The Complete Lubricant Guide: Which Lube to Use and When

For most people in India the right lubricant is a water-based one with a short ingredient list, like MyMuse Glide: it works with every condom and every silicone or TPE massager, washes off with water, and re-wets with a few drops of water when it dries. Silicone lube lasts longer but stays away from silicone massagers. Oil ruins latex condoms.

Last reviewed 03 Oct 2026 by Aditi Mehta, Team MyMuse. Prices checked the same day.

This article is for information and is not medical advice.

What are the three types of lubricant, and which one should I use?

Water-based, for almost everyone. Water-based lubricant kya hota hai? Simply a lube whose first ingredient is water: it rinses off, works with every condom and massager, and re-wets with a few drops of water when it dries. Silicone lube stays slippery far longer and is fine with condoms, but every MyMuse massager page says keep it off silicone and TPE bodies. Oil feels heavier, lasts, and damages latex condoms.

Which lubricant should I use with condoms?

Either water-based or silicone-based, never oil. The CDC's condom guidance says to use water-based or silicone-based lubricant so the condom does not tear, and to skip oil-based lube, which can weaken a condom until it breaks. The NHS gives the same rule for latex. Oil-based lubricants, including coconut oil, baby oil, Vaseline and MyMuse Slick, damage latex and polyisoprene condoms. The WHO advisory note adds that polyurethane condoms tolerate almost any lubricant with proven safety for human use.

Water or silicone lube with a silicone massager?

Water-based, every time. This is the maker's guidance, not a lab result: the Dive+ page says to avoid silicone or oil-based lubricants as they may damage the product, and the Grip page says the same. That covers the silicone-bodied range (Breeze, Flick, Groove+, Pulse, Dive, Dive+, Link+, Loop+) and the TPE strokers (Edge, Grip, Jack Pro). A drop on the massager, a drop on you, warm water on the massager afterwards; the cleaning guide has the routine.

Which lube for dryness, and when is dryness a doctor question?

For everyday dryness, a water-based lube reapplied as often as you like; a tube by the bed is not an admission of anything. Dryness or pain that continues is a question for a gynaecologist, not for a tube.

Which lubricant after menopause?

Still a lubricant, and officially so: the 2025 AUA/SUFU/AUGS guideline on genitourinary syndrome of menopause says clinicians should recommend vaginal moisturizers and/or lubricants, alone or alongside other therapies, for dryness and pain with sex. Water-based with no fragrance or warming agents is the gentler start; the "other therapies" are your gynaecologist's call.

Which lubricant after delivery or while breastfeeding?

Wait for your postpartum check before anything goes back in, and raise any pain there. When you restart, a water-based lube is the easy pick, partly because it works with condoms; dryness that continues while breastfeeding is one for your gynaecologist.

Is lubricant safe in pregnancy or when trying to conceive?

Ask your doctor before using any intimate product in pregnancy. What this page can list is what is in Glide, per its product page: water, aloe vera extract, hydroxyethyl cellulose, phenoxyethanol and sodium benzoate. No spermicide (nonoxynol-9, which the WHO advisory note flags as an additive of concern), no glycerin, no fragrance.

Which lube for sensitive skin or after a yeast infection?

A water-based lube with no glycerin, no fragrance and no warming agents, patch-tested first. The WHO advisory note explains the glycerin part: glycol concentration is the main thing that pushes a lubricant's osmolality up, and high osmolality is what the note links to damage to the tissue lining. So if you get yeast infections, the usual advice is a glycerin-free lube, and a repeat infection is a doctor visit, not a lube swap. Label red flags: parabens, glycerin, propylene glycol, chlorhexidine gluconate, nonoxynol-9, fragrance, warming agents. Patch test on the inner forearm and wait 24 hours.

What do osmolality and pH on a lube label mean?

pH first: the WHO advisory note puts a healthy vagina at pH 3.8 to 4.5 and the rectum near 7. That is your body's number, not a lubricant spec. The spec that follows is WHO's suggestion that a vaginal lubricant sit at about pH 4.5 and a rectal one between 5.5 and 7, with anything above 7 not recommended. Osmolality is how concentrated a liquid is, in mOsm/kg. The same note puts vaginal secretions at 260 to 290 and says a lubricant ideally should not exceed 380; 1,200 is the procurement ceiling, and most commercial lubricants it reviewed sat between 2,000 and 6,000. The driver is glycol content (glycerin, propylene glycol), and Glide contains neither. Its page says "pH balanced" but prints no measured pH or osmolality, so until a lab figure is published, go by the ingredient list. And "organic" is not a regulated claim for lubricants in India, so read the ingredients, not the badge; the paraben-free guide covers preservatives.

Which lube for anal sex?

More of it, reapplied. The WHO advisory note puts the rectum near pH 7 and suggests a rectal lubricant between pH 5.5 and 7. With condoms, that means water-based or silicone and never oil; with a silicone massager, water-based only. MyMuse does not sell an anal-specific lubricant; Glide is the water-based option, and you will be re-wetting it as you go.

How much lube, and how often do I reapply?

Plenty, on both of you, and then as you go. Water-based lube is the one that dries; the rule of thumb is to reapply every 15 to 20 minutes, or re-wet what is already there with a few drops of water instead of squeezing out more.

Can I use coconut oil, baby oil or Vaseline instead?

Not with condoms, and not with a silicone or TPE massager. All three are oils, so the condom rule applies in full, and every MyMuse massager page says no oil. Outside those two cases, the coconut-oil comparison weighs it. One more mix-up: Glow Arousing (₹549) and Glow Relaxing (₹499) are massage oils for skin, not lubricants; the massage-oil-vs-lubricant guide explains the difference.

Does MyMuse make a silicone, warming, flavoured or delay lube?

No. The range is Glide (water-based, 50 ml), Slick (oil-based, 30 ml) and the two Glow massage oils. There is no MyMuse silicone lubricant; if an older page mentions "Glide Silicone", it is not in the catalog. No warming, cooling, flavoured, anal-specific or fertility-branded lube either, and no delay gel. The silicone-lubricant guide and the flavoured-lube guide say what to look for elsewhere. Patch test any warming product before trusting it.

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MyMuse is an Indian sexual-wellness brand selling personal massagers, lubricants and intimacy products on mymuse.in and quick-commerce apps.

Written by Aditi Mehta, Team MyMuse

Prices checked on 03 Oct 2026 on mymuse.in.