LS Lessons – What We Have Learned

After two years of being together, and being involved in the LS every step of the way, we have found things that do work and the things that don’t work for us.  Because of our comfortability within the LS community, we have made it a point to share our experiences and “lessons” with other couples.  Mainly this has been with new couples to the LS but also includes couples around our age who have lack friends that can relate to them.

Lately I have found that quite a few of our fellow swinger friends have gone their separate ways or are taking a break from the LS.  Naturally I offer my support through continued friendship, and have unfortunately found that the root of the problems stemmed from a lack of communication.  From the women I have talked to, this was the main issue – a lack of talking.  This inspired me to discuss with Boyfriend the issues we faced in the LS and what we did to make things work for us.  We will start with three but I am sure the list will grow as we do J

1 - Create a joint e-mail together.  This way you both have access to see what is going on when communicating with other couples.  On top of that, you now have an e-mail address that you can use to sign up on adult sites together.

2- Discuss rules and boundaries.  This involves doing some research together.  Find out situations that could happen and talk about if you would be ok with it happening.  Rules are typically not flexible and not meant to be broken.  Boundaries are more situational and allow more flexibility.  This usually involves additional communication between the couple or all parties involved.

3- Do NOT try to “surprise” your wife, girlfriend, etc. into the LS.  Seriously I see this quite often and it still shocks me.  If you are interested in the LS then do some research first.  Once you get a feel for what it is actually about, then talk to her or him.  If you feel uncomfortable doing this then you have communication issues and you need to sort that out before jumping into the LS.  Talking about sex as a couple should be natural and comfortable.  Once you talk about it, share the good research and information you found yourself and go from there.

Take care my sexies xoxox

SU Review – Astroglide Liquid Personal Lubricant

I wanted a chance to provide reviews and personal opinions of sex toys, props and any other “sex things” we (or I) used or liked.  I thought I would start off easy with our most favorite lubricant that we use.  Astroglide liquid personal lubricant is a STAPLE in our bedroom.  I think at this point we would probably be suitable candidates as the face of Astroglide lube given how many bottles we have used!

I am a woman who doesn’t get super dripping wet naturally.  It can be a side effect of the birth control pill that some women experience.  Vaginal dryness is one of the more common side effects of hormonal birth control methods.  It actually got to the point for me that I stopped taking the pill nearly three years ago.  Although I have noticed a dramatic difference since being on a hormone-free birth control method, I still favour using lube!

As you can imagine I have had my fair share of experiences with personal lubricants and learned a lot along the way.  I have tried super expensive fancy ones that you find only in select adult stores as well as the ones you can find in drugstores.  Out of all of them, Astroglide liquid tops my list for price, quality and because of how easy this product is to find.  I feel like a point form display of the pros and cons I personally have regarding this product is the best way to convey my opinions.  So please have a look below and determine if this lubricant is right for you!

PROS

This product is WATER BASED which is the only type of lubricant I will use.  Regardless of what your toy if made of, water based lubricants are safe for it.

This product is safe to use with latex condoms.

VERY easy to clean up.  Literally this stuff has been all over our sheets, nice bedding, us and it always cleans up easy.  On body parts you can use plain water to clean up and with bedding all it takes is one wash cycle and we are set!

This lubricant is one of the few that I find does not dry out and become super tacky and sticky.  Because water-based personal lubricants absorb into the skin and evaporate, I have found most have a tendency to dry out during use and turn into a tacky sticky mess.  It doesn’t mean this won’t happen, but it happens a lot less for me with this lubricant.  Remember, if this does happen to you simply re-apply the lubricant or use water (aka some saliva) to reactivate it.

The cost!  Serious winner for us as we use lube like there is no tomorrow!  Some lubricants in adult stores cost $40.00 (Canadian) for 5oz.  Astroglide, where I live, is anywhere from $12.00-$20.00 (Canadian) for 5oz depending on where I buy it and what sales I can score.

The longevity of the product.  Because this lubricant works and I do not have to re-apply it as often as other lubricants it lasts longer.

This lube is pretty easy to find.  I know I can get it easy peasy at Shoppers Drug Mart any day of the week!

Astroglide's has a slightly acidic pH balance which can inhibit yeast growth; however, it is not recommended when you have a yeast infection due to its glycerin content.  The new Natural Liquid Lubricant, in a green colored box, is glycerin and paraben free; instead of glycerin, xylitol is used in the product, which has been shown to decrease yeast proliferation.

There is a variety of products you can try!  You can choose from:

Liquid

Natural Liquid

Gel

Sensitive Skin Gel

Warming Lubricant, and

Strawberry Flavored

I have yet to individually try every one of these lubricants and there are different ingredients used for each; however, it is nice to have a choice if you want to shake things.  For me, I stay with ol’ faithful!

CONS

Personally, I do not have any cons with this specific lubricant.  I did do my research though in order to provide my readers with education on this lube and of water based lubricants in general.

Water based lubricants are obviously not used in the water because they are washed off.  So no using these to the pool, beach, shower, etc. because they will not work very well!

A 2011 study by the Population Council found many water-based lubricants damaged human rectal cells and those containing polyquaternium-15 appeared to actively increase HIV replication in cell cultures.  Astroglide does contain this ingredient along with purified water, glycerin, propylene glycol, methylparaben and propylparaben.

Hope you enjoyed my very first review!  I hope to have many more!

Take care my sexies xoxox