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Most sexually-active people know the importance of stocking up on condoms.
A few even have the presence of mind to replace them when they expire or the packaging becomes beat up from weeks or months in their pocket, purse, or wallet.
Fewer people have the same level of education on personal lubricants and their role in a healthy sex life.
Many condoms come with lubrication, but quality varies and it usually doesn't last the whole sex session.
Adding extra lubricant can be a game-changer.
Once they learn the benefits and pleasures, however, sex lube may find a permanent home in their "sexual preparedness kit," right alongside the condoms and the desensitizing spray.
Sex lubricant has many useful applications to make sex better, including but not limited to:
A dry vagina can be sensitive to a female partner, especially a young adult or middle-aged partner.
Society correlates it with older women and/or low libido, however, that is a common misconception.
Although less vaginal secretion does correlate with menopause, a woman can experience a dry vagina during arousal for many reasons, including:
Regardless of the cause or the age of the woman, a penis in a dry vagina can cause chafing and other forms of discomfort.
The walls of the vagina could even tear or abrade, creating pathways for sexually transmitted infections like HIV or syphilis to enter the bloodstream.
Restricted in its ability to move freely, condoms may experience increased sliding friction, possibly causing it to wear out and break.
Personal lubricant is an easy solution to make any sexual encounter more pleasurable and safer.
For more in-depth information regarding vaginal dryness, we recommend checking out this article from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.
When it comes to cures, there are several Natural Remedies for Vaginal Dryness that we highly recommend.
Vaginal dryness is one cause of pain during intercourse for a female partner, but many other factors could be the culprit.
These factors run the gamut from physiological to structural to psychological.
Doctors group painful intercourse under the term dyspareunia.
It refers to a broad range of symptoms, including:
Causes of dyspareunia also vary, possibly including:
If painful intercourse persists, you or your partner should probably consult a doctor.
Personal lube just makes sex better. At least, many people agree.
In a study of 2,451 women, nine out of ten respondents reported sex with lube to be better than sex without lube.
Men often prefer sex with lube as well.
If by now sex lubricant sounds worth a try, you might wonder "What is the best personal lubricant?"
As usual with consumer goods, you have several options.
Which you prefer will depend a lot on your personal tastes, health concerns, allergies, and what you want to use it for.
Water-Based Lube
Water-based lube is the most versatile, all-purpose sex lube.
You can use them with condoms or without, for any sexual act. You can even use it on sex toys without damaging them.
Inexpensive, non-staining, and non-toxic when ingested in small amounts, water-based lube are the most popular forms of personal lubricants.
The downside is that the water tends to evaporate, dissipate, or absorb into the skin quickly, leaving a residue sticky of glycerin that impedes friction rather than enhancing it.
Fortunately, if you keep a little spray bottle of water by the bed, this is easy to fix.
Spritz a little water on the lubricated surface to reactivate it, then go to town.
Water-based personal lubricants are perfect if you have sensitive skin or a low budget.
If you or your partner are prone to yeast infections, however, be wary—many water-based lubricants contain glycerin, a potential food for yeast colonies.
Pricier than water-based lube but superior in many respects, silicone-based lube is slippery, stable, and will last the entire sex session.
Thick and viscous, it can provide a wonderful "slippery sensation" but also reduce the feeling of "skin-on-skin" contact, which some men who suffer from premature ejaculation prefer.
It also makes a great lube for anal sex.
Silicone-based lubes also stays put if you take your sex session into the water or the shower.
These sex venues are hot in theory, but in practice the water tends to dry the vagina out and wash other kinds of lube away.
Silicone-based lubes are safe to use with latex and polyurethane condoms, but not with silicone sex toys.
The lube will break down the silicone in the sex toy over time.
Silicone lube is great if you use condoms, enjoy anal sex, and are not allergic.
Beware—silicone may stain your sheets or clothes.
Oil-based lube is silky-smooth, creamy, and long-lasting. It can be used in concert with water-based lube and for water-play.
Especially good for masturbation, unprotected anal sex, or sex toys.
The category is also broad. Oil-based lube may contain petroleum jelly, baby oil, or vegetable oil. Make sure to check the ingredients if you are concerned.
Important: Oil-based lubricants can break down latex, so it is not safe to use with latex condoms or diaphragms.
If you don't use condoms, oil-based lube can be a great choice.
Note that it is likely to stain your sheets, like a silicone-based lube, and certain oils may cause irritation or allergic reactions on your skin.
If you start to develop a rash or other reaction, discontinue the use of the lube immediately.
CBD is in everything now... is it any surprise that you can now buy CBD lube?
The popular, all-natural, recently-legalized cannabis product known as cannabidiol (CBD for short) has made headlines for its supposed ability to reduce inflammation, fight free radicals, stabilize the mood, fight cancer, alleviate certain seizure disorders, and regulate internal homeostasis.
Note: that none of this is proven scientifically.
Early studies have shown promise, but much more testing must be done before you can expect doctors to recommend CBD as a prescribed treatment for anything.
Regardless, oil-based lube containing CBD is out there. It contains little or no THC, the ingredient in cannabis that gets you high.
