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What
is meant by lubricant?
A "lubricant,"
(sometimes referred to as a "sex lube," or just "lube,") is usually
a water-based, condom-friendly liquid or jelly used to enhance or replace
a woman's natural lubrication. Some people regard lubricants as a must-have
item in this age of safer sex and are an essential ingredient to successful
anal intercourse. The use of a lubricant on the inside of a condom can
make the sensations delivered to the penis much stronger. Prior to the
current, safer-sex era, many people used oil-based lubricants, using
Vaseline or mineral oil. Neither of these is particularly healthy; petroleum-based
oils destroy latex upon contact, making them useless for use with condoms.
Oils also coat the inside of the vagina and rectum, providing a breeding
ground for dangerous bacteria. Even monogamous couples who don't have
to worry about safer sex should avoid using oils for this reason, as
well as one other: if it destroys the latex of condoms, it will also
destroy the latex of diaphragms, cervical caps, and sponges, as well
as the protective coatings around some IUDs.
So,
what are they made of?
Most lubricants
are made up of one or (more commonly) several of the following: glycerin,
hydroxyethyl cellulose, or propelyene glycol. Some add aloe vera or
vitamin E acetate. All add a pH-balancing agent, and most have some
sort of preservative, since the first three items are all essentially
food additives, "thickening agents
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