How To Use Anal Toys? PRO TIPS shared by a Sex Toy Tester

One of the best things about anal sex toys is they are often non-gender specific, which is fantastic for couples to share the enjoyment of a mutually owned butt toy. Below, I’ll discuss everything you need to know about butt play, from the different types produced, prices, feeling, and even how to use them safely in your sex life.

What Are Anal Toys?

Anal toys are any sex toy used in or around your butt for anal stimulation. Using them can be a fantastic addition to your bedroom playtime and can be enjoyed with your partner or for solo ass play. The best part is there are many different types of anal sex toys, meaning you will find the perfect toy to suit your kinks and desires.

How Do Anal Toys Work?

Anal toys work by inserting them into the anal canal or pleasuring the area around the sphincter muscles. What comes next depends on the type you are using.

1. For example, a butt plug is designed to stay inside you comfortably, which can be kept inside during other types of sexual play or wearing them for prolonged amounts of time.
2. Anal beads are designed to slowly move in and out of the anus, creating immense pleasure. Some dildos and massagers use the same method as anal beads. The feeling is just different.
3. Last but not least, vibrating anal sex toys. The vibrating feature comes with all the toy types listed above, so apart from using the extra fun technological features, there is not much else you need to do differently.

What Do They Feel Like?

Anal toys feel slightly different depending on gender. Due to the number of sensitive nerve endings in your anus, you will get a tremendously incredible mind-blowingly good feeling regardless of gender. But for those with a prostate (the small gland located just below the bladder in front of the rectum), anal penetration can result in intense pleasure and earth-shattering orgasms.

Although women have no prostate, anal sex toys can still be highly satisfying, especially if paired with vaginal sex (AKA double penetration). I often hear people explain how enjoyable it is to feel full from penetration and their favorite toy firmly inserted.

Remember that when inserting an object in your butt, you may initially feel like you must go to the bathroom. This feeling is entirely normal, and as you gain more experience with anal toy play, the odd sensation will fade away, leaving you with pure and unadulterated sexual pleasure in its place.

Who Are They For?

Anal toys are for anyone and everyone, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, or relationship status. There’s a suitable anal toy for everyone, and finding the best toy for you is half the fun. Be open to trying new things, and you may reach new levels of sexual bliss!

What Types Of Anal Toys Exist?

Choosing the best anal toys for you or your partner may take a little trial and error, but I can think of worse ways to spend my time than testing a bunch of wild toys in the bedroom. But please always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when trying a new toy, take your time, and always use plenty of water-based lube.

Here’s my list of must-try anal sex toys, but plenty is not listed. Visit your local sex store or your favorite online sex toy company, and you will find many toys to suit any budget.

Anal Beads

Anal beads are sex toys with a string of balls stimulating sensitive spots in the anus. The idea is to insert the balls one at a time, and you can stop at whatever level you feel comfortable with. Many anal beads have balls that gradually increase in size.

Once you have inserted the balls, you can remove them slowly, offering some incredibly pleasurable sensations.

Check out our guide to the ten best anal beads from beginner to anal pro.

If you need help choosing anal beads, we recommend b-Vibe Cinco, a good beginner model with exciting vibrations. You can read our review of the Cinco here.

Butt Plugs

Butt Plugs function similarly to a dildo, but unlike dildos, they are designed for prolonged wear and not for moving in and out. Most Butt Plugs are short, cute, and have a flanged end to keep them from getting lost in the rectum.

A Butt Plug can be left inside while you have sex, masturbate, or even while going about your everyday business, with colleagues none the wiser. Recently, some of my favorite porn clips involved the girl wearing a butt plug with a cute tail attachment, catering to some deep animal kinks I wasn’t aware of earlier.

Check out our guide to the best butt plugs here.

Prostate Massagers

A prostate massager is shaped like other dildos or wands but has a curved top to reach the prostate comfortably. The massager is then used to stimulate the prostate gland (P-Spot), providing immense pleasure and orgasm that penis owners (both gay and straight men) claim to be completely different from the regular penis-stimulating kind.

Check out our guide to the best prostate massagers here.

