Many moons ago I bought my first vibrator. It was exciting. It was taboo. It was hidden in a brown bag so no one would know what I’d purchased. After a quick trip to the store to pick up some batteries (let’s be real, first timer…didn’t want to run out and didn’t know what to expect) I rushed home, excited to play.
Alone in my room, I freed the teal gel cylinder from the wrapping, washed it, and slid the batteries the hard plastic handle piece. I toyed with the various settings against my hand to get a feel for how it operated, then disrobed and moved to the bed.
This was going to be awesome, right? So much easier and fun than my own fingers?
Not exactly.
It wasn’t so much the going in. Lubrication (both self and purchased) helped with that. It was more the uncomfortable, burning feeling. And the feeling like the only way to rid myself of that uncomfortable burn was to pee.
I knew that the lady at the pleasure party said that they were considered “novelty” items, but it was explained that this had more to do with the rules of other countries about exporting things that were used for sex. That’s why there were things like rabbit ears or hummingbirds or dolphins on the clitoral stimulator….or so I understood back then.
It never occurred to me that pleasure items were not held to any health or safety standard. That they could be toxic. In the end, I gave up on that particular toy figuring it must be an allergic reaction. Heck, I’ve been known to have a sensitivity to latex condoms, so I just chalked it up to that! And then I did a bit more research.
Did you know that many of the older toys were made with toxic products? That they were safer to be used in conjunction with a condom? Or that the type of lubricant you use can actually dry you out? In fact, check out the article I wrote for Sexual Wellness News on exactly this topic this week! It’s all about how to shop for great non-toxic toys. And if you have any doubts that not all lubes are created equal? Check out this blog post from my favorite lube company. It’s from a nurse’s perspective on why their stuff is head and shoulders above the rest.
Don’t get me wrong, this has NOT stopped me from enjoying pleasure enhancers. It’s just made me much more careful in my choices. Heck, ya’ll know I’ve always been pretty vocal about sharing what I like….and reading materials to help you get there.
What about you guys? Any sex toy nightmares to share? Any tips you’ve learned along the way? Caring is Sharing, afterall!
Made me think of the first time I got a sleeve and the anticipation and excitement of trying it out.
And how did that work for you? Okay? Or were there issues?
We have a wonderful shop called The Pleasure Chest that has opened up close to where we live. Of course we made a few purchases of toys and lube. 😉
Just make sure you’ve made sure that they’re made with non-toxic ingredients. That’s all I’m sayin’. Because there are still way too many that aren’t and way too many people who don’t know any better.
Great information and article, my dear!! Our health is important and I am glad there are choices out there that can allow for “playing”, safely. 🙂
Thanks, darlin’! It’s scary how little such an industry is monitored with little to no accountability to the potential damage. I like to have fun as much as the next wild woman, but that doesn’t mean I want to cause permanent damage while I do.
GREAT blog~
Thanks!
yvw…<3
I have a horror story involving improper storage and a holiday weekend with an infection. Let’s just say I now am a big advocate of the Sugar Sak (http://sugarsak.com/) and when my local A&E store didn’t have them I told the sales gal to get her boss on it.
I’m also a fan of glass toys because of the hypo allergenic qualities and they’re easy to clean. You can even put them in the dishwasher.
Yikes! So glad you found something that worked for you. As it happens, I, too, am a big fan of glass.
Thanks for stopping and sharing.
It never dawned on me to check for toxic ingredients in sex toys! I guess there really is no such thing as safe sex!
See? Safety first, but you must know enough to beware!
I’ve been meaning to look up why some toys seem to melt other toys when they are placed side by the side in the same box, but haven’t gotten around to it. Amsterdam was interesting when it comes to this area…
It has to do with the porous gel materials. Many of them are dangerous/highly toxic. I went a bit more detailed about that aspect within the article I wrote & linked in from Sexual Wellness News if you’d like to check it out. 🙂
As for Amsterdam….I’ll bet they were! I really need to get there someday to visit.
I had no idea that they could be made with toxic materials and ingredients. Holy dang, so glad I’ve never had that particular problem. My only nightmare story comes from one time when hubby and I went into a toy shop years ago and bought a few things…the guy at the cash register said he had to make sure everything worked before it left the shop so he proceeded to take the toys out of the box, put in batteries and hold them up to show me that they worked…all the while giving me the googly eyebrows and perverted smirk that made hubby laugh his ass off. It’s been mail order ever since. lol
Yeah… Who could blame you? See, it’s creepoids like that who make women leery about shopping at places like that.