't know what that is, is a super cool website that's sort of similar
to a Kickstarter/Indiegogo sort of thing where you're pledging for perks, but rather than
funding one big project, you're contributing a small amount per month to fund an ongoing
project, like this series.
The thing about sex ed content on YouTube is that it's not considered "brand safe,"
so the types of ads that can be played on it are limited and the revenue is a fraction
of a fraction of what a non-sex ed YouTuber would be making.
So contributing on Patreon is a great way to help me make this series possible - and
you'll get stuff in return!
So do check that out if you enjoy The Ins and Outs!
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time!