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Personal lubricants are used on or around the human body to reduce friction, particularly during intimate sexual acts, but also for medical treatments and procedures.
Types
Water-based
Water-based personal lubricants are water-soluble, and are generally the type which is least irritating to body surfaces. They do have a tendency to dry out during use, but application of additional water is sufficient to re-activate them. These properties lead to their frequent use for sexual activity.
Popular brands include K-Y Jelly and Astroglide.
Silicone-based
Silicone-based brands tend to retain lubrication longer than water-based lubricants.
Note that Silicone based lubricants should not be used with silicone based sex toys or condoms, since they can degrade the material.
Popular brands include Eros.
Petroleum jelly or Oil based
Petroleum jelly has long been used for medical procedures. Being oil-based, it does not react with body fluids in the same way as water-based products, making it longer lasting, though it is somewhat less lubricating. Petroleum jelly is sometimes used as a lubricant for anal sex. Although petroleum jelly is inexpensive and readily available, it can often be very difficult to clean off the body after sexual activity, due to the fact that it is not water soluble. Oil based and Petroleum distilate lubricants are not compatible with and can destroy the effectiveness of latex condoms.
Popular brands include Vaseline.
Specialty
Specialty lubricants are designed to cause physiological or physical changes to the area applied; these include warming lubricants which heat up in temperature on contact with the body. Breathing on these types of lubricants can also increase their temperature creating a pleasant warming sensation. Another type of specialty lubricant can increase blood flow to the regions in which they are applied creating a fuller erection of the penis or clitoris. Still others include flavored lubricants.
Popular brands include Wet fun flavors (warming), KY Jelly (warming) and Thermal (warming & blood flow vasodiolator).
See http://www.lubery.com for a very large listing.
Uses
Sexual
A sexual lubricant (or masturbation lubricant) is a used to increase pleasure or reduce pain during sexual activity and may be used for lubricating the penis or dildo and/or the vagina or anus before sexual intercourse.
Intercourse
Personal lubricants make bearable and even pleasurable acts that would otherwise be painful, such as anal sex or vaginal intercourse when the woman experiences vaginal dryness or her vagina is contracted. It is generally sufficient to apply a good drop of gel on the vaginal entrance; anal sex may require a more generous application. There are also available combinations of personal lubricants with spermicides, to be injected into the vagina prior to intercourse.
Masturbation
Males and females masturbate differently. While males do produce a lubricating fluid (Cowper's fluid), the informal name for this fluid, "pre-come" or "pre-cum", already indicates that this may often be released only relatively shortly before orgasm or after intense mental stimulation. Moreover, the circumcised penis lacks the little amount of extra lubrication produced by the foreskin, often making artificial lubrication necessary for starting masturbation. For uncircumcised males, lubrication is usually desirable mainly for extra stimulation and to allow more intense stroking of the penis. A lubricant may be used to facilitate the use of certain sex toys, or with females as part of prolonged clitoral stimulation.
Concerns
- Water-based lubricants are incompatible with underwater sex as they can be dissolved or dispersed in water.
- Silicone-based lubricants are incompatible with, and may cause damage to, silicone-based sex toys.
- Oil-based lubricants such as Vaseline weaken latex and may reduce the effectiveness of latex condoms as a contraceptive and protection against sexually-transmitted diseases. Water-based personal lubricants may be used with latex condoms, instead.
Alternatives
Other substances improvised as sexual lubricants:
Note that edible oils (such as margarine) and oil-based lotions are not compatible with latex rubber.
Medicinal
Any type of personal lubricant can be used for:
Petroleum jelly in particular can be used as a treatment for:
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