Vibrating Anal Wand

Vibrating wands are similar to regular anal wands. However, it comes with the ability to use different vibration settings. Many people prefer having a vibration so that the focus isn’t just on pure penetration but enjoying the buzzing feeling of a slow in-out motion.

Fantasy Dildos

Something that has become popular recently is the use of Fantasy Sex Toys and Fantasy Porn. Toys resembling monsters, giant squid, and dragons can fulfill people’s wildest pornographic fantasies. One of the most famous companies creating these toys is Bad Dragon, which has a range of butt toys that look like they have come straight out of a Japanese science fiction anime.

Remote Control

Many companies now offer Bluetooth-compatible products that allow your partner to control your toy from another room or country. I’ve seen this feature in versions of all the designs listed above.

Allowing my partner to control my vibrating butt plug has been a super sexy way to keep our love life spicy; Imagine trying to concentrate in a work meeting and having a sudden orgasm-inducing buzz in your pants. More than once, I’ve had to excuse myself to the bathroom to finish the job myself while my plug is still humming away inside me.

What To Think About When Buying A Product

Material

Like other sex toys, companies can use a wide range of materials for anal toys; some are good, and some are not so good. My biggest tip would be to buy from reputable brands where you know that the materials will be body-safe and the designs will work best.

Most top brands create toys from non-porous materials such as medical-grade silicone, glass, stainless steel, ABS plastic, and even crystal, and our favorite companies use them to pleasure butts worldwide.

You can read more about safe sex toy materials here.

Butt Safe

Any anal toy worth its salt should have a design that ensures it will not become dislodged inside you. A flared base is the typical safety feature included in most designs of anal sex toys, but not all. Other safety features include:

• A gradual size increase.
• A tapered tip for easier insertion
• Allowing the initial insertion point to be more accessible.
• Allowing your butt to stretch as you take on more of the toy.

One butt-safe butt plug we love is Hot Octopuss PleX with flex. You can read our review of the PleX here.

Width

Choosing your toy’s size is where the fun begins. Anal sex toys come in many sizes, and bigger isn’t always better. Some of my wildest orgasms have come from small toys that you wouldn’t expect could cause such loud moans to come out of my bedroom. But, again, lube is your friend and should be used for even the most petite anal toys.

Beginners

If you are a beginner with anal play, it’s best to stick with the smaller toys and work your way up. Try choosing a toy that is 0.8″ to 1.25″. Just because it’s smaller doesn’t mean it’s less enjoyable. Once you’re ready, you can size up. Just remember to enjoy what makes you feel good.

Butt toys will vary in length depending on the design, and beginner models in the above dimensions range from 2-3″. Anal beads for beginners will start at around 1″ in diameter.

A good beginner model is the b-Vibe rimming plug petite; you can read our review of it here.

Intermediate

If you have some experience with anal play with toys and are ready to size up, try buying a 1.25″ – 1.5″ toy in diameter. Be patient with yourself. Sizing up takes time, but the right amount of lube can help that toy slide right in when you’re ready.

Sometimes I like to start with my smaller toys; then, as I’m feeling more relaxed, I can grab my medium guy and enjoy the feeling even more.

Advanced

Choosing a big-sized anal toy can be exciting and insanely pleasurable. However, the most important thing when selecting a butt toy 1.5″- 2″ is that you’ve previously practiced some form of anal training. Anal play is all about pleasure, so forcing a size too large defeats the purpose and can cause painful damage.

Size Lovers

If you’re a size lover, there’s a vast range of toys to push the boundaries for anal play experts. These toys come in sizes from 2 inches and above, and they can go as big as you want if you get one custom-made. None of these should be tried if you are not super experienced.

Length

Anal sex toys come in various lengths depending on the toy itself, and everything from 2″ up until it may tickle your throat (slight exaggeration, but you get the point). It’s worth knowing that a considerable amount is unnecessary to have immense pleasure.

When looking at the length of the toy, the same rule applies to width: only use a size you are comfortable with. Again, the goal is pleasure, not injury.

