4 Rules for Choosing the Right Sexual Lubricant

Choosing a good sex lubricant. It's a fact of retail life for most modern women and their partners. But how do you pick the right product for you and your body?

Actually, it's not that hard. You just need to walk into the drugstore knowing some basic facts.

62% of Women Are Interest in Choosing a Good Sex Lubricant

Not that long ago, sexual lubricants and moisturizers were purchased mostly by menopausal women for relief of feminine dryness and irritation. Today, the makers of these intimate creams and gels are appealing to a much younger market with a very different message: personal lubricants make sex more fun.

In fact, one recent national survey of American women, ages 18 to 68, found that:

1. Over 62% have used sexual lubricants.
2. Among regular users, only 1 in 4 women said that they need a lubricant to relieve painful vaginal dryness.
3. Instead, a whopping 72% said they use lubricants because it makes sex better, for them and their partner.

These numbers only back up what industry figures prove: the sale of vaginal lubricants is growing. Big time. No longer seen as the solution to a medical problem, intimate lubricants have come into their own as valuable enhancements to a healthy woman’s sex life.

Women Are Choosing Products Without Medical Advice

As more consumers investigate ways for choosing good sex lubricants, research suggests they are doing so without input from their doctors.

1. First of all, among postmenopausal women, only 22% have talked with a health practitioner about any vaginal concerns since turning age 50.
2. Furthermore, many younger women report that they feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about discussing the subject of a lubricant with their caregiver.
3. Maybe worst of all, this reluctance seems to exist among physicians, too. Only 36% of doctors surveyed say they have ever initiated a conversation with a patient about lubricants or vaginal discomfort.

4 Simple Tips to Keep in Mind

So the question for many women today is NOT about whether to use a lubricant. It’s about choosing a good sex lubricant. One that works the way you want it to — without causing uncomfortable side effects. If that describes you, then keep these facts in mind:

Water-based moisturizers are always preferable if you use latex condoms. Because oil-based lubricants can deteriorate latex. That means the condom’s ability to help prevent unplanned pregnancy is diminished. So is its ability to protect you from sexually transmitted disease.

Nevertheless, there are problems with water-based lubricants. They feel wet and cold when applied and usually contain alcohol, which actually dries and irritates your vagina. So for regular use, an oil-based lubricant may be the wiser choice (along with a lambskin or polyurethane condom).

If you want an oil-based moisturizer, choose one like Crème de la Femme, made from 100% pharmaceutical-grade oils. Lower-grade oils can expose you to toxic additives.

Most of all, check labels to see if a lubricant contains glycerin. It can be listed by various names (propane 1,2 or 3-triol; 1,2 or 3-propanetriol; 1, 2 or 3-trihydroxypropane, glyceritol; or glycyl alcohol). You don’t want any of these products because glycerin encourages yeast to grow. That’s why so many women feel itchy and uncomfortable soon after using a sex lubricant. Furthermore, glycerin is a form of sugar, which can be dangerous to women with diabetes or other blood sugar variances.