Our Top Recommended Lubes
Lube sometimes gets a bad wrap and is one of the most underutilized tools in the bedroom. Lube can be a great addition to sex to increase pleasure, reduce vaginal dryness and increase likeliness of orgasm. There are a ton of different products on the market and sometimes it can be tricky to navigate which lube may be right for you! As pelvic floor physical therapists, we are always recommending different types of lubricants to our patients to help reduce discomfort and improve pleasure. Here is a guide to help you make the best decision next time you are looking to buy lube and spice it up in the bedroom!
Why Lube?
There are so many reasons as to why lubricant can be beneficial to use in the bedroom. Unfortunately, due to the fluctuating hormones during pregnancy, postpartum and while you may be breastfeeding or pumping, you may notice more dryness down there. While women are producing breastmilk, the hormone prolactin increases. Prolactin has an inverse relationship with estrogen. This means that while your prolactin levels remain high, your estrogen levels will drop. Estrogen is vital for keeping our vaginal tissues plump and healthy. When these estrogen levels drops, vaginal dryness may occur. Vaginal dryness is super common and could be one reason why you are experiencing discomfort with intercourse postpartum. Vaginal dryness is also really common for people who have used birth control pills for a long period of time or who are entering the menopause stage of life. A good lube can be your solution if you are experiencing any vaginal dryness!
How Do I Choose The Right Lube For Me?
One of my biggest recommendations when choosing a lube is to avoid anything that has glitter, sparkles, tingles or has a strong fragrance. All of these things can be irritating the microbiome of your vagina and may create more irritation rather than pleasure. Here is a beakdown of the different types of lubes you can find on the market:
Types of Lubes
Water based lubes: these are typically gentle and a great place to start, especially if you have sensitive skin. They are safe to use with condoms or other silicone based toys. The one negative is that they can dry up and you may need to reapply often.
Silicone based lubes: these are very slippery and last for a long time with little need for reapplication. They do break down condoms, silicone toys and are made with synthetic products.
Aloe based lubes: Similar to water based lubes, these are safe to use with condoms and silicone toys. Aloe also has soothing benefit and may last longer than water-based lubes. Aloe can sometimes be irritating to the skin, so watch out for any burning or itching that you notice.
Oil based lubes: Longer lasting and can be helpful as a daily moisturizer. There is an increased risk of infection with oil based lubricants and they can break down condoms.
CBD based lubes: Great for people with pelvic floor tightness or overactivity. These lubes can help those muscles relax so that sex is more enjoyable. CBD typically is not as regulated on the market so be careful where you purchase!
ATL Pelvic Health’s Recommendations For Top Lubes
Best Water Based Lube: Slippery Stuff lubricant is one we use in the clinic that is a water soluble lubricant, has no fragrance and has minimal ingredients. You can easily order this off Amazon and is one of our favorites!
Best Silicone Based Lube: Uberlube – Low on ingredients, this lube has added vitamin E for extra skin smoothing properties. It’s also condom friendly, water friendly, and it dissipates after use, leaving clean up a breeze.
Best Aloe Based Lube: Maude Shine Organic is a naturally hydrating, aloe-based lube. It is organic and pH-balanced. Use code KATIEM10 to save 10% off your purchase.
We also love Good Clean Love’s products because they are made with all organic ingredients. The Almost Naked lube is a good hybrid between water and aloe based.
Best Oil Based Lube: If you are looking for some extra moisture during your day, we recommend using coconut oil or vitamin E suppositories. We usually recommend using these before bed and letting the tissues absorb the lubrication overnight.
Best CBD Based Lube: Go Love Intimate Serum. This lube is moisturizing, water-based, pH balanced and hypoallergenic.
We carry samples of most of these lubes in our office. Make sure you ask your PT for one next time you’re in the office if you want to test our which works best for you. Still have questions? Schedule a discovery call with one of our PTs today!
