Chapter three
The hour around it.
Oil, salt, and a lubricant with six ingredients. The unglamorous half of the category, made properly.
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Bath & body, in three decisions.
This chapter exists because the products around the object matter more than the object. A lubricant that turns sticky, a salt that leaves a ring, an oil that stains linen — each of these ends an evening faster than any design flaw in a device.
Everything here is unscented. That is a deliberate restriction: fragrance is the most common irritant in bath and body products, and in a category where the product is used on sensitive skin, adding scent is a marketing decision rather than a functional one. Where a product has a smell, it is the smell of its base material.
Match the lubricant to the material
Water-based works with everything, including silicone objects. Silicone-based lasts longer but will degrade silicone toys. Oil is for skin, not for barriers.
Patch test anything new
Apply a small amount to the inner forearm and wait an hour. This is especially worth doing with oils and salts, which are the two products most likely to provoke a reaction.
Buy smaller than you think
These are products with a shelf life. A 150 ml lubricant is roughly three months of regular use; buying a litre means throwing most of it away.
Questions asked about this chapter