4 Lubricants that are Safe for Both You and the Environment

When you think about sexual wellbeing, the environment probably doesn’t come into your thought process. However, environmental wellness covers all aspects of life, including your sexual health. This is especially the case when it comes to choosing the right lubricant. Sometimes, Mother Nature is all you need to ensure this small but oh-so important element of getting it on, but so many elements get in the way of lubrication, so what do you do then? How do you choose a lubricant that’s safe, eco-friendly and sexually satisfying?

 

1. The Worst: According to wellness writer Eric Leech, of Planet Green, ‘Oil-based lubes get a bad wrap, and justly so. They are sticky, greasy, and can corrode latex condoms and diaphragms. Such lubricants are commonly used because they are generally handily available around the house—Vaseline, baby oil, mineral oil, even cooking oils. These are sometimes petroleum-based (non-cooking oils) which are bad for the environment, but they can also be generally bad for the woman’s uterus by trapping bacteria and yeast underneath its slimy coating, causing infection.’

 

2. The Not-So Bad: Leech explains, ‘While silicone is derived in a laboratory from the liquids Dimethicone, dimethiconal, and cyclomenthicone, it is basically a non-toxic substance which cannot be absorbed into the skin and mucus membranes. Silicone-based lubes last longer than water-based lubricants and do not need to be reapplied as often. While silicone may produce the best overall most slippery results, while remaining the safest for the body, I only score it as good for its relative inorganic chemical formulations.’

 

3. The Best: ‘Your best choice of all if you are looking for an all-natural product that is also safe for your body, is water-based lubes,’ Leech asserts. ‘Water-based lubes offer a smooth, frictionless motion, without the gooey residue of oil-based formulations and they can easily be mixed from all-natural, organic ingredients. Since these products use water as their main ingredient, they are quickly absorbed into the body tissue and need to be reapplied frequently. This brings up an interesting point as far as absorption. The fact that these types of lubricants are quickly absorbed through the skin and mucus membranes makes it very important to be certain that these are not allowing harmful chemicals into the body. This is why I highly recommend only using only 100% natural water-based formulas.’

 

Now we’ve got that covered, let’s take a look at the top water-based personal lubricants that Leech recommends:

 

• Firefly: Leech points out, ‘Firefly personal lubricant uses 100% all-natural ingredients, plus adds in the soothing, healing extract of aloe vera. It is safe with all types of condoms (silicone, rubber, latex), and is actually fairly long-lasting as natural formulations go.’


• Yes: ‘Yes lubricant is a fairly tried and true formulation for couples,’ says Leech. ‘It is 100% natural and also includes organic ingredients. Yes also offers an oil-based (from plants) formula, though I still recommend using the water-based for most circumstances.’


• Sylk: Like Yes and Firefly, Sylk lubricant is 100% natural and contains no chemicals or fragrances. This water-based option is made from Kiwifruit vine extract, and promises not to cause irritation. Leech details that Sylk ‘is said to be as close to the real thing as you can find in a bottle (just remember to recycle that bottle when you’re finished with it).’


• Good Clean Love: Not only is this lubricant stimulating and natural, it contains some amazing smelling ingredients! ‘Even dirty girls will like Good Clean Love,’ Leech notes. ‘The line includes two formulations that add extra stimulation without any harsh chemicals by adding peppermint and cinnamon.’

Categories: based, based lubes, cooking oils, Environmental Wellness, lubricants, mucus membranes, oil based, organic ingredients, quickly absorbed, Water, water based

Water-Based Ways to Help You Burn Calories

Water-based fitness classes are a really great way to help you lose weight and increase your wellness and wellbeing. These exercises are fun and burn lots of calories, and can be done whatever the weather – in an outdoor pool on a hot summer’s day or in an indoor heated pool in the depth of winter.

 

When you take exercise in water, your body has to work harder than ever, as it is working against the resistance of the water. This means that you burn more calories than you would on dry land. Muscles are toned and fat is burned, as you use all of your muscle groups at the same time – your arms, your legs and your core.

