“You put what, where?” That’s what some of you will be thinking when I say that I’ve used an oil-based lube in my vagina. You might have heard that oil-based lube should never be used vaginally and for the most part, that’s very good advice. A lot of oil-based lube can lead to infections when used vaginally but I’ve found one that claims to be different.
Yes is a company that makes both water-based and oil-based lube and they say that their oil-based formula is safe for the vagina because they use only all natural, organic ingredients. I was somewhat skeptical of this but after reading some things on their site and getting an explanation from the company, I decided that it was probably safe to give it a try. I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Besides, I do have pretty good health insurance should anything go wrong.
Yes told me that it’s true that most oil-based lubricants are not recommended for vaginal use because they often contain mineral oil, which is a byproduct of petrochemicals. They went on to explain that it’s thought that because mineral oil does not get absorbed into the tissue, the oil smothers it and traps the bacteria underneath, which is what can lead to infection. Yes oil-based lube is made with organic vegetable oils (like Sweet Almond and Sunflower oils) which absorb into the vaginal and vulvar tissue.
When I contacted them I was mostly interested in the oil-based formula but they suggested that I try their water-based lube as well. They said that combining the two products together results in the longest lasting lubrication. Apparently, laying down a layer of the oil-based lube along with an application of the water-based, prevents it from absorbing into the tissue too quickly so, it stays slicker longer. Since they’re so committed to using only safe ingredients in their oil-based formula, it’s only fitting that glycerin and parabens are absent from the water-based lube. It’s also pH balanced which can help prevent infections and irritation. Armed with this information, I felt pretty confident in giving b
oth of their products a try.
Yes sent me the Selection pack that has both formulas packaged several ways and it’s a nice amount of product to let you try it out and see how you like it without spending a lot. With the Selection pack you get one 25ml bottle of each lube, two applicators prefilled with the water-based lube and one sachet of each. Inside the box there was a pretty little pouch that had the bottles, applicators and sachets inside.
I decided that the first test would be with dizzyguy. Using one of the applicators I applied the water-based lube internally and then I lubricated dizzyguy’s penis with a generous amount of the oil-based. It comes out really thick but melts as soon as you rub it between your hands. It also has a faint scent of cocoa butter. We had sex in our usual manner but it felt quite a bit different than when we use our go-to silicone-based lube. I hesitate to say it felt more natural but that’s the best way I can describe it.
Consistency of the oil-based lube.
It’s like I felt the lube less and him more but there wasn’t an uncomfortable amount of friction. He still glided in and out of me with ease but I didn’t notice the feeling of the lube as much as I do with the silicone-based that we normally use. This had me concerned that things wouldn’t stay slippery for the duration but it did last long enough without having to reapply. Dizzyguy had no complaints and I was fairly impressed with the performance of the dual product application and it seemed to clean up easier than our usual silicone-based lube.
Always one to thoroughly test a product, we tried the Yes lubricants again but things didn’t go as well as the first time. This time, the lube dried up way too fast and we had to stop and apply our usual silicone-based lube to keep going. I would have tried reapplying the Yes lube but our silicone-based lube was closer. I wondered why we had such a different experience than the first time and it occurred to me… we didn’t apply the products the same way as before. This time, I didn’t use the applicator to insert the water-based lube internally. I applied a generous amount of the oil-based formula to dizzyguy’s penis and then over that added some of the water-based. I wondered if that had anything to do with the differing outcomes in performance. So, since I had one more applicator of the water-based lube left, we gave it another try.
We did everything the same way as our first trial of the product and it all went very well. The lube stayed slippery enough all the way through until we were finished. So, for us the best way to apply the lubricants is to use an applicator to insert the water-based lube into the vagina and then apply the oil-based lube to the penis. The same method could probably work with sex toys too.
Speaking of toys, I did experiment with the products using my sex toys. First I tried using just the oil-based lube on two of my favorite sex toys, the njoy Pure Wand and the We-Vibe Salsa. That didn’t work very well for me. It just wasn’t slippery enough for either toy to glide as much as I like. This will be an individual thing, depending on how much friction you like to feel when using toys internally and externally. So, I added a layer of the water-based over the oil-based on both toys and it helped a lot but the slickness didn’t last long enough and eventually I switched over to my silicone-based lube to finish.
So, I’ve had some mixed results with the Yes oil-based and water-based lubricants. Using the applicators for the water-based resulted in the best performance for us. I really enjoyed the more natural sensation when we used the dual application for intercourse but honestly, I just don’t see these products replacing our favorite silicone-based lube but we are pretty hooked on that stuff. However, the oil-based lube could come in handy when wearing butt plugs for longer periods of time; something I still plan to try.
The Yes water-based lube is safe for all applications but I must stress that the oil-based lube SHOULD NOT be used with latex condoms, dental dams or sex toys containing latex. The oil-based lube is safe for use with sex toys made of silicone, glass, steel, ceramic, aluminum and hard plastic. The Yes website is jam packed with a lot of great information about their products and rather than reiterate all of it here, I encourage you to check it out.
From the Yes website:
Yes® Oil based lubricant contains two rich organic butters – cocoa butter and shea butter, which impart smoothness and body; two fine emollient oils – sweet almond oil and sunflower oil, both organic, which confer a silky texture and skin moisturising benefits; and lastly a little white organic bees wax, and some Vitamin E which as well as benefiting the skin, acts as a preservative.
Yes® water based lubricant is made from organic Aloe Vera, a renowned skin food; from organic Flax extract which is particularly beneficial for the mucous membranes and from three synergistic plant based gums – guar, locust bean and xanthan, all of which contribute to the deep velvety texture. Food grade preservatives are included, and citric acid to buffer the pH.
Full lists of ingredients can be found here.
I definitely think the Yes lubricants are worth trying. I had varying results depending on the application methods used. It’s a very subjective thing and it really comes down to how you like your lube to feel. My experience is that it’s not as slippery or long lasting as our go-to silicone-based lube but if I was for some reason opposed to using silicone-based lube or when I’m using silicone sex toys, it’s a viable alternative.
So, you think you’d like to give it a try? Well, it can be hard to find here in the US but you can order directly from Yes through their website. If you spend over $50, your order ships free.
Yes provided their water-based and oil-based lubricants in exchange for an unbiased review.