Petroleum and oil-based lube

Petroleum and oil wear down latex and cause breakage. If you're using a latex condom, you should avoid oil-based lube -- period. This includes petroleum jellies (such as Vaseline), massage oils, hand and body lotions, shea butter and Crisco! (Anal walls weren't made for baking). Oil-based lubes can be used with polyurethane condoms; however, the oil can leave a coating on the anal or vaginal walls and can cause bacterial infection.

This doesn't mean that sex has to be completely fat-free. Massage oils and lotions are superb for massages, muscle-flexing and posing, oil wrestling and all sorts of sexual fun, including masturbation.

Guys who have tightly stretched skin when erect often prefer to use lube for masturbation to help prevent chafing of the skin. A popular lube for solo action is Stroke 29 Rocket Fuel, which is known for its high viscosity, and it heats up with friction.

A final word of warning about oil-based lubes: They stain. (Laundry time!)

Water-based lube

Water-based lube -- the most common type of lube -- is latex-condom-friendly, so it's safe to use with your Trojan or Durex brands. The main ingredients are water and glycerin, so cleanup is easier, and it won't ruin your sheets.



Saliva is water-based but dries quickly, so it's not recommended as a primary lubricant. However, spit can be used to refresh a lube that starts to lose its glide, which water-based lubes tend to do. A couple of recommended H2O lubes are Astroglide Personal Lubricant, which is very slick and long lasting, and Liquid Silk, which looks and feels like semen.

Silicone-based lube

The newer and more versatile lubes are silicone-based, and can be used with either latex or polyurethane condoms. Silicone is waterproof, so it's great for underwater sports of all kinds. It lasts longer than water-based lube, and you don't need to use that much.

Wet Platinum is a popular, long-lasting and very slick lube. Try Gun Oil for masturbation. The thing to keep in mind with silicone is that it cannot be used with silicone sex toys because it will destroy the toy -- kind of like rubbing two panes of glass together.