Anal play offers a lot when it comes to sexually arousing activities. Stimulating the prostate gland is one such pleasure, as are the exciting pleasures of penetration by finger, sex toy, or even an entire fist. This orifice certainly knows how to please!
However, nature evolved the anus to expel waste. Not to readily accept stuff going into it.
To avoid harming yourself or your partner while engaging in anal play, we’re here with an anal sex preparedness guide for exploring anal play.
Here you will find what to do, what not, ways to enhance your pleasure, and how to greatly reduce the possibility of injury.
Table Of Contents
Why You Should Trust Us
We are not exaggerating when we say we here at My Sex toy Guide have sex on our minds, like practically every second of every day. Because we are so dedicated to understanding the ins and outs of human sexuality, we can share what we have learned.
Our expertise runs the gamut from choosing the best vibrator or dildo for vaginal sex to the best oral sex positions. So we are more than qualified to pass these essential anal sex safety lessons to you.
Not only that, but sex educator M.Christian is also lending his considerable sexual know-how. They are as versed in erotic fiction as they teach safe, sane, and consensual BDSM. Not to mention ethical polyamory, using fantasies to explore butt play and other topics.
M.Christian, you could say, knows what they are talking about. Beginning with the following crucial steps to ensure your experience is as safe as it is sexually satisfying, not least of which is how to safely engage in anal sex.
What Tools Do I Need?
Here are the tools you will need for anal prepping your anal opening for exploring this sex act. Fortunately, getting your ass nice and ready for anal activities, with or without a partner, doesn’t require much equipment.
Though the necessary ones must be of high quality. The primary reason is using anything but approved anal products runs a serious risk of infection, irritation, or damaging the anus up to and including necessitating an urgent trip to the emergency room.
So only use sex toys, enemas, lubricants, or anything specifically designed and manufactured for partner sex or just with yourself. Even ones designed for vagina play, as there is a huge difference between vaginal intercourse and ones built for anal penet
Getting things off to a flushing start, let’s take a look at enemas and why they are essential for butt sex.
Enemas
For our purposes, let us rewrite that old chestnut “cleanliness is next to godliness” as “cleanliness is absolutely important for butt play.”
Not merely because poop is not exactly pleasant to have around. But having a spotless-as-you-can-make-it anus prevents the possibility of the possibility mentioned above of nasty irritations, injuries, and infections.
And an invaluable tool for getting your colon and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract is an enema. Not just any enema, but those specifically built for ass cleaning.
That’s why purchasing them from professional anal sex equipment purveyors is recommended. After all, they know what they are talking about and can sell you everything you might need.
We also strongly suggest hose enemas over bulbs. Hopefully, this is obvious.
Though if not, consider the amount of water you may need to flush out every last bit of excreta from your anus.
With a bulb, this would mean filling it over and over again. While with a nozzle, you can keep the water flowing without unnecessary interruptions.
Formula
Here’s where anal prep gets a little complicated. You see, there remains an ongoing debate among anal sex fans whether or not you should use anything except for regular, ordinary tap water.
On one side of the debate is the idea of using a saline solution. The argument is it may help rebalance your body’s electrolytes during a vigorous bout of anal penetration.
The opposing view is that it is difficult to find the correct amount of salt and water. So rather than potentially using too much or not the right balance, we suggest sticking to water.
Our reasoning is saline hasn’t yet been proven to be of any help. You or your partner could react badly to anything mixed with it, including something as simple as salt.
You also may have been wondering about using something other than salt. To which we have a definitive, absolute, and no holds barred answer: never!
In addition to expelling fecal matter, your butt is built to absorb as much moisture as efficiently as possible. It is so good at this that even an extremely diluted substance in an enema will hit your body like a runaway freight train.
So only use water. Period. End of discussion.
Toys
A great method for getting your ass familiar with penetrative play is using an anal sex toy.
Or should we say “silicone anal toys,” as you will likely need more than one.
You’ll probably need wider or longer ones if you want to continue expanding your anus.
Even if you do not plan on receiving particularly large objects like a massive penis-shaped dildo or an entire human fist, sex toys are invaluable for this new sex act.
Your gastrointestinal tract can be remarkably flexible so it can handle whatever your body wants to get rid of.
