Liquid Silk: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Published: February 11, 2009
extremely useful review
A wonderful hybrid lube that is in many ways the best of both worlds. This is a lube that, had it not been for one little detail, would have become my go-to lube. It was absolutely wonderful in so many ways, but it just wasn’t compatible with my body.
Pros:
slick, good texture, nearly odorless, long-lasting, doesn’t leak, makes a good shaving gel
Cons:
parabens, not compatible with all toy materials, not really waterproof, unpleasant taste
Liquid Silk. One of the best-selling, highest-rated water-based lubes that EdenFantasys sells. As a woman on a quest for the perfect lube, I had to try it. I was prepared to adore this lube, but what I found wasn’t quite what I had expected.
This hybrid lube comes in a large pump bottle that should last you for quite a while. It’s not a little bottle you can hide under your pillow, nor is it discrete enough to leave out on a table when guests are over, but it is sturdy, dispenses a reasonable puddle of lube at each pump, and doesn’t spill when it gets tossed to the other end of the bed during your more, ahem, vigorous moments. I never had a problem with it leaking while traveling, but I always put it in a plastic bag, just in case.
This lube has only a very faint chemical smell to it, rather reminiscent of some of the toy goos we played with as kids, but the taste is not one of the more tempting ones I’ve tried in the name of science. It’s definitely bitter, with a hint of the odd smell it carries in the taste. The aftertaste lingers for more than a few minutes, as well. This is definitely NOT a lube I would recommend for oral sex, slick though it may be.
And my oh my is it slick! It glides like the good ol’ natural lady-juices, but it’s not slippery or tacky. It flows enough to make it easy to apply, but not so much it all dribbles out of your hand before you get it to its final destination.
This hybrid lube was, in many ways, the best of both worlds, especially for sex. It lasted for a long time without a need to reapply, and it didn’t get gummy or leave a funky residue. It didn’t stain the sheets or towels, either, which is always a plus. The texture was a little thicker than I prefer for use with toys, but it worked fairly well with the more heavily-textured ones. The exception to this was for anal toys, and there Liquid Silk shone. It made everything back there easier, especially for those of us who are new to anal exploration. While it can’t be used with silicone or life-like material toys, it plays nicely with other materials. Though it is a silicone lube, it doesn’t hold up well in water, so a quick lusty shower is the most water play to expect out of Liquid Silk.
So far, so good. We have the good: an amazing texture for vaginal sex and anal exploration. We have the bad: a vile taste, material incompatibility, and being not-quite-waterproof. Now, for the ugly: the evil demon of the abyss, one of the biggest hurdles in my quest for a perfect lube: parabens. I’m sensitive to them. They make my poor pussy burn. Unfortunately, when I purchased my bottle of Liquid Silk, I hadn’t yet realized that my problem was with parabens.
I had been determined to fall in love with this lube.
Unfortunately for me, I did.
This hybrid lube comes in a large pump bottle that should last you for quite a while. It’s not a little bottle you can hide under your pillow, nor is it discrete enough to leave out on a table when guests are over, but it is sturdy, dispenses a reasonable puddle of lube at each pump, and doesn’t spill when it gets tossed to the other end of the bed during your more, ahem, vigorous moments. I never had a problem with it leaking while traveling, but I always put it in a plastic bag, just in case.
This lube has only a very faint chemical smell to it, rather reminiscent of some of the toy goos we played with as kids, but the taste is not one of the more tempting ones I’ve tried in the name of science. It’s definitely bitter, with a hint of the odd smell it carries in the taste. The aftertaste lingers for more than a few minutes, as well. This is definitely NOT a lube I would recommend for oral sex, slick though it may be.
And my oh my is it slick! It glides like the good ol’ natural lady-juices, but it’s not slippery or tacky. It flows enough to make it easy to apply, but not so much it all dribbles out of your hand before you get it to its final destination.
