With all that in mind, if you’re engaging in anal play, using condoms, or using silicone toys, you’ll typically want to stick with water-based lube. But don’t worry-if you want to use silicone-based lube and toys, there are other toy materials out there that work just fine, such as glass or metal. If you’re bringing silicone anal toys into the mix, you’ll want to avoid silicone-based lubes, since this kind of lube erodes silicone toys. But oil-based lubes (like coconut oil) can break down condoms and render them less effective, so if you’re using a condom, steer clear of that kind of lube. Oil- and silicone-based lubes are thicker and longer lasting, making them great for anal play. When it comes to lube, you pretty much have three options: oil-based, silicone-based, and water-based.
That’s because these tears create openings in the skin, potentially allowing infection-causing pathogens to enter. Not only is that painful, it also makes you more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections, like gonorrhea and HIV, board-certified ob-gyn Jacques Moritz, M.D., tells SELF.
