Is douching healthy and safe for women?

Douching might give an impression to be a clean, hygienic act but in fact it isn’t. Vaginal douching or cleaning the vagina with harsh soaps and squirting water is an unsafe practice and leads to vaginal infections. Imagine, a practice developed for cleaning, which actually leads to infections!

Why is douching unhealthy?

Douching leads to a wide variety of problems. Women who douche stand at risk of many problems including yeast infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy and even cancer. Douching destroys the natural bacteria that keep the vagina clean naturally. Douching results in abnormal PH levels in the vagina and actually aggravates the bad smell down there that most women complain about. Like eyes, vaginas do not need to be cleaned; they clean themselves.


Relation between douching and HIV infections

Douching disrupts your vagina’s natural cleansing system and rinses away the bacteria and yeast that fight vaginal infections. This leads to irritation, which makes it easier for us to pick up sexually transmitted diseases, bacterial infections, yeast infections and the HIV infection. Women with HIV are at greater risk of gynaecological problems, as douching can rinse away healthy vaginal secretions and boost the multiplication of viruses.


Douching products – Marketing gimmicks

Some douching products on the market profit from your insecurity of having a smelly vagina. This unique smell of the vagina is actually not bad, unless it is accompanied by greenish, brownish, yellowish or bloody discharge. Under these circumstances, you should talk to a doctor or gynaecologist about your problem. All these products are nothing but marketing gimmicks that sell because women are concerned with their own smell. If you are concerned with your vaginal smell and want to smell nice and fresh, just wash the outer part of your genitalia with warm water and gentle soap, making sure soap and water doesn’t enter your vaginal cavity. If the bad smell persists and the vaginal discharge does not look healthy to you, consult a doctor but don’t douche!

Lubes too have expiry dates…

We double check packaged food and medicines before we buy them but don’t do the same thing when we buy personal lubricants. Most of us just stash it away in the shopping cart before anybody notices, without as much as seeing it packaged date or expiry date. Personal lubricants are to be used on intimate body parts and therefore, lots of care should be taken before using them. If you don’t exercise proper care, you can experience serious problems such as bacterial and yeast infections. Women are more susceptible to problems due to bad lubricants.

How to know if the lube has gone bad?

If your lubricant does not show the packaged date clearly and you can’t make out the fine print on the label, open the cap and take some lube on your hand, rub it on and smell it. If it smells different or the colour has changed, you must discard the lube without as much as a second thought. You are having a bacteria-infested bomb ticking away in your hand!

When do lubes turn bad?

If you live in a warm place and don’t store your jar of lube in cool, dry place, there are chances of your lubes going off. Also, if you are in a habit of buying tubs of lubricants, for the sake of price, and don’t get the chance of using it as much as you would like too, there is a chance that in time it will turn bad. Typically, sex lubes last 1-3 years but it would be advisable to buy small quantities to minimise the risk of infections.

What to do to avoid bad sex lubes?

Here are some points to remember when you buy sex lubricants next time:

• Read the label and check the date of packaging, best before and expiry date information before you buy the sex lube

• Always buy sex lubes from reputable sources

• Buy in small quantities

• If you have had the tub of lube for a while, smell and rub it before use

• Always store sex lubes in a cool, dry place

Heterosexual men’s take on men wearing strap-ons

Gone are the days when men using strap-ons were considered gay. Gone are the days when only men who suffered from erectile dysfunction were the only men who used strap-ons. Today, straight men with no medical conditions also use strap-ons. So why is there a sudden shift in straight men using strap-ons in order to please their wives, girlfriends and lovers? Read on to find out more.

Why strap-ons?

Heterosexual men wear strap-ons for a variety of reasons. The main reason behind using strap-ons is the known fact that most men reach climax much before women. It is difficult for women to reach orgasm within the time men reach climax. This leaves many women frustrated and dissatisfied. Men can use strap-ons to increase the time of sexual intercourse to please themselves and their sexual partner.

Strap-ons for men suffering from erectile dysfunction

1 in 10 men suffer from erectile dysfunction or ED at some point in their lives. This condition can be treated with drugs but using strap-ons to aid sexual performance is a natural alternative. This satisfies the sexual partner too. Strap-ons increase the length of sexual intercourse and pleasure for both the partners.

Strap-ons for gay men

The use of sex toys and strap-ons for gay men is more common than in heterosexual men. Most gay men are open to use aids that increase sexual pleasure and spice up their sex lives. The use of strap-ons and vibrating strapons has been featured in many gay adult movies too.

Strap-ons for heterosexual men

A large number of men still shy away from strap-ons and do not admit that their partners are dissatisfied, but some open-minded men do admit to using strapons. These men place their partner’s satisfaction above their egos and don’t mind using strap-ons. It is a misconception that manly men do not use strap-ons. Even the most masculine of men sometimes are not able to sustain their erection long enough to please their sexual partners. It is about time heterosexual men understand that strap-ons don’t rob you of your manliness; instead they intensify pleasure and satisfy your partner making you appear manlier in your partner’s eyes.

Importance of masturbation for women

Masturbation is very common among males. Women are increasingly beginning to masturbate, but still many women shy away from this habit. Masturbation is believed to be bad, evil, sinful and sometimes an invitation to the wrath of God, all depending on the cultural environment you are brought up in. It is about time, we understand that masturbation, Jillin’ off, teasing the kitty, the two fingers taco tango or whatever you choose to call it is very common and is not sinful at all.