This hybrid lube was, in many ways, the best of both worlds, especially for sex. It lasted for a long time without a need to reapply, and it didn’t get gummy or leave a funky residue. It didn’t stain the sheets or towels, either, which is always a plus. The texture was a little thicker than I prefer for use with toys, but it worked fairly well with the more heavily-textured ones. The exception to this was for anal toys, and there Liquid Silk shone. It made everything back there easier, especially for those of us who are new to anal exploration. While it can’t be used with silicone or life-like material toys, it plays nicely with other materials. Though it is a silicone lube, it doesn’t hold up well in water, so a quick lusty shower is the most water play to expect out of Liquid Silk.
So far, so good. We have the good: an amazing texture for vaginal sex and anal exploration. We have the bad: a vile taste, material incompatibility, and being not-quite-waterproof. Now, for the ugly: the evil demon of the abyss, one of the biggest hurdles in my quest for a perfect lube: parabens. I’m sensitive to them. They make my poor pussy burn. Unfortunately, when I purchased my bottle of Liquid Silk, I hadn’t yet realized that my problem was with parabens.
I had been determined to fall in love with this lube.
Unfortunately for me, I did.
Experience
The first time I used this lube with my boyfriend, I somehow managed to not notice that it was the source of my pain. We used it with a textured condom, attempting to try out said condom, and like most textured condoms it left me feeling raw, like I’d been making love to the back of a porcupine. Never guessing that the lube could be contributing to the agony, I assumed the pain was all from the condom and declared Liquid Silk my new favorite lube.
Over the next several days, I tried this lube with various toys, with varying success. Used anally, I had very few problems, but when used vaginally, it always began to burn after a while, and the more times I tried it, the worse it got. However, enthralled as I was by this lube, I refused to acknowledge that there was a problem. This went above and beyond testing a lube in the name of science: this was fanaticism.
The second time we tried this lube together was without a condom. Within moments it began to burn; my boyfriend swears I scorched his ears with my language. I grabbed the towel we had set the lube on and tried to remove the offending substance, but it continued to burn. Finally, we both had to take a shower and wash off every trace of the lube before we could safely have sex again. I consigned my Liquid Silk to the back of the toy drawer for a few weeks, feeling hurt and betrayed by my perfect lubricant. I had learned my lesson. Half a dozen lubes later, I had traced my sensitivity down to parabens.
After a while, I figured I had to do something with all of that lube. The talk on the forums of lubing up neighbors’ porches and goldfish sounded like fun, but to my dismay I find myself without neighbors with porches or goldfish. It turned out that Liquid Silk makes a pretty good shaving gel, though, or even a hand moisturizer in a pinch.
Over the next several days, I tried this lube with various toys, with varying success. Used anally, I had very few problems, but when used vaginally, it always began to burn after a while, and the more times I tried it, the worse it got. However, enthralled as I was by this lube, I refused to acknowledge that there was a problem. This went above and beyond testing a lube in the name of science: this was fanaticism.
The second time we tried this lube together was without a condom. Within moments it began to burn; my boyfriend swears I scorched his ears with my language. I grabbed the towel we had set the lube on and tried to remove the offending substance, but it continued to burn. Finally, we both had to take a shower and wash off every trace of the lube before we could safely have sex again. I consigned my Liquid Silk to the back of the toy drawer for a few weeks, feeling hurt and betrayed by my perfect lubricant. I had learned my lesson. Half a dozen lubes later, I had traced my sensitivity down to parabens.
After a while, I figured I had to do something with all of that lube. The talk on the forums of lubing up neighbors’ porches and goldfish sounded like fun, but to my dismay I find myself without neighbors with porches or goldfish. It turned out that Liquid Silk makes a pretty good shaving gel, though, or even a hand moisturizer in a pinch.
Follow-up commentary
5 months after original review
While I can't use this lube on any of my bits (vaginal or anal), Liquid Silk's turned out to be a great lube for my boyfriend. It works very well with his hands, sleeves, plugs, and dildos, without any of the burning irritation I experienced. For glass, only a tiny bit is needed.
