Selecting the Right Material
Sex toys can be made from just about anything, but most are composed of one
of the following materials.
Silicone
Silicone is often considered to be the ideal material for just
about every kind of sex toy. Lifelike with a soft, smooth texture, silicone
quickly reaches and retains body temperature, making your sexual experience
wonderfully warm and realistic. No hard edges, no snags or imperfections - if
you run your fingers over these toys with your eyes closed, you might think
you're touching skin. Silicone also cleans up pretty well; it's non-porous, so you
can easily wash your toys with soap and water without having to worry about
having an allergic reaction. Because you can boil silicone, sex toys made from
this material (without battery compartments) can be fully sterilized and are safe to share. Just make sure
you clean them thoroughly between uses. In addition to being durable, silicone
toys are nearly hypo allergenic; very rarely do people experience allergic reactions
to them. The only drawback to this wonder-material is the price - because
silicone toys are hand-cast, they can cost significantly more than their rubber
or jelly cousins. If you're looking for a high-quality, realistic toy that will
last a long time, silicone is a good way to go.
See an example of a silicone toy
Jelly
Jelly toys can be quite nice, at nearly half the price of their silicone sisters.
While not as smooth or silky as sex toys made from silicone, jelly toys can
still bring you a tremendous amount of pleasure. The secret is
water-based lubrication
- use lots of it. Usually available in bright space-age colors, jelly toys are crafted
from a thick, translucent, flexible rubber that isn't quite as jiggly as silicone.
In fact, if you stroke a jelly toy with your finger, your digit is liable to
stick or skid a little on the material. Another weirdness is the smell of jelly - kind
of like warm plastic. Most people don't really mind it, but some sensitive sniffers
might not care for the scent. You don't want to use soap or boiling water to
clean your jelly toys, just warm water and a gentle touch. Unfortunately, that
means these toys aren't safe to share unless you want to use a condom on them,
but they're so inexpensive, your partner can just go out and buy his or her own!
If you want a smooth, good-quality toy at a reasonable price, try jelly sex toys.
See an example of a jelly toy
Rubber
While silicone and jelly are wiggly and wonderful, most sex toys are made out
of simple latex rubber. Quite a bit firmer than silicone or jelly toys, rubber
toys are still soft and somewhat flexible - but nothing like the real thing.
When you play with a rubber dildo, you know it's a rubber dildo. Regardless,
latex rubber is very popular because of its low cost, versatility and resilience:
it's cheap and it does the job just fine if you aren't too picky. It won't last
forever, though. Latex toys wear out much faster than silicone or jelly toys.
And because they are very porous, rubber toys can be very hard to clean properly,
so no sharing without a condom. Finally, some people are allergic to latex and
can't use it at all. Also, rubber latex toys come in a wide range of colors, although
"flesh-colored" and black seem to be the most popular. If you're looking
for an inexpensive toy that's less likely to smell like chemicals, rubber latex
might be your best choice.
See an example of a rubber toy
Plastic
Plastic is the big-city cousin of rubber: it's hard, cold and completely
inflexible. Think "silver bullet" of adult film fame. However, some
people really like plastic ... there's something about the cool, sleek casing
and the strong internal vibe. Since many plastic toys have a metallic silver
exterior, they have the added bonus of appearing sophisticated and high-tech.
Plus, because the motor is encased in hard plastic instead of smooth rubbery
material, you can really feel the vibe. Plastic vibes aren't a top pick for
internal use or in-out thrusting, but they make wonderful clitoral teasers.
To clean it, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and wipe
down your toy. If you're nervous about bringing alcohol in contact with your
sensitive genitalia, you can follow the alcohol wipe with a gentle water wipedown.
Try a plastic sex toy if you like the sensation of cool metal and a hard, pulsing
vibration.
See an example of a plastic toy
Other Materials
Also known as
thermal plastic, toys made from this material become warm with use
and are the closest thing to skin-to-skin sensation you'll find in
a sex toy. One step up from silicone, and the price reflects it.