Its defenders claim that its knack for balancing the system leads to enhanced libido, increased vaginal tensile strength ("tightness"), and better sex.
Are they right? Give it a try.
CBD has never shown to be toxic—in fact, it's popular among people with sensitive skin.
However, no proof exists that CBD lube leads to better sex, more so than any other oil-based lube.
CBD is all the rage right now. Whether or not the fad lasts is anybody's guess.
Still, if you are looking for an all-natural plant-based lube with antioxidants and suitable for sensitive skin, CBD lube might be the way to go.
There are many ways to use sex lube to enhance your enjoyment of sexual activity.
Consider the following:
PRO TIP: Try adding a few drops of silicone lube inside the condom to create silky friction for the penis against the inside of the condom. Great for men who find condoms too desensitizing. Beware of putting too much lube inside the condom, though—it could slip off.
Yes and no.
Certain lubes are marketed as "personal lubricant for women."
There's no reason to avoid these gender-branded lubes if you like them.
The thing is, the products are negligibly different.
First, consider what you need the lube for.
Men with sensitive skin would benefit from mild lube just as much as women with sensitive skin.
Also, if the woman is heterosexual or bisexual, chances are a man will come into contact with that lube eventually... and vice versa.
Choose your personal lubricant with care. Certain lubricants contain ingredients that may cause unpleasant consequences. It may be fine for one user, a disaster for others.
Remember the "personal" in personal lube. Choose the lube that is right for you, not for someone else.
Here are some red flags to look out for...
These hotly-debated chemical preservatives, found in many food and cosmetic products, get a lot of ink for their alleged role in disrupting the endocrine system.
The dangers of parabens have not been proven. If you don't want to risk it, check the label, as many sex lubes contain parabens.
It won't just say "parabens." The offending ingredients to look for are:
The mineral glycerin is found in many water-based lubricants, especially "warming" lube.
One of the advantages of oil and silicone over water-based lube is that water tends to make you cold. Glycerin gets added to warm you back up.
Glycerine is not toxic topically or ingested in small amounts, but it may serve as a food source for yeast. If you are prone to yeast infections, give glycerin a pass.
Most "spermicidal" products contain the chemical nonoxynol-9. Yes, nonoxynol-9 kills sperm. It also kills much of the good bacteria that helps a vagina maintain its pH balance, a crucial guard against infections by bad bacteria.
With more effective methods of birth control widely available, antibiotic nonoxynol-9 should be dropping off most peoples' list of acceptable products to put in a vagina.
Vaseline, baby oil, and petroleum-based lube may be acceptable in small amounts, but if allowed to stay in a vagina they can also throw off its pH balance, inviting bacterial infections.
The preservative and humectant propylene glycol may cause vaginal irritation. Look out for this ingredient if you or your partner has a sensitive vagina.
This antibacterial may be caustic.
Not for everybody, but if your genitals wind up inflamed or irritated after sex, chlorhexidine gluconate might be the culprit.
Seriously, who even wants something with that name on their penis?
With so many options to choose from and benefits ranging from safer sex to better sex to reduced pain, some type of personal lubricant belongs in everyone's sexual go-bag.
Experiment with different varieties to find the right one for you.
Remember:
Dr. Robert J Valenzuela, MD serves as a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology and is the Director of Penile Prosthesis Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He specializes in male sexual dysfunctions and practices at Washington Heights Urology in New York. He founded and is President of the Northeast Mission of Hope, an organization which provides free surgical care to those in need around the globe.
Absorption Pharmaceuticals LLC (Promescent) has strict informational citing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic or research institutions, medical associations, and medical experts. We attempt to use primary sources and refrain from using tertiary references and only citing trustworthy sources. Each article is reviewed, written, and updated by Medical Professionals or authoritative Experts in a specific, related field of practice. You can find out more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
Cathy Wong, Medically reviewed by Lauren Schlanger, MD Updated on 2021 August 19. Natural Remedies for Vaginal Dryness. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/natural-remedies-for-vaginal-dryness-90070. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Indiana University Staff. 2009 November 09. Studies About Why Men And Women Use Lubricants During Sex. Science Daily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109090431.htm. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Korin Miller. 2019 August 08. Can CBD Lube Really Make Sex Better—and Tighten Your Vagina? We Asked an Ob-Gyn. Health. https://www.health.com/condition/sexual-health/cbd-lube-better-sex. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Harvard Health Publishing. 2014 March 09. By the way, doctor: Are parabens dangerous?. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/By_the_way_doctor_Are_parabens_dangerous. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Courtney A. Schreiber, MD, MPH, Leslie A. Meyn, MS, Mitchell D. Creinin, MD, Kurt T. Barnhart, MD, MSCE, and Sharon L. Hillier, PhD. 2006 January. Effects of Long-Term Use of Nonoxynol-9 on Vaginal Flora National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1380307/. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Trevor Stokes. 2013 March 20. Some popular vaginal products linked to infections, study finds. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/some-popular-vaginal-products-linked-infections-study-finds-1c8978663 Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
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