You’ve ran a bath – you have your candles lit, mood music, there’s a romantic atmosphere, and you are ready for some self care with your favorite vibrator. You pull out your vibrator, and you know it’s clean and ready to be used safely. But then you remember that not all sex toys are medical grade, and not all sex toys are truly sanitizable. What do you do?
Sex toys are amazing, and they’re such an amazing additive for your sex life whether you are single or taken. But why compromise your bodily safety for pleasure! It’s key to research and buy only body safe materials. When you’re putting something inside you, you have to make sure that it’s not just a good feeling for you, but also safe for you.
Now, with all of the toys on the market, what do you do to ensure that the sex toys you are using are body safe for you? Anything you buy should have a clear discussion and indication of what it is made out of. Buy from trustworthy stores, and always make sure that you are able to see the material make-up. At the end of the day, not all sex toys are created equally, and many use inferior materials that are not great for you.
Sex Toy Materials
A high quality sex toy is a toy made out of medical or food grade material, that is non porous, body safe, and hypoallergenic. Lower quality toys often use toxic materials that are not body safe. This can lead to rashes, allergic reactions, burning, skin blisters, and even infections on your skin!
It is sad to say that some manufacturers are only interested in making toys at the lowest cost and highest profit margins. They have no regard for customers, and only care about how much they make from sales.
Keep in mind, sex toy production is not a regulated industry. There aren’t any current FDA regulations in place either, so manufacturers can use low grade and even dangerous materials. Then, the retailer may label it as silicone – but not specify what kind of silicone it is – misleading the customer to think that what they are buying is not harmful towards them when in fact it is.
Toxic Materials
Toxic materials should be avoided at all costs. What are these toxic materials? They can be entire materials, or materials that have additives known to cause irritation and issues.
Examples of toxic materials are:
Rubber, Jelly, Gel, PVC, and Vinyl toys
Jelly dildos are made from rubber that may be called jelly, or gel. These sex toys can be fun and often come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They have a lower cost entry point for consumers as well. However, they are very dangerous for the body. They often contain materials such as melted plastics and oils. They can have a concoction of anything to soften them, and this makes them not body safe.
PVC and Vinyl are often used to make sex toys. One key note is that while PVC and Vinyl themselves aren’t necessarily toxic, the plasticizers used to create them and soften them is unstable and can actually leak when being used in the vagina and anus.
Since both of these areas have mucous membranes, these chemicals can be very dangerous and cause long term health effects.
It’s also important to remember that rubber may be a latex and phthalate free toy, but it can also still have plasticizers and chemicals that are dangerous – don’t fall for the green washing. It is better to avoid toys of these materials.
What about toys that aren’t toxic, but are still not body safe?
Some sex toys are made with porous materials. While the material is not toxic, they can breed bacteria and cause long term infections in the body, as well as break down over time.
Some types of toy materials like this are TPE or TPR
TPE/TPR (thermoplastic elastomer/rubber) is non-toxic, but it is also still porous. Since the material is not chemically stable, it will break down over time, and can harbor bacteria, mold, fungus, and etc. These toys can never fully be sterilized or sanitised, and it is best to avoid using them. If you do use them, put a condom on them. Since they are porous, using them with other partners should be avoided, since you could get an STI. Additionally, you cannot use them both anally and vaginally, since they can’t be fully sterilized.
Is using a condom on these toys enough?
If you’re using a condom with a porous dildo, a condom will help, however – since the concern is also the oils seeping out, you’ll want to avoid latex condoms since oils can disintegrate the condom and essentially be useless. You also want to make sure that the lubricant on the condom isn’t silicone (as most are) as this is also incompatible with most toys. Honestly, after buying polyurethane or nitrile condoms for a few months, the cost is higher than just buying a body safe dildo – so you may as well just replace your toy.
What are some body safe materials?
There are many body safe materials used for sex toys. In fact, the availability of body safe sex toys is abundant in this day and age!
Metal
Medical-grade stainless steel is a very safe material for sex toys. In fact, even polished aluminum sex toys are body safe. Plus, metal sex toys are smooth, are super fun for temperature play since they cool down and warm up quickly, and provide a good weight if you enjoy the sensation of a weighted luxury sex toy.
Silicone
Don’t be fooled – silicone is not bad – but it also isn’t always good. To be safe, you need 100% medical grade silicone. This is non porous and can be sanitized. Silicone blends, medical grade silica gel, and etc are NOT the same, and should not be used.
Glass
Glass sex toys can also be used and are body safe. We recommend using a borosilicate glass sex toy, as it is stronger, non porous, and high quality. It is the safest glass to use as a sex toy. They are also great for items that are being used for temperature play. Also, make sure your glass sex toy can be seen through – this helps avoid any toxic paints or coatings.
It can be tough to navigate sex toy shopping, especially with the industry not being regulated. However, with this guide, you can be certain you’re buying something body safe and non toxic for you. After all, safe self love is the best love. Check Out complete collection of Sex Toys On VForVibes.Com.
