I have a feeling i am going to be laughed at for asking such a stupid question but i am really curious. (I know the difference between oil and water based) but anal and reg lube. What is the difference exactly? And can regular lube be used for anal and can anal lube be used for other terms?
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We use Maximus for both anal and vaginal. It's water based and lasts for ages.
Water based lube is just that: its main ingredient is water. It's universal, goes along with condoms and silicone toys, it's close to odourless unless flavoured, it contains chemical agents like preservatives and thickeners and sometimes hydrating agents, but being based on water it evaporates pretty quick and needs to be reapplied more often. It's slick but it evaporates. Some leave a sticky residue once they evaporate, but it's easy to wash away. It doesn't stain and it won't stick to clothes or ruin them.
Anal water based lube is pretty much the same but it's thicker and contains agents that makes it evaporate after a longer time, so you won't need to reapply it so often, also being thicker it helps avoid injury as the anal area is really sensitive. Some contain a numbing agent that desensitize the anus in order to make the anal experience smoother, but I tend to stay away from them because less sensation means that if something goes wrong, you don't realize it soon enough and get an injury. I have the LH Discover Anal Lube and I love it, I think I'll stick to it happily ever after.
I'll add a tiny note on silicone lubes too, since I'm here. Silicone lube is based on silicone oil, it's not compatible with silicone toys as it will degrade them, it's condom friendly though. It's really really slick, it won't evaporate as the boiling point of silicone is really, really high (silicone oil is used in chem labs to heat reactions to 300 degrees and higher and it won't boil [source: I'm a chemist]) and basically it doesn't need to be reapplied. It has its cons though, as it is really slick and if a drop falls on the floor and you step on it, be prepared for some ruinous and not so pleasurable slips that might include falling on your ass. Painfully. It also stains clothes, but it's washable.
As for regular VS anal specific lube, it's a matter of preferences. I've used both and I tend to prefer thicker lubes for anal play, but I still use regular lube for plugs and such as I feel it's good enough. It's really a matter of what you prefer. I also use silicone based lubes, but not with toys.
EDIT: I tend to stay away from oil based lubes too, as they can harbor bacteria that can get you a nasty infections, so they are a no-no for me.
Lovehoney - Jennifer wrote:
Don't worry! It's a valid question you aren't being silly at all!
Anal lubricants differ from regular lube as the consistency is much thicker. This helps to protect the sensitive skin of the anus.
We have a great buyer's guide to anal lubricant which you can see here:
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/sex/buyers-guide/a-quick-and-easy-guide-to-anal-lubricants/
These are two very popular anal lubricants:
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=28339
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=13085
Before using a anal lubricant vaginally, it is worth checking the lubricant type; for example is it oil based and silicone based and so on. This is because there are some lubricants which we would not reccomend using vaginally such as oil based or desensitizing.
You can use normal lubricant for anal sex, however water-based anal lubes are specially formulated to be thicker and longer-lasting than normal lubricant which means you don't need to re-apply as often.
I hope this helps!
I want to quote all of the posts written here! Thank you guys!! Thats cool :) i only ever have water based lube anyway so thats good...but at least i know now if i run out of one lube i can use another :)
I don't have much to add but in my own experience I tend to prefer anal lubes, specifically sliquids, because it behaves more like my own lubrication where regular water based lubes tend to be too runny and dry too quickly for me.