As a matter of fact, masturbation is a very healthy habit, knowing your erogenous zones and achieving self-gratification all help increase confidence and self-esteem. Masturbation also plays a crucial role in increasing your sexual prowess. When you finger yourself and play with your clit, you discover unknown pleasure zones and spots. You become more acquainted with your sexuality, which enhances your ability to reach orgasm, alone or when with your partner.

Actual sex is mostly done in the missionary position. This position involves penetration with the man on top. This position hardy ever involves the clitoris of the women. The clitoris is a highly sensitive part in a woman’s body with lots of nerve endings. Stimulating the clitoris can give incredible orgasms to women. Men can stimulate it during foreplay but most men neglect this, as a result, it takes longer for women to reach orgasm. Clit stimulation can be done during masturbation, which can increase your sensitivity and pleasure. This enhances sexual pleasure with the partner too.

Another highly sensitive part of the woman’s body is the g-spot, a rough bean shaped patch located on the front wall of the vagina. Most men and women struggle to find and stimulate the G-spot. Most sexually experienced people do not even know that the G-spot exists. Masturbation can help women to discover their G-spot and lead men to it, taking their sex life to the next level. G-spot stimulation can make women reach orgasm faster and achieve more fulfilling orgasms.

Familiarising yourself with your own body such as the highly erogenous G-spot and clit helps to greatly improve a couples sex life together. Masturbation is important for women to discover their hidden, unexplored erogenous zones.

Anal exploration – Your way to sexual bliss

Many men and women are turning to anal sex. There is a gradual shift in couples, as anal sex is no longer considered a dirty, unhealthy, painful or heinous act. Anal sex has also gained lots of popularity because of the wide range of anal toys on the market. Anal toys have made it easier for straight couples, homosexual couples and even singles to try something new. Couples who are bored of routine sex and vaginal penetration first try anal sex without any aids, later turning to anal toys, as they make entry easier and less painful. Anal toys are especially good for first time anal experiences.

There are anal toys for men too on the market. They are known as prostate toys. These toys were previously believed to only be for gay men and were not accepted as mainstream toys. But lately, the pleasures and therapeutic benefits of prostate massage has increased the popularity of prostate toys in the mainstream market too.

If you are experimenting with anal sex for the first time, you must keep some things in mind. First and foremost, always use lots and lots of lubricant. Silicone lubricants are your best bet, as they don’t dry up easily. However, if you are using silicone-based anal toys, don’t use silicone lubricants, as these can cause damage to your favourite toys.

You can also use flavoured lubes, as these lubes make the whole experience more sensually pleasing. If you are inexperienced and nervous using anal toys for the first time, the first thing to do is calm these nerves as it tenses up muscles.

Anal toys are made with soft, skin-friendly materials that do not cause stretching of the anal opening and don’t hurt you in any way. If you are with a partner and still wish to use anal toys, buy prostate toys for him too. This will make the whole experience more fulfilling and you’ll both experience simultaneous sexual delight. Once you get the hang of it, anal sex will take you to sexual ‘nirvana’ in no time!

Erotic Games to adorn the masturbation experience

Masturbation can have its variations: The hands and fingers can be part of a new scene of pleasure. Alone or accompanied, this intimate moment of pleasure can become more than just pleasant affair, in an indescribable adventure.

Currently, women have access to a wide range of erotic toys that can be used alone or with your hubby to bring a new ray of light to couple life and have adventures between the sheets with much more excitement.

If you want to use sex toys with your partner and this is somewhat reluctant (because it may resist new developments), we suggest to take a relaxing bath and then surprise him with an innocent game in bed or try some unthinkable partner positions and enjoy an intense pleasure. Just go slowly to avoid any embarrassing situations.

For single women, there are sex shops with large number of erotic toys that offer an improvement of the intensification of pleasure when you go to masturbate, besides the exciting combinations between the fingers and the masturbation fantasy because alone you will be able to explore the most sensitive spots.

One of the best selling toys is the vibrator, which is currently getting more innovative with advances in technology. Today we can find a great variety of vibrators of various models, from traditional to classic phallic form, even the most daring, in formats such as the unusual shapes of butterflies and scorpions (they are not used for penetration, but for the stimulation clitoral).
Many women complain to sex therapy consultations or talk with friends, about not reaching orgasms with penetration only and so have to resort to the practice of masturbation.

With the help of vibrators, these women manage to discover sensations that your body is able to provide when certain trigger points are stimulated to reach orgasm. In this way, the woman controls her own pleasure and takes sex to a new position of self-reliance and self-knowledge due to which she can then tell her partner how to satisfy her in bed.

The vibrator can be of great importance for couple relationships, as a stimulus in the relationship. Many women need more than penetration to feel excited and with the use of these devices, the relationship can become more complete and enjoyable. But this must be discussed, because using sex toys to satisfy a single member of the pair is not valid because the pleasure is the satisfaction of the two components. If not, use it when you're alone.

Frequent use of vibrators helps to increase vaginal lubrication and also avoids from becoming dry as they activate the glands lubrication cycle.

An important tip is never to forget the sterilization of the toy to be made before and after use to avoid infection.