When was personal lubricant invented

There's a great deal of fascinating research showing how sexual aids developed along with various civilizations. If you've ever wondered what ancient people used for personal lube, there are a few interesting answers. The most common and obvious lubes are vegetable oils, which often played dozens of growing agricultural societies. Early Greeks used olive oil for just about everything, including lubrication; the first written references to olive oil as a sexual lubricant date back to B.

In one of his writings, the Greek philosopher Aristotle references olive oil's contraceptive powers mixed with cedar oil, lead, and frankincense. From Greek texts, we also know that women would also use leather dildos lubricated with olive oil, and it stands to reason that olive oil was probably the go-to lubricant for that time period. The Romans also used olive oil for sex and masturbation, and like the Greeks, they tried to incorporate contraceptives into their formulas.

Pliny, the great Roman thinker, suggested a mixture of olive oil, pigeon droppings, and wine. Olive oil kept its popularity through the 16th century, which, incidentally, is around the time when the word "dildo" entered our vocabulary.

Personal lubricants certainly weren't confined to the West. In Japan's Edo period , couples used Tororo-jiru, a slick substance made by grating Chinese yams. Early Chinese condoms from the animal intestine or treated linen were often coated with a few vegetable oil drops to facilitate penetration. As you might expect, people in socially conservative societies were less likely to use lubricants or, at least, less compelled to write about it. In the 19th century, gynecologists prescribed pelvic massages to women who couldn't produce enough natural lubrication.

The physician would massage the woman's clitoris until she had an orgasm, at which point she was pronounced cured. These massages were also the go-to treatment for women who suffered from "excessive" lubrication, which is a testament to the repressive atmosphere of the time period. Commercially prepared lubes didn't become popular until the early 20th century. K-Y Jelly was introduced in as a surgical product. It is considered one of the first modern lubricants, as it uses a base consisting of methylcellulose and other ingredients commonly found in newer water-based products.

This was the birth of silicone-based lubes and synthetic rubber. Thanks, Kipping! Fortunately, we now have ways to remove silicone lube stains , but that wasn't the case back then. A petrol by-product, Vaseline became a popular lube choice in the mid 20th century. Nonetheless, the first commercially manufactured lube was KY Jelly, which came out in as a surgical lube.

It was so popular, a non-sterile version was quickly developed and released to the public the very same year. This same water-based lube is still in existence, over years later and was recently bought out by the Durex company. To make your own water-based lube, DIY style, find out how here. Crisco was the first hydrogenated oil to be introduced into the market and it quickly took off as a thicker lubricant and became a preferred alternative to liquid oils.

In , Robert Chesebrough invented petroleum jelly brand name Vaseline , which has since caught on as a personal lubricant, especially for circumcised males and for use during anal sex, since it is waterproof and as thick as Crisco. But, like oils, it will damage latex and polyisoprene condoms and is not to be used during safer sex for this reason. Don't fret. This little lube shooting device will getcha nice 'n wet. A plethora of specialty lubricants, like tingling , warming , desensitizing , flavored , 2-in-1 lube combos and cooling lubes were soon to follow suit in the 20th and 21st century.

Even anal sex specific lubes have been invented, manufactured and consumed with great success and are widely available across the world.

Seeing as how far we have come already, who knows what mind blowing innovations will soon arise in the world of personal lubricants? All I know is I am very much looking forward to seeing and trying what's next. Aren't you? While spit is the go-to solution for some today, it was the only solution for many decades ago. And so, the Greeks wised up and turned to oil. Olive oil, to be exact, the substance of the gods in and outside the kitchen. