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Summer Lovin’ : A Blog on Good Lube

Couple in bed

Summer Lovin’ : A Blog on Good Lube

Wendy Strgar
Founder and CEO 
of Good Clean Love

Lubrication is a fact of life – it is the grease that keeps the crank turning, the fluidity of a conversation that goes late into the night, the moisture that transforms the friction of skin to skin contact into a glide. I have spent much of my adult life thinking about lubricants, specifically sexual lubricants. When I first began studying lubes, it was personal. I was searching for something that didn’t create so many negative side effects. The itching and burning from using them not only killed the mood, but was threatening my desire to have a sex life. Now, all these years later, I know that the difference a good lube can make is not limited to how it feels when you use it, but can also have serious impact on your sexual health long after the sexy part is over.

A recent study we conducted on college campuses showed that the vast majority of college students use personal lubricants less than rarely. The myth driving this practice is that just by being young and turned on, you don’t need lube. Much of pornography propels the erroneous belief that spontaneous wetness is the norm. For some, wanting or needing lube is like an admission of not being turned on enough. Combine this with the burning, itchy side effects of many over the counter lubes, and it is not surprising that the benefits that good lubricant offers gets lost in the mix.

Vaginal dryness is often the gateway to ongoing sexual discomfort. Not only is it the most common symptom of sexual dysfunction, but it is also the one that unknowingly can provoke other more challenging symptoms like painful sex and loss of desire. There are many common circumstances that inhibit our body’s ability to self-lubricate- like the stress of not knowing your sexual partner very well, or drinking too much before you have sex, as well as a variety of prescription medicines from anti-depressants to antihistamines that dry up vaginal tissue. Not to mention the myriad of other life circumstances like pregnancy, nursing babies, peri- and post-menopause among others.  Vaginal dryness is normal and happens with almost the same frequency as natural vaginal moisture.

Having sex without sufficient natural lubrication can end in painful sex. And it only takes a few episodes of non-lubricated intercourse for the body’s internal messaging about sexual arousal to shut down too. Before long, it becomes impossible to tease out what started where. The most common form of sexual dysfunction that impact millions of women of all ages includes vaginal dryness, painful sex and no libido- all competing for attention. Using a good, healthy lubricant is one of the simplest ways to prevent and help eliminate this persistent cycle of sexual dysfunction.

The right kind of lube

The right kind of lubricant made with healthy ingredients which work with and support the fragile vaginal ecosystem is key. It is better to use no lubricant than use one that is incompatible with the most sensitive tissue in the body. For years, I believed that my burning and itching reaction to most lubricants was an allergic one. Now we know that whether or not negative side effects are experienced, some lubricants throw the entire vaginal ecosystem out of balance, increasing the risk of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). BV is both the most common genital infection and the least diagnosed, further compromising our sexual health. Two in five women have BV and when it goes undiagnosed, they are more susceptible to both more serious STDs and HIV, as well as more likely to transmit these diseases.

After all my years of formulating and learning I know this: A good lubricant must support the challenges that women face of maintaining a healthy vaginal ecosystem not just for sexual moments, but all the days in between. A good lubricant is made to work with the body, and can help to maintain the healthy vaginal ecosystem that keeps pH levels low, which supports the healthy lactobacilli to do their job of fighting bad bacteria. Adding good lube to your life not only adds more time and pleasure to your sexual encounters, but should also add peace of mind for the health of your vagina.


Wendy Strgar is the founder and CEO of Good Clean Love, a pioneer in the organic personal care product industry. She is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, loveologist, and sex educator whose work has helped thousands of people reclaim their passion and heal their relationships. She is the author of 2 books, Most recently Sex That Works, published by Sounds True which is the companion to her first book, Love that Works.

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