For his silicone Tantus dildos, it's thick enough for them to glide in with ease, and it clings to the silicone instead of getting squeegeed off by the sphincter. It has also proved great for strap-on sex, both in bed and in the shower. As long as we don't have lube dripping off the base of the dildo onto me, I have no problems.
Final verdict? Even though I can't use it on myself, I love this lube. Now they just need a paraben-free formula.
For his silicone Tantus dildos, it's thick enough for them to glide in with ease, and it clings to the silicone instead of getting squeegeed off by the sphincter. It has also proved great for strap-on sex, both in bed and in the shower. As long as we don't have lube dripping off the base of the dildo onto me, I have no problems.
Final verdict? Even though I can't use it on myself, I love this lube. Now they just need a paraben-free formula.
This content is the opinion of the submitting contributor and is not endorsed by EdenFantasys.com
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Forum
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Liquid Silk and Silicone Toys
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KaijahSo, while looking through highly rated water based lubes, I came across Liquid Silk. Aside from the bitter taste, no one seems to have any complaints.
However, I noticed that the fourth ingredient is Dimethicone - and I was wondering what everyone's experience with this and silicone sex toys was? Is the silicone in Liquid Silk a small enough portion that it has no effect on toys, or is it generally not recommended for that type of play?
Or does the bonding potential of silicone lubes have more to do with the type/quality of silicone than anything else? -
J's AlleyThat's a really good question because Dimethicone is a silicone.
Basically it should be ok to use as long as the toy is made of medical grade silicone. There should, in theory, be no reaction. I, personally, wouldn't want to test that out on my own toys though. You can do a patch test on a small part of the toy. The reaction should be immediate if there is going to be one.
Anyone else know about this? -
Carrie AnnI have had liquid silk react to a silicone toy. Which sucks because I love it. :(
10 posts Read all -
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Sex forum
Good review!
I've actually used this with a silicone toy without a problem but I may have just gotten lucky!
Actually, now that I look at it...
Is dimethicone a strong enough form of silicone to have any effect on toys? I know in silicone lube they use Dimethiconol. Or maybe they're the same thing. Lol. I'm no scientist. And I"m too lazy to google it. Meh.
Thanks! I haven't tried this out on a silicone toy yet, as my very first dildo from Tantus just arrived a few hours ago, but I'll do a spot check and get back to you on that!
Hmm, I never knew that... I've used this lube with my silicone toys many times with no issue.
The spot test results: perfectly compatible with Tantus toys.
I don't know about other silicone toys, but I remember reading somewhere that whether silicone lubes and silicone toys react depends on the quality of the silicone used in the toys and lubes: the higher the quality of both, the less likely there is to be a problem. So, either this isn't a "strong" enough form of silicone to cause problems, or more likely, the grade of dimethicone used in Liquid Silk is high enough that it's compatible. I'll try and track down that source, and if I find it I'll add it to the resources.
Awesome, Lily. Thanks for taking the risk on your new toy.
"feeling hurt and betrayed by my perfect lubricant." LOL I laughed so hard.
Thanks for the adventurous review!
Thanks, both of you!
I managed to track down that source; it was actually on the Tantus website, scattered through a few of their "Sex Ed" guides. I'll paste the relevant bits here, and link to the whole page.
For your reading pleasure, from the Tantus guides:
"Aren't silicone lubricants and silicone toys incompatible? Well yes and no. Depending on the grade of silicone lubricant used and the grade of silicone used in the toys, there is a chance that the lubricant will bond to the toy, creating a gummy mess. Tantus uses platinum grade silicone, so we rarely have a problem with any lubricant; I still recommend people do patch tests on the bottom flange of their dildo to make certain there will be no reaction. The bonding is an immediate chemical reaction and it's impossible to clean a toy that has lube bonded to it."
"the phenomena of silicone lube to silicone sex toy bonding-the only thing silicone can stick to is silicone. Nothing melts, but with lesser grades of silicone (either in the toy or the lube) the lube will bond to the toy, creating a gummy mess."
That's the general gist of the issue: some silicone lubes and some silicone toys play nicely, and others get a little too friendly. The only way to know for sure is to spot test.
Hope this helped!