But depending on the person, this expandability only goes so far. Abrasions, tears, cuts, and the like open the door to possibly serious infections. Push butt stuff beyond those limits, which might damage its delicate inner tissues.
We bring this up because you can reduce this possibility by slowly, surely making your ass accustomed to something entering it.
Nothing is better to do precisely that than adding toys to your anal training kit.
Remember how we said to exclusively use anal sex-approved products? This is doubly so for toys. Why? Just ask any emergency room physician. They will tell you countless tales of inappropriate objects stuck up people’s butts.
Don’t be one of them! For your first toy, something like your own finger is probably a good choice or a set of anal beads.
Though if you have already spent quality time exploring your anal sphincter, you may want to graduate to longer or wider butt toys.
Then, after you get more experienced, you can graduate to the next size up. Or sizes depending on your comfort level.
Lube
A thorough enema to expel as much fecal matter as possible is crucial. Using water and only water is important. Purchasing only approved silicone toys are essential.
But what arguably tops them all is using lots of lubrication. Here, too, you mustn’t use anything save for lubes specially formulated for anal sex play.
Like the vagina, the rectum does a certain amount of self-lubricating.
An absolute must to understand is they are totally unalike in what they use and how they use it.
Water, as we said, is what your colon is great at absorbing. And your ass will soak it up quicker than you can ever hope to apply it. And a dry ass is a painful or, more than likely, torn or otherwise injured ass. Due to this, avoid water-based lubes for penetration activities.
A few years ago, the lube of choice was shortening.
That was then. Now we have copious amounts of carefully formulated silicone lubes. Others, oil-based ones, can also be very effective. There is even a silicone-based lube formulated for reducing the sensitivity of your anal nerve endings.
Either way, buy as much lube as possible for anal sex play or when preparing for a penis or anal toy masturbation.
Though oil or silicone lubes are not as absorbable as water, your butt will still need a ton of lube. Probably more than you can imagine.
So use the anal sex lube rule of thumb of doubling or tripling your orders. And when prep for anal or playing, never hesitate to pour more lube at the slightest sign of irritation or regularly as a preventative measure.
How To Prepare For Anal Sex?
Here is how you can prepare your anal canal. So, you have everything you need to make your colon as clean as possible.
Then you may ask yourself, what do I do now?
To help prepare your ass, here’s a step-by-step list of how to start. Then what to do next. Plus, what to watch out for and other essential things to remember to prepare for anal sex.
1. Watch your diet
What you eat one or two or even three days before naturally affects your poop.
This is important, especially as various foods make prepping easier or more difficult.
The last increases the risk of injuring your anal sphincter or colon.
To avoid these and other potential problems, limit yourself to a high fiber diet 48 hours before prepping. But not just any fibrous foods, but the soluble variety.
Insoluble fiber is essential for healthy digestion and bowel movement regularity. And it also prevents hemorrhoids and other gastrointestinal problems. But for anal sex prepping, you want everything to go extra smoothly.
This is where drinking lots of water and restricting yourself to soluble fibers (AKA anal food) comes in for preparing for anal play.
Examples of soluble fiber are veggies with skins like beans and potatoes. Fruits such as bananas, oranges, and apples. Quinoa and brown rice for carbs. Yogurt or Kefir can also be particularly excellent for gut health. Consider supplements like Metamucil or ginger to help boost your fiber intake.
Along with increasing your soluble diet, steer clear of red meat, dairy, chocolate, soft drinks, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, or heavily spiced or oil-saturated foods.
Medications and recreational drugs can also play havoc with your digestive tract. So consult your doctor about the first and the impact they may have on enjoying anal sex.
For the second, you’ll want to go cold turkey for several days to get them and their effects out of your system.
Educating yourself on how your gastrointestinal tract works is also a great idea, like what the muscle called an internal sphincter does and why it does it.
Maintaining a diet and fecal diary is always a good idea. It can be invaluable for understanding what foods may or may not be good for your anal sex prepping.
Pro Tip: Sex tech entrepreneur and anal sex medical director Alicia Sinclair is definitely worth following. Other experts are equally available to learn from.
2. Pay attention to your body
If you are new to anal play, give yourself to adjust to these different sensations.
