I was charmed by the film “Superbad” starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. Seriously, who doesn’t love movies about young virgins trying to get laid?  

At one point in “Superbad”, the characters of Seth and Evan are in the parking lot at the liquor store waiting for the much-loved McLovin’ to buy booze with his questionable fake id. As the two are talking, one busts out a bottle of lube and the other chucks it across the parking lot. His reasoning? Lube is only necessary for old ladies- not hot high school girls.

I beg to differ.

I don’t have specific numbers for how many girls need lubricant or at which age, but I can give a little advice from what I’ve gleaned from my “research” into the topic online: a little bit of lube (especially if you stay away from the cheaper brands) can go a long way into making your sexual experience a lot more enjoyable for both you and your partner and using lube should NOT be an embarrassing experience.

Here are a few instances in which using lube might help:

• If you are drinking, you might be dehydrated and might not get as lubricated as quickly as you usually do- in this case, lube just might help. You may need help getting “started”-  if you think you are taking a little too long to get excited or if your partner is new and doesn’t exactly have the blue-print of your particular anatomy memorized yet, lube can also help. 
• Also, for anyone who has pain during sex, lubricants are extremely helpful in making sex more comfortable. Lubricants can be used before sex during foreplay or during sex.
• Another use for personal lubricants is when you are manually stimulating your partner- on one hand his “joystick” can get sore if not handled delicately , and on the other, his joystick might require a lot of pressure. Either way- using lube can make giving a hand job easier.

OK, you’ve decided to use lube- which kind of lube should you use? There are two main kinds of personal lubricants available on the market- silicone-based lubes and water-based lubes. Silicone-based lubricants should carry the warning label, “Slippery When Wet” because they last longer than their water-based counterparts. Silicone-based lubricants are more expensive as well and are safer for those with allergy problems. However, some silicone-based lubricants may not work well with condoms, so it’s important to check.

Water-based lubricants and are better to use with silicone-based sex toys because they won’t wear down the sex toys.  

Image from Pink Moose's Flickr Photostream.