Use a Warming Lubricant
A “warming” lubricant or oil (see our selection here) contains minty or peppery ingredients, which increase sensation and stimulate circulation in genitals before and during sex, with or without a personal vibrator.
Women over 40 especially like warming products because the drop in circulating hormones means many of us have decreased circulation and sensation in our genitals. Warming products help us regain that sensation.
The sensation can last from a few minutes to a few hours. Water-based warming lubricants are good for self-stimulation and for vaginal penetration. Warming oils, on the other hand, are meant for external genitalia only, and are especially good for pre-penetration arousal or non-intercourse sexual play.
A word of caution, however. If you are experiencing any vaginal irritation or atrophy, a warming lubricant could make you feel as if you’ve set your genitals on fire. Not at all a pleasant sensation! So, we advise their use only for women with healthy vaginal tissues.
Warming products are available at a pretty broad range of prices, starting around $7.99 and running up to $75.00 for 30 ml. This amount will last up to three months when used on a daily basis.
How To
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Choose a product carefully, with attention to ingredients that you may know are irritants to you or your partner, and from a source you trust. Keeping oil-based products out of the vagina is important for good vaginal health, so if you plan to have intercourse during your intimacy, opt for water-based instead of oil-based products for both you and your partner.
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Test a small amount on yourself. Warming products are designed to create a reaction, but too much reaction can be distinctly uncomfortable! To make sure you don't have extra sensitivity, test a small amount on yourself when you're not planning penetration first.
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Measure and apply. After that test, use a warming lubricant as you would any lubricant, using a quarter-sized dollop, to start, and applying it to both your genitals and your partners’.
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Experiment with placement. Warming oils can be used on a woman’s external genitalia, applied from the top of your labia, over the clitoral hood, inside and outside the inner labia, including the vestibule (the entryway to the vagina). Some women like to include their perineum and anus. And some like to use warming fluids on their nipples. Men may like warming fluids on sensitive parts of their bodies, too.
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Start slowly. Let your own experience be your guide.