But if you experience intense or long-lasting pain or are bleeding from your rectum, visit your local emergency room ASAP.
Though it will be embarrassing, a momentarily red face is much better than risking serious injury.
This is where our second step comes into play. Before, during, and after anal sex, listen to what your body is telling you and get on the same page with it.
Diet, enemas, anal sex toys, anal sex positions, or aftercare are up to you, and only you to determine what is best. So if some people prefer doggy style for their butt sex, then more power to them.
And, once again, if you feel right, do not wait; seek professional medical care as soon as possible.
The most important thing when preparing for anal sex is to slowly insert whatever you use into your rectum. Even if it is just one or more of your fingers. This is a big deal because it is a generally safe approach and reduces the risk of rectum injury.
Communication with your penetrating partner is key. Non-verbal cues are fine, but nothing beats telling your partner what you need or if something feels wrong.
In the same way, take it at your own pace for either partner or solo play. And if you are on the other end of a partner, penetrate play-act listen to what they say, and act accordingly.
3. Douching and enemas
We already covered much of what you need to know about flushing out your ass. But it is worth touching on a few different types of enemas.
- Fleet enemas are self-contained, pre-packaged douches available online or at most drug stores. Their portability can be useful when traveling or if your space does not have a shower or tub. Just be sure to select the not type and not ones with anything added.
- Enema bags are similar. They are handy if you do not have a shower or bathtub equipped with a douching nozzle. Most of the time, a single bag will do the job. Though if it does not, you probably will want to get and fill two or more on standby.
Apply a lot of anal lube to avoid irritating or tearing your anal sphincter. Use your fingers to slowly slide the nozzle in before releasing the water.
When using an anal douche or enema, wear gloves to reduce possible fecal contamination.
But do not force it as too much water can be harmful. When your ass feels too full to hold, it is time to release it. When finished, use your fingers to insert the nozzle again and repeat as necessary until what comes out is poop free.
Depending on what you ate, waste may continue to flow. We recommend another cleaning session If there is a significant time delay between cleaning and anal sex play.
Aftercare
While anal sex may be a wonderfully pleasurable experience, it can be intense for those on the receiving end.
So it may require care and time to recover from these new sensations. Like how our bodies are different or what anal masturbation positions you prefer, only you, the person receiving, can say what aftercare you need.
A soak in a warm tub. Wrapping yourself in comfort blankets. Sweetly reassuring words from your partner. A cup of hot chocolate. A good anal orgasm. Whatever it is, if it works for you, then, by all means, do it.
Aftercare may also be needed for hours or days later. So if you are new to anal sex play, give yourself a wide window of time to cope with how you feel afterward.
Is anal sex dangerous? Read my other guide to learn more about safety.
Cleaning up
No two words about it: poop is nasty. Exposure to it can also be a distinctly unhealthy thing to do.
After having fun or prepping your ass, thoroughly clean your body and wherever you played or used. Not least are sex toys, enema gear, and so forth. Use warm water and mild soap.
Use an anal sex condom on your butt plug to make things easier and reduce the possibility of sexually transmitted infections.
To make things easier still, have your cleaning supplies handy. Such as a box of gloves, plastic sheets for your bed, and unscented baby wipes.
Also, sterile plastic bags to keep your toys and enema stuff in, plenty of clean towels, and trash bags are highly recommended.
For yourself, jump into the shower and scrub your ass, genitals, and the rest of your body. Better safe than sorry since you do not know where poop matter may have ended up.
For butt plugs and other sex toys, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Doing otherwise may damage them, and no one wants a busted butt plug.
For your space, disposal is better than trying to disinfect. So plastic or throwaway items are preferable.
If you feel you have to clean, a very weak bleach solution is okay. Though you also run the risk of exposing yourself to unnecessary toxicity. So instead, use body-safe cleaning solutions.
Are Anal Preparations Safe?
Your anus is a direct, fluidic gateway to the rest of your body. So anything, particularly if it is suspended in water, may negatively affect your health.
Even saline, though generally benign, can upset your electrolyte balance. It also increases blood flow and pressure, particularly for people with heart or circulatory problems.
To play it safe, which anal sex must always be, restrict yourself to good, old-fashion tap water.
M.Christian
Do you have any anal sex questions? Ask us on Twitter.
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