Real Talk: Parabens in Personal Lubricant

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I had somewhat of a horrifying revelation recently. As you may or may not remember from this post, I have been hyper selective with my skincare products lately, purging all products containing parabens (alliteration all-star), and also purging products that are not cruelty free. In my crusade I forgot one most important product in regards to genitalia paraphernalia: personal lubricant. 

GASP! I know. That's why I'm calling this segment "Real Talk," y'all! I mean, if we're going to talk about cruelty free and organic skin care, we can't leave lube out. Some women use it for added fun, some use it out of necessity, some with a partner and some when they are having "me" time.

"It is the unsung hero of sensual accessories" said the girl at the adult novelty shop. 

(which is the only place you can physically go to have more than 1 or 2 choices of lubricant). Not only is lube regularly used by women, but it is directly absorbed into our bloodstream through a pretty damn special place...

our pita pockets.

I said pita pockets instead of vaginas to make everyone comfortable. We good? Alright moving on.

If you are unfamiliar with the paraben controversy here is a little over veiw:
-Parabens are used as preservatives, as they are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
-Parabens are used in beauty products, cosmetics, sunscreen, shaving cream, body wash etc.
-Parabens mimic estrogen and have been found in the tissue of cancerous breast tumors.
-Parabens are known hormone disrupters.
-Certain parabens can actually accelerate the aging process.
-All commercially used parabens are synthetically produced.

Of course it is a controversy, so there are groups (FDA...totally trustworthy) who think parabens are alright to use daily. If you are interested to learn more you can go here, and here 

Hormone disrupters? Mimic estrogen which causes cancer? Worst of all: ACCELERATED AGING!!!? (Not the worst. The cancer thing is the worst). I'm thinking we should probably avoid putting this stuff in our uteri. I figure if there are products out there that don't contain parabens, better safe than sorry, right?

So I conducted some serious scientific research (I googled it) to let you know you have more than 2 or 3 choices when it comes to the slippery stuff. (It doesn't so much feel that way if you're shopping for it at Target or Walgreens. KY has a monopoly on that shizz).

Water based lubricants: apparently these are great because they're easily washed off and they're sex toy compatible (look, I don't know what you're into, I'm just spittin' facts!), however they dry up faster. Silicone based lubricants stay slicker longer and cannot be absorbed by the body. Another plus? You can use them in water. In the hot tub! In the rain! (Again, I don't know what you're into).   However, they are more expensive and can stain sheets.

If you're sensitive, avoid any product with glycerin as it contains sugar and can cause yeast infections. Also, some women are irritated by silicone so it's good to test it out first.

Either way, both of these options are better than parabens in my opinion. For more info you can go to
http://www.hollisticwisdom.com, there's tons of info on this site, and lots of natural lubricant options here. 

And here's a link to a natural alternative specially made for women with sensitivities and allergies: http://www.sliquid.com/

Although, it may seem like a taboo topic, we need to educate ourselves on exactly what we're putting in our bodies. Do your research and find out what will work best for you! It feels so good to make an educated decision when acting as a consumer. For me personally, from food and beverage to beauty products and sexy fun times, the more organic the better.