 

Exercise that is carried out in water is also low impact, meaning that it does not put as much stress and strain on the body as exercising on dry land. It also increases your flexibility and balance, allowing you to perform a range of movements with various different ranges of motion. Best of all, when you do water-based exercises, you have so much fun that you don’t even realise that you are exercising.

 

Water-based activities are excellent for burning calories, but the actual number of calories that you burn will be dependent on how much you weigh. For the purposes of this article, however, we’ve worked on the assumption that you are an average body weight of 154 pounds (70 kilograms). If you weight more than this, you will burn more, and if you weigh less you will burn less.

 

For canoeing you will burn 490 calories per hour, diving will see you shed around 210 calories per hour, kayaking burns about 350 calories per hour, paddle boating burns an impressive 280 calories per hour, power boating burns around 175 calories per hour, sailing burns around 350 calories per hour and scuba diving will burn around 490 calories per hour.

Categories: boating burns, burn, burns, calories, dry land, exercise, hour, Water, water based

How to Tell if Your Acne Treatment is Harming Your Skin

When it comes to your anti-ageing wellness, nothing is more important than taking care of your skin. If you suffer from acne, you might be taking using benzoyl peroxide, but you may be doing more harm than good to your wellbeing. There are a lot of benefits to the medication, but you can’t ignore the negative impact that it might have, especially where your skin is involved. The important thing to remember is to use the benzoyl peroxide as your doctor or the packaging describes, and to steer clear of it altogether if you’re pregnant or taking some other kind of medication that contains tretinoin. You also need to watch out for the side effects, and consult your doctor if any of the following occurs:

 

1. Dry skin: This is one of the most common side effects of benzoyl peroxide, because the medication sucks sebum out of your skin in order to reduce oiliness and acne. You can reduce the resulting dryness in your skin with a good moisturiser, just make sure that it’s water-based and oil-free.

 

2. Burning: This symptoms only occurs in about 2% of benzoyl peroxide users, usually because the cream contains at least 10% of the chemical, you have really sensitive skin or you’ve left it on for too long. Mild burn marks will go away by themselves, but you should let your doctor know in case this is a symptom of an allergic reaction.

 

3. Peeling and flaking: These kind of go hand-in-hand with dryness, and so the remedy is the same; a good, water-based moisturiser. You may be tempted to scrub your face to exfoliate your skin of flakes, but this will activate the oil-producing sebaceous glands in your skin, which will aggravate your acne. Drinking plenty of water can also help to prevent peeling, but if it gets so severe that your skin begins to crust and crack, stop using the benzoyl peroxide and consult your doctor.

 

4. Itching: You’re more likely to experience this symptom during the first few weeks of application of benzoyl peroxide, mainly due to a reaction with the sebum in your skin. Most people complain about itching, but a soothing moisturiser or ice should sort it out. If the itching becomes severe and accompanied by red angry rashes, consult your GP.

 

5. Swelling: As a less common symptom and clear indication of an allergic reaction, you should stop using the cream immediately and consult your doctor if the swelling is severe. If you don’t, you could experience dizziness, nausea and permanent damage to your skin.

 

6. Feeling of warmth: Often this is a sign that the benzoyl peroxide is working, so you shouldn’t worry too much if the warm feeling in the affected area goes away within a few weeks. However, if this or other symptoms persist or are aggravating with time, stop the medication and consult your doctor.

 

7. Tenderness: Tender skin is an early symptom, most likely brought on by other symptoms such as swelling, itching, redness and rashes. If you experience tenderness in your skin, stop using other chemical cosmetics and use a gentle moisturiser.

 

8. Severe allergic reactions: You should consult your doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms, as they could be fatal if left untreated. These symptoms include swelling at the affected area, angry rashes, crusting and cracking of the skin, hives, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, swelling (in the whole face, tongue, lips and mouth), difficulty in breathing and tightness in the chest. You may be required to take prescription medication and completely stop using benzoyl peroxide.

Categories: acne, affected area, allergic reaction, benzoyl, Benzoyl Peroxide, dizziness nausea, doctor nbsp, nbsp, Side Effects, skin, water based