what is yours made of?
If you are here, you probably read my previous posts, by now you know I'm a dirty little sinner of a satanist... and proud of it!
So strap in and/or strap on, this is about lust and science!
intro:
With Lupercalia coming up, I thought I might make another article about "sex stuff"... for enjoyment and also public safety, sharing knowledge and experience seems to me very much so in accordance with the 7 tenets: Empathy and compassion (T1), bodily autonomy and agency (T2), facts and science (T5), admitting past mistakes and obsolescence (T6), and acting with nobility and benevolence by trying to prevent bad experience for whoever might read me (T7).
Lately, with the whole pandemic issue and my long distance relationships (including a good ol' fat time difference), I have had to become a bit more creative.
I started exercising again and taking walks, admiring the beauty of nature... trying to appreciate my own company or Nature's company... but, let's not kid ourselves here, sometimes "girls they want to have fun", they "want some"...I certainly do!
I have been coping with the physical cravings, the loneliness and my self esteem being at its lowest in a while. I went back to modelling for bodily positivity and self esteem. I bought myself some clothes, lingerie and some "feel good" stuffs... Also, you might have understood: I masturbate aka I do what life seem to be implying i should do when I ask to be satisfied > I go f*ck myself!
But yeah, I wanted to find a nice "substitute partners", aka a DILDO (one or two...3?) so here we are:
What materials for your sextoys and for your body?
this little guy here is from Wevibe, I actually like this brand a lot, they have evolved their toys fantastically since i got my first one some 7 or so years ago!
Sextoys, yes, but made out of what?
Well my dearest, there's so much choice on the market it might be really hard to make a choice! Of course you want to choose depending on your preferences, your habits, your experience, the use you want to make of it, your budget (duh) too...
Sex toys have been around as long as sex has
... in other words, forever. A Daily Mail article shares information on ancient sex toys made from things like leather, wood, stone, and even camel dung.
Don't just turn to just any object, look around, learn and explore! that's how you make educated choices!
Sextoys, by nature and whether it is a toy intended for penetration or not, will unequivocally come into contact with your mucous membranes or at least your sensitive parts. And penetration means anal, oral, vaginal or penal (penis plugs)... regardless of you taking it or giving it. I personally make sure to know what I put inside of my body and, if you have a penis you might want to make sure what you put your penis into too. I'm talking food, cosmetics, people... whatever gets in there! I thought it would be interesting to share what I found (facts) can be toxic or not for you. I am all about encouraging you to go f*ck yourself and hail thyself with whatever it is you want to use but... let's face it, let's not hide it, the sex toy industry remains very poorly regulated in Europe, let alone anywhere else! and even on a global scale and it would be too bad to end up with an infection or other negative consequences from the first use/ self love...
oops!
let's start with the ultimate bad choices!
NONOZ
We are talking about Jelly (or gelatin) toys here, dildos made from this material are pretty common. They’re cheap to produce and to purchase and can provide both flexibility and rigidity. They’re versatile and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. All in all, jelly toys sound pretty great, don’t they? Also: Vinyl and PVC:
These are certainly very affordable materials!So yeah, in terms of cost, for a first buyer or a low budget it might be very tempting! But not only is it very very much so NOT eco-friendly: jelly is recyclable sure, but for instance pvc isn't and the production is petrochemical base so not good for mother earth on top of not being good for yourself! So, do you want to be cheap to yourself and your health? Do you really want to settle for less expensive now and very possibly end up paying the consequences?
Also not a good choice because not body safe: latex sextoys (yes i know this is surprising coming from a latex fetishist). Don't get me wrong, fashion wise, yes, latex everything! play play wise, stay away from this! If you use latex gloves or condoms, given you are not allergic and your partner either...(please don't mess around with allergies!) those gloves you need to change condom AND gloves for every play / penetration. No matter how thick or how pretty! so keep the pretty gloves for show is my advice! if anything you can always role play nurse/doctor...
lovely picture from Ultimate Psycho who I adore!!!
All the above are not good for you/your body aka not body safe! Why? because they are very porous, overall that means that there are tiny little holes and pockets in the material that may contain bacteria, microbes,...all that bad stuff! This is why, we do not share those toys under any circumstances, even after washing! And the sucky thing too: they do not last over time. In my opinion, these are obsolete materials even if they are still widely used, for cheap sex toys precisely. They cannot be sterilized or completely disinfected and that is gross and scary. so be safe and skip those!
