No matter your intimate activity needs or desires, personal lubricants are readily available without prescription from health-care facilities, pharmacies and drug stores in sachets or bottles.
Because there are so many products to choose from, selecting your product can be overwhelming. Here are a few things to remember when making your selection.
Choosing a lubricant
When selecting the appropriate personal lubricant, there are countless choices available to you. Before making a purchase, however, it’s essential that you understand what kind of lubricant suits your needs best; using other slippery products like lotion or Vaseline as replacements could potentially contain ingredients which damage condoms or cause skin irritations.
Lubrication is produced naturally by our bodies; however, due to health conditions or simply getting older it may produce less. Lubricants provide extra lubrication to make anal, vaginal, and oral sex more enjoyable and comfortable.
Personal lubricants come in three flavors – water-based, oil-based, or silicone-based lubricants. Water-based options are usually the most preferred, since they don’t leave behind any messy residue and clean up easily afterward; furthermore they’re safe for both latex and nonlatex condoms. Many individuals may find silicone-based options too “artificial,” even though the polymer serves several uses both within consumer markets and industrial fields as an insulator and sealant.
Osmolality
Many lubricants on the market boast high osmolality levels. Although this factor isn’t listed as part of their ingredient list, studies have demonstrated its significance for vaginal health and epithelial integrity maintenance.
Studies have demonstrated that osmolalities exceeding 1200 mOsm/kg can result in the breakdown of epithelial cell integrity, leaving vaginal cells more prone to infections than usual and leading to symptoms such as dyspareunia.
Research has identified an ideal osmolality level for lubricants as being 290 mOsm/kg, similar to rectal mucosa. A quadratic relationship was discovered between lubricant osmolality and its ability to cause irritation: hyperosmolar products can draw moisture out from cell walls leading to discomfort; while hypo-osmolar ones cause cells to rupture and absorb water leading to additional irritation.
Vaginal pH
Recent research has raised serious concerns over long-term damage to vaginal tissue caused by many commercial lubricants available on the market. Some products contain high pH and osmolality levels which could throw off delicate balance within your body and harm its delicate ecosystem.
Utilizing a water-based lubricant with low pH and osmolality levels is one way to protect the health of intimate areas. Many supermarket lubes contain ingredients like glycerin that may irritate sensitive skin or increase risk for thrush; when choosing personal lubricants it is wise to steer clear from such options.
Test the osmolality and pH levels of your own lubricant with inexpensive litmus strips to gauge its osmolality and pH values. Unfortunately, most commercial lubes on the market do not display this information, making it difficult to make an informed decision. An ideal product would be safe to use with condoms or toys while having an ideal pH for your body and lacking any known dangerous chemicals.
Ingredients
Personal lubricants (also referred to as sexual or intimate lube) are liquid gels used by people of all ages, gender identities and sexual orientations to increase intimacy during anal and vaginal sex. Lubricants reduce friction while adding pleasure; additionally they can enhance effectiveness by helping prevent leakage or tears in condoms.
Most lubricants are relatively safe, consisting of ingredients such as water, silicones and oils with preservatives and emulsifiers added for different textures, scents or sensations. Some contain harmful components like glycerols that break down into sugars that feed yeast cells.
Many lubes also contain nonoxynol-9, an effective spermicide designed to act as an extra line of protection against unintended pregnancy by killing any sperm released by broken condoms. If spermicides concern you, look for one labeled as “latex-safe” or made with polyisoprene instead of oil-based lubricants which could degrade latex over time or irritate anal and vaginal tissues.