Pro Tip: Anal bead sizing is slightly different from other anal sex toys, as they are beads that (usually) change size gradually. You can get anal beads in various sizes, ranging from under 1″ up to 5″ and beyond. As for length, it’s about personal preference and how many beads you want to insert. The best thing with anal beads is that you can choose your limits without needing to inset every bead the toy provides.

Vibrating vs. Non-Vibrating

The choice to buy either a vibrating or non-vibrating butt toy comes down to just personal preference. Some people like an old-school anal toy with no fancy add-ons.

However, we live in the 21st century, and technology has added some cool features to sex toys. These vibrating features are a favorite to many, and they can add a lot of extra pleasure during anal play, and I recommend that you try anal vibrators at least once.

If you want vibrations, I recommend Lovense Hush 2. It also has a smartphone app, making exciting public play possible. You can read our review of it here.

Budget

The best part about anal sex toys, apart from how they feel, is you are guaranteed to be able to find one within your budget. The fancier the features, the more expensive it usually gets; however, there is something for all budgets. If you must choose a cheap option, pick one with body-safe material.

One of my favorite anal toys is this cute little pink heart butt plug from Lovehoney. At just under $27, I estimate it cost me around 50 cents per orgasm, with plenty of years of pleasure!

You can read more about anal toys in our extensive guide.

How to Insert Anal Toys – A Step-By-Step Guide

Wash it First

It’s essential to make sure your toy is clean before using it; you never know what dust and grime it has collected along the production process. Choose your favorite sex toy cleaner or a nonscented soap and hot water, and gently wash for a few minutes.

Using a silicone toy, you can boil it in water to get every inch cleaned. But please don’t do this with glass, as it can shatter from the heat.

Empty those Bowels

It’s essential to empty your bowls before starting anal play, which is vital for a few reasons.

• You want to ensure nothing gets stuck on the toy and then re-insert it during playtime.
• It will make you feel a lot more comfortable. Anal play can sometimes make you think you have to poo, even when you don’t, so making sure to go before you get busy will make you feel more settled and open to your sexual endeavors.

Clean your Butt Area

Cleaning your anal area is essential before anal play, especially for women. Bacteria from your anus can easily get pushed inside the wrong holes resulting in infections that are not fun.

If you want to be extra careful, you can try douching. This process entails flushing the rectum and anus with water. Using the appropriate liquid, such as saline solution, is essential, but we recommend water for douching.

Always use lukewarm water rather than hot because hot water can also be damaging. It’s a strange feeling with your first-time anal toy, but once you get the hang of it, it will become part of your routine.

Find a Comfortable Place and Create a Good Atmosphere

Setting the right mood is essential for any sexy time; it helps you feel relaxed, comfortable, confident, and horny. Of course, everyone has their preferences for setting the mood.

Some examples are lighting scented candles and throwing on your favorite sex playlist; we all have one. Playing some porn and dimming the lights work for me. Whatever makes you feel turned on and relaxed is the way to go.

Lube Up

Generous lubrication is essential for anal play. Lube is not just for easy anal toy insertion; it can also help avoid discomfort and even long-term or permanent injury.

So the best thing to do is test out some lubes and find what works for you. They come scented, water-based, oil-based, and silicone-based. One thing to note when choosing, if your toy is silicone, don’t go for silicone-based lube, but use water-based instead. Using oil-based lube will reduce the lifespan of your toy drastically.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

No matter the style of butt toy you choose, the one rule that applies to all is to TAKE IT SLOW. Warming up, getting in the mood, taking a deep breath, and then inserting your lubricated toy slowly will ensure a much more excellent experience than if you rush things.

The following methods are about personal preference and the type of toy used.

Some examples are below.

Butt plug

You’ll want to insert your toy until it’s entirely inside slowly. You can then leave it there and move on to other sexy things. But, of course, you can also go about your day and leave it in for as long as it feels comfortable if you want to be extra naughty.

You can read more about using butt plugs here.

Vibrating butt plug

If you have opted for a vibrating toy, the techniques mentioned above are still relevant; however, once inside, you can play around with the setting and see what works best. You can also use it to tease around the anus on vibrate before inserting. Who doesn’t love foreplay?

Anal Beads

Anal beads feel best when moving in and out while inside. Slowly insert the first bead, and when ready, work on inserting as deep as it’s comfortable. When ready to play, you can test out, pulling the beads out to different levels and pushing them back in.