If only that was all...
Most of these things contain phthalates ( and not JUST that), and I'm not a chemist, but yewwww!Nasty! If I had to sum it up from the top of my little scientific knowledge, it's a highly / very toxic substance that can impair fertility, it's carcinogenic, it can cause infections. In short, WE DON'T LIKE IT(yes I include you, I'm sure you'll be fine with that) and we want to prevent it from coming into contact with our genitals.
Once again: I strongly advise against objects made of these materials, especially for penetration, whether anal or vaginal, because infections don't really care which hole it is.
You should also know this:
There are shops who refuse to sell this type of object, on principle, for their clients health and Praise Satan there are ethical educated business owners! So, if possible of course, I recommend you set your mind on whatever other material I will list below.
It might be an investment in the long term, certainly more expensive (although on the long run if you have to replace toys is it really?) but it's worth it!
Makers are now coming out with body safe affordable toys though and unless you use them improperly, for example with a bad hygiene, their shouldn't be not risk catching anything with them, hopefully...
In all cases, material is important when buying a new toy and instructions must be read before using the new toy.
Now with the good stuff!
let's get down to business and live deliciously!
YES PLEASE!
click the picture for more from this artist
ABS plastic
So what's the deal? What's ABS It's stupid plastic, in itself, it's simply hard, durable plastic. ABS, it is safer than lambda/regular plastic. It is a rigid, hypoallergenic material, it contains no phthalates, and overall is less expensive than other materials that are meant to mimic skin such as silicone for example. It lasts over time, unlike jelly> which literally breaks down.
clean with soap and water suffice or special sex toy cleaner, which can be found in specialized stores.
do not boil, because spoiler, alert: plastic melts even if resistant.
No dishwasher either.
On the other hand, splashing or wiping it with alcohol isopropyl should not damage it.
Any type of lubricant works with it, but ban oil-based lubricants if used with condom: it will tear it up.
Silicone
Widely used in the sex toy market, it is healthy > body safe, provided of course that it is a made up of 100% silicone. To be sure that it really is the case, 'better to turn to big brands for their authenticity and transparency: Fun Factory, LELO, We-Vibe, Bad Dragon (controversial) and many others!.
Silicone is a non-porous, hypoallergenic material, it is soft and supple, skin like, very pleasant to the touch unlike ... once again,*drum roll* jelly, which i find sticky and greasy and gross on the hands. It also retains temperature and if you don't like cold toys, you can place your toy in warm water before use, it will not be as cold as other toys (stone, glass, metal) and your body will warm it up Silicone lasts over time, unless it's cut, like if it comes in contact with a knife....so no litteraledge play on your silicone buddy folks! but if it does meet a knife, I don't want to know how it happened but I TOLD YOU SO!
clean with soap and water, special sextoy cleaner. Can be sterilized by boiling, using isopropyl alcohol or a 10% bleach solution.
As for the type of lubricant that can be used with, I would turn more to a water-based or oil-based lubricant. No silicone based, that could make it porous, and ruin your new buddy! Considering those toys are a bit of a luxury given the price, that would be too bad. A Toy of great quality, deserve great care (#TeamSilicone)!
If shared (I definitely don't recommend that) or passed from anal to vaginal use ,use a condom on it could prevent a lot of disaster.
Glass
Often liste under the name borosilicate glass (or pyrex, like the oven dishes and kitchen utensils yes) in the composition>sex toys box. It is beautiful, all smooth, rigid, non-porous, hypoallergenic. It retains temperatures quite well, which can be interesting for hot-cold effects! In addition to having a significant aesthetic appearance, glass sex toys are not necessarily very expensive. Of course it's pretty fragile, if it falls to the ground it's broken, that's the downside. Moreover, at the slightest shard, even if it is still in one piece, I strongly advise against use, i'm serious DON'T FREAKING USE IT IF BROKEN at that point if it's sentimental it becomes decoration or it is only good to be recycled, that's it. Sometimes glass sex toys are decorated with paint, painted dildos are kind of a hazard and it is very pretty but it is difficult to know if it is safe or not so if the paint is external please pay attention and at the slightest sensation of pity burning stop. Also the paint might peel off and not only for body safety but also for aesthetics, paint is not durable. The very very cool thing though is that if you know a glass artist, you could get ashes mixed in there for instance and they can totally customize your dildo to whatever it is you want! Check out etsy ! I think I read somewhere that Dita von Teese (or was it Betty Page) favorite kind is glass!
clean with soap and water, a special sex toy cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, 10% bleach solution, but do not boil it for it might crack or shatter it f not completely break it (because of temperature change. As glass is only damaged at more than 800 ° C, it is possible to put your glass sex toy in the dishwasher.
glass toys can be used with any type of lubricant.
