Best Lubes for Masturbation
Add Some Slickness to Your Next Solo Session With These "Handy" Lubricants
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A lube is a lube is a lube, right? Wrong! Emphatically wrong! There are all kinds of lubricants and lubricant ingredients, made for a wide variety of purposes, from regular vaginal sex lubricants to anal sex lubricants and more, and a major key to getting the most out of your choice of lubricant is optimizing the ingredients to the intended purpose.
Case in point? If you or your partner have sensitive skin, an oil-based lube might cause skin irritation, while that same lubricant can be terrible for anal sex, because the water tends to get absorbed more quickly, leading to increased friction in less time. And friction, whether we’re talking vaginal sex, anal sex or masturbation, is the universal enemy here!
RELATED: The Best Lubricants for Vaginal Sex
When it comes to masturbation, then, it should come as no surprise that some lubricant choices are better than others. What follows is our guide to picking the right lubricant to make your self-pleasure sessions more, well, pleasurable, with advice surrounding what ingredients to look for and which ones to avoid, as well as some of our favorite brands.
What Makes for a Good Masturbation-Specific Lubricant?
In a way, you have many more options when using a lubricant to masturbate, since you’re not constrained by the health needs of your partner. Vaginal and anal sex involves delicate microbiomes and extra-sensitive skin, and each person has their unique set of allergies and intolerances that have to be accounted for, but with masturbation, especially involving a penis, there’s a lot less to worry about.
That having been said, here are the major factors you should consider before purchasing:
- Allergies: Do you have an allergic reaction to certain oils or plastics?
- Mess: Oil-based lubes tend to be slicker and longer lasting than water-based lubes, but they also tend to leave a stickier mess, often requiring a shower to fully remove
- Ingredients: The following ingredients, commonly found in lubricants, are often poorly tolerated, especially by people with sensitive skin: glycerin, petroleum, propylene glycol, chlorhexidine gluconate and nonoxynol-9
- Warming/tingling: Some lubes offer an additional warming or tingling sensation, to help heighten your pleasure
Feeling overwhelmed? No problem: we’ve picked out some of our favorite masturbation lubricants on offer today.
Our Favorite Lubes for Male Masturbation
Wicked Crème Masturbation Cream for Men
This oil-based lube is an excellent option for your next self-care session. It defeats friction in seconds thanks to its extremely slick texture, but we were most impressed by its longevity. A small dab of this stuff will suffice for most sessions, without re-application, but that extra slick comes at a price: you will definitely want to shower or at least wash with soap to get this stuff off you when the fun comes to its conclusion.
Wicked Aqua Lubricant
Wicked also makes a water-based lube that’s worth looking into, especially if you’re worried about skin sensitivity issues. It’s both vegan and fragrance-free, to help cut down on potential irritants, and surprisingly long lasting for a water-based lubricant.
JO H2O Warming Lubricant
Another water-based lubricant, the JO H2O lube distinguishes itself by offering a gentle warming sensation on top of its slickness. If you’re looking for a new way to spice up your masturbation time, without sacrificing the smooth glide you need a lubricant to achieve, JO has you covered.
Lulu Natural Lubricant
If you want a great bang-for-your-buck option, check out this water-based lubricant from Lulu. It’s both paraben- and glycerin-free, making it safe for people with sensitive skin, while also managing to be long-lasting enough for your lengthiest self-pleasure sessions.
Quinn Wellness Organic Aloe-Based Personal Lubricant
If you already know you have sensitive skin and are put off by the idea of using a lubricant to masturbate, do yourself a favor and give Quinn’s aloe-based lube a chance. Their formula has been deliberately pH balanced to match the body’s natural lubrication while excluding harmful parabens and irritating fragrances. Even the nozzle on this bottle is cleverly designed to dispense a uniform amount of lube each time, so you never end up with more than you need.
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