You can read more about using anal beads here.

Anal Dildos

These toys work best using an in-and-out motion that will mimic real anal sex. Like with other toys, lube up and test out your comfort levels of insertion. Once ready, you can go at your own pace, moving it in and out to achieve maximum pleasure.

Prostate massager

You or your partner can gently stimulate the prostate by inserting the massager inside slowly and using it as you would your finger. You can also use a finger before trying anal toys, which will help relax the butt and prepare for prostate play.

Orgasm in the prostate is possible, but for some, it might require simultaneously stimulating other intimate areas (think hand job).

How to Use Anal Toys Solo?

Anal sex toys are a great addition to solo play. For example, you can wear a butt plug for a long time if you’re going for a butt plug due to its flared base design. So if you want to get a little kinky with it, you can try wearing it throughout the day or maybe on a night out to test your limits of self-teasing.

If that’s not your thing, anal sex toys generally are great for alone time. You can use it while masturbating or in the bath while you relax after work. Using anal toys alone is a great way to give yourself the space and time to figure out what you like and don’t.

How to Use Them with a Partner

Using anal toys with a partner is thrilling and can level up your sex game. First, however, it is essential to ensure both parties consent to what you will do, the same as any sexual act. Once consent is established, the fun can begin.

Hot and steamy shower sexy can now be made even more seductive with an anal toy at the ready.

Or, if you’ve ever wanted to try temperature play, all you need is a stainless steel or glass anal toy. For cold-temperature play, you can put the toy in the freezer for 5 minutes or in the fridge for 10, and for hot-temperature play, run it under hot water for a few minutes.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Anal sex toys are great for foreplay, whether a sensual massage, used during oral or if you’re daring to bring them out for some public play. You’ll be melting with pleasure!

Aftercare and Maintenance

Wash the toys

It’s essential to wash your toys after you use them, and you don’t want dirt or bacteria to stick in your storage bag or any hidden crevices. However, washing after use does not mean you don’t have to wash again before using it next time.

Wash Yourself

Get cleaned up, and ensure to wash off any rogue lube or body fluids so as not to stain anything around you. Give your anal cavity a good rinse with water; soap may cause issues later on if not rinsed out well.

Proper Storage

It is essential to store your toys properly to keep them clean and in good condition for further use. Some toys come with a little fabric bag, while others don’t. Try buying something small to keep your toy safe and dust-free.

Are There Any Risks with Anal Toys?

Anal sex toys are very safe if used correctly. However, some risks can occur if not used correctly.

Size

Using a toy too advanced or too large for your anal play level can result in injury, some even long-term. Always start small and work your way up.

Body-Safe

As with any sex toy, the materials used should be high-quality and body-safe to prevent unwanted skin reactions or worse. It’s also wise to regularly check your toy to ensure that there are no broken parts or damage that could lead to a build-up of bacteria.

Flared Base

If you’re using a toy without a flared base, the risk of losing that toy inside you is very much real. So always take extra care with how deep you insert the toy, and ensure you’re in an excellent position to control how you insert it.

Conclusions

As you can see, the world is your oyster regarding anal toys. Everyone will find at least 1 type of toy that sparks their fancy, if not multiple, like me. There are so many ways to have fun with anal toys, which is why they are so damn popular. Anal toys are versatile, so they work for solo play or with your partner; regardless of how you use them, it’s always a sexy, fun adventure.

The most important thing about using anal sex toys is consent, taking time, feeling comfortable and in the mood, never forcing it, and using lube. Lube is your best friend for anal play, and last but not least, have fun with the incredible pleasure you’re going to feel.

If you haven’t already ordered a toy halfway through this article, I suggest you get on it quickly. You can thank me later.

Thanks for reading my guide on how to use anal sex toys.

Rachel

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Rachel Sommer, Ph.D.

Rachel is a clinical sexologist with a focus on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC issues. Originally from Texas, she loves sushi, white wine, and spending time with her partner Jessica. She has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Yahoo.com, Women's Health, Healthline, Glamour, and MindBodyGreen.
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