Metal
Stainless steel and aluminum are both non-porous, smooth and stiff, like glass, but give the object a much more luxurious look (and when I say luxurious, the price follows). The ultimate luxury would be silver or gold for sure (Lelo makes 24k gold and silicon one) but Iam not exactly sure how porous those are. Metals also retain cold and heat very well, so gently with hot-cold games. I wouldn't advise putting it in the freezer, maybe the fridge a few minutes before play (not long!) and don't get it too warm either...that could result in injuries! also they are pretty heavy sometimes which might mean they will "pop out". A lot of furry butt plugs are metal based and without kink shaming (I am not a furry but I frickin love these people!) I would say as far as the metal part goes it is fairly straightforward and easy to clean but the fur part is what cause cleaning issues, especially if you have real feathers or animal tail.
clean with soap and water, special sextoy cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, dishwasher, No bleach!,can be boiled.
compatible with all types of lubricants: that's great.
However, once again, this is a very heavy material and some may be disturbed. Just like wooden toys, metal toys can easily last a lifetime (maybe not with a plastic/glass gem or mixed materials).
Wood
It's aesthetically original, they are varnished so don't worry about potential splinters unless it falls and splits. Indeed, they are pretty fragile although Stiff, it's easy to make a dent, a scratch or ruin the varnish. The varnish is what could potentially be harmful to your body so I'd be careful with that and it's soft! Sometimes handmade and even unique, so it is difficult to certify that they are 100% non-porous and non-toxic, you really have to find out about the manufacturer (Nobessence, Idée du desire, if any references are of interest! and of course etsy! ). Wood is a very qualitative (and expensive) material but having custom made items is a beautiful luxury!
As far as I know you could clean with soap and water and I would expect makers have specific cleaning instructions
can be compatible with all lubricants but I would check with the maker.
TPE / TPR
Most sex dolls for instance are made out of TPE. It is simply hypoallergenic rubber, although that means many materials, you must be careful when using it on intimate areas. Yep, it's not toxic, but it's porous, so water-based lubricant only, and personally I would even put a condom on it. In terms of price, it's not super expensive (unless you buy a whole human size toy). It is important to dry them well before putting them away, so as not to end up with an indescribable puddle of goo on the inside of your drawer/trunk/shelf/wherever you store your toys.. It's not sterilizable so not to be shared... not even between your own holes either (that's how you get urinary tract infections)
soap and water or a toy cleaner to clean them.
follow makers instructions on how to disinfect, I doubt it would include bleach since rubber hates bleach and I don't recommend alcohol since rubber doesn't like perfume for this reason!
Rarities
Other materials such as ceramics or stone are used to make toys but rarer and it is difficult to find precise information on them. I would imagine They could be quite porous and Fragile I believe. About the fragility, same advice as glass, if broken, don't use it! I would recommend using condoms for the porosity (with some reserve on the lubricant...it could damage the material) Besides, I never got to try one although I have had the pleasure to encounter some on shelves or markets and so I got to see or touch some and they can be incredibly beautiful! Colors, shapes and prices vary and I believe you could get custom ones (once again I would check Etsy).
As for cleaning or sterilizing I wouldn't be as bold as to talk about it, I don't really know and I think on these materials and artisanal work it's really hard to know.
I don't think I know enough and it is very case by case for lubricant! I wouldn't recommand any lube because it might damage the material, i think I would want to stay away from oil or silicone based lube or scented/ flavored water based lube.
so...for me, yay to silicone, metal, glass and maybe stone (it's pretty ok?!)
I think you have enough elements in your hands to allow you to buy safely, enjoy yourself and avoid poisoning yourself. Take care of any sex toy, whatever it is, read your labels. and now GO FUCK YOURSELF!
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