Yoni Investments: 4 Standards Your Sex Toys Should Meet

Be Materialistic

When I say "be materialistic," I don't mean in the most literal sense but do be picky and research what your toys are made of. If you are what you eat, then you're probably also whatever enters the orifices of your body as well. Right?

Dr. Lenae Saint John, founder of the Mamasutra, recommends steering clear of any toys with a "harsh plastic smell," as she stresses the importance of quality materials. She explains that toys with this odor are presumably "off-gassing" and thus she doesn't want it near her body. Meaning you probably shouldn't either. "I won't purchase an item if it's not made with high quality medical grade silicone, for example. It feels very nice to touch and it's body-safe."

We also spoke with Dr. Jess O'Reilly, Astroglide's resident sexologist, to get her take on the material we should look for. Her recommendations include the "use [of] 100% silicone or borosilicate glass toys to reduce the risks associated with pores." She offers ABS plastic and stainless steel as additional options, adding that silicone and glass toys are examples of non-porous materials and only require soap and water for sanitizing.

Alex Fima, founder of the Velvet Co. pleasure collection, seconds the emphasis on silicone. "Body-safe silicone is best. Other materials can break or fray more easily. Cheap silicone will also gum up if used with a silicone-based lubricant," he writes.

However, should you continue to use toys with porous material including jelly, plastic, rubber, and PVC, Dr. O'Reilly recommends using a condom with these toys when possible due to the difficulty of conducting a deep clean, given their porosity. She notes: "Even if you clean the surface or purchase a so-called antibacterial sex toy cleaner, bacteria can live in the pores."

Stay On Ten

I've heard way too many women gasp when I mention my rechargeable batteries, totally oblivious to the fact that they exist in 2018. Unless, we're talking OG Hitachi, in which case we want the full throwback experience...maybe? Then there's no good reason you should still be fleeing to find batteries for your toys and worse, replacing an entire toy because you can't find those little pill looking batteries. You think I'm being dramatic? Fima, qualifies a rechargeable battery as "a standard of modern electrical sex toys."

With a rechargeable vibrator, the only thing I ever want for is the patience to let it catch a full charge or the expected level of logic and duty to self that just remembers to put the damn thing on the charger when it first starts shooting off LED smoke flares.

Squirt Gun Resistant

Aside from the obvious desire to use your toys in the bath or shower, I personally feel a certain level of concern that my continuous and uncontrollable transformation into a super soaker will send my toy to an early grave if it's not water resistant.

Furthermore, Fima ends any debate as he presents the health concerns being simply that: "Non-water resistant materials can absorb body fluids and become breeding grounds for bacteria."

Priority Pleasure

After you've ensured that your options are safe for your body, make sure it meets your sexual standard. What gets you off? O'Reilly says, "The type of toy you pick will also depend on the ways in which you experience sexual pleasure," and recommends that you reflect and consider the answers to questions like:

• Do you want something that vibrates or to you prefer to apply pressure manually?
• Which area do you want to stimulate? You can get toys for the base of the penis, the head of the penis, the perineum, the full penis, the anus, the nipples, the clitoris, the G-spot, the vagina, the vulva, etcetera, etc.
• Do you want to use the toy alone or with a partner (or both)?
• Do you want a toy that is app enabled so that you can play while you're apart?
• Do you prefer external or internal stimulation?
• Do you want a waterproof toy?

I can't emphasize this enough, as with anything else related to your body: food, clothes, and men - be choosy about what goes into it. Keep that same energy, sis.

Your health and your high vibrations will thank you for it later.