Adding lubrication to sex play can really increase erotic sensation. It just feels so nice, and that's a good enough reason to use it. There is really no such thing as too much "lube." (Try running your car without it.)

Some people may experience sensitivity to particular ingredients, so to avoid irritation I prefer sexual lubes that have as few chemical ingredients as possible. Pharmacy and adult stores continually display new or "new and improved" versions of myriad brands, and it's hard to keep up with the changes. I'm not a chemist and reading labels full of complicated chemical names boggles my mind.

I try samples of every lubricant I can obtain. This is not a scientific report but my personal comparison of some of those available on the market. I first began learning about lubes back in 1979, when only "medical lubricants" such as KY or Muko were generally available in pharmacies. Then some new ones started to appear, but at first they were only in adult stores.

Water based lubes

One of the earliest to appear was Slippery Stuff, a liquid that was rumored to have been created for putting on diving wetsuits. It wasn't even invented for sexual use! It just worked well and was a whole new approach to lubricants. I still see it occasionally in some stores. It's a clear liquid-gel, odorless and tasteless. It lasts pretty long, even with a condom, but after a while, you really need to add more or re-wet with water or saliva. It's very good, though.

Liquid Silk has also been around for a while, and sales people say it has a high customer appeal. I have found it to be a favorite of many women, who like its long lasting quality. It mimics natural lubrication, and it comes in an easy to operate pump bottle. It's opague, creamy and resembles ejaculate, which some people may find erotic. This feature may also be a distraction to others. It tastes both sweet and bitter, with an unpleasant aftertaste.

I was attracted to water based O'My because of the inclusion of "alternative" herbal ingredients including hemp, damiana, yohimbine, saw palmetto, ginseng, etc. I really don't know if they have any beneficial effect in a lube.

The first thing I noticed with O'My was the extremely sweet taste. I am always suspicious of sexual products that interfere with natural body smells and tastes, unless this is an intentional part of sex play. It contains sorbitol, a beet sugar, which probably accounts for this sweetness. It has the slick quality of a thin gel, but it becomes tacky and eventually wears away leaving smooth, dry skin. It, too, re-wets with water.

By far, the least expensive lube on the market is J-Lube. You'll have a hard time finding it in most stores. It is a veterinary lubricant and may be found on the internet and in select adult stores and catalogs. It is powdered, and you add it to water to make it your own desired consistency. It's ingredients are a polymer and a dispersing agent which I understand is sucrose.

J-Lube is useful where copious amounts of lubricant are desired. It is especially good for "wet and messy" or "fisting" sex play. It is water based and as slippery as silicone, and very difficult to wash away and clean up. You may want to use salt in addition to soap and water during clean-up. Also, be careful about spillage with this one. It does dry out, but re-wets easily with water. After a while, it can "pill" and get sticky after excessive use. Then cleaning up and starting over again is the only solution.

A favorite of mine is Astroglide. It's been around for quite a while and is one of the most readily available products of its type in both Canada and the U.S.. When I get samples of lubes from various manufacturers, I continually find that I still like Astroglide better and continually return to it as a customer, myself. My clients seem to like it.

However, I just found Intimé. Frankly, I haven't seen a new lube that I really like in quite a while. Let me tell you why I like it.

Intimé was developed by a woman who, herself, really liked Astroglide, but who found that it was somewhat irritating to her. So, she created this formula.

Intimé is water based, and it is compatible with latex condoms and silicone sex toys. It has the consistency of silicone. It's initial feeling on the fingers is just like that of silicone. On the labia, it glistens like silicone. The small opening in the squeezable bottle prevents spilling. Only a few drops are sufficient. It is clear, with absolutely no smell or taste... or aftertaste. Intimé's written material says that its formulation addresses the skin sensitivities of its users. It has, until now, specifically presented itself to the menopausal market, but I think women of all ages will like it.

Intimé is quite long lasting, surely long enough for most couples, though I understand that the company is now marketing a second version which lasts even longer. It easily re-wets with a few drops of water. It's a good idea to keep a small spray-mist bottle of water at hand, to add water when necessary.

The manufacturer just sent me a bottle and a whole bunch of samples, as they say here in Canada, free-gratis. I like Intimé easily as well as I do Astroglide, and I recommend that you give it a try. I know that it is distributed nationally here in Canada at Shopper's Drug Mart. Intimé is easily as good as Astroglide, may be better for sensitive skin and it is also a better value.

Silicone lubes

Recently, there is the new class of silicone based lubricants. Frankly, I've tried a number of them and have not found much discrete differences between brands. If they or their qualities are attractive to you, give a few of them a try.

Silicone lubes are generally clear, thin, with almost an oily feeling but also with an extreme smoothness, unlike most of the water based lubes. You need to use only a few drops. They work really well with latex condoms. With most of the water based lubes, as latex absorbs moisture, you need to keep adding more. Not so with silicone. Silicone also doesn't seem to interfere with the feeling of one's own lubrication.

Silicone lasts longer than other lubes. It doesn't wash off easily in water alone and needs soap to wash it off completely. Be really careful not to spill it, as you can easily slip and fall. You cannot use silicone lubricants with silicone sex toys. Silicone lubricant will destroy the toys.

In summary

Using a lube in partnered sex is part of sexual communication and something that couples share. Both people will experience its sensation, and it will make their sex a whole new experience. Not everyone likes the same type of lubricant, nor do they want it for the same sexual activities. Most of all, have fun with it. Fun is what it is all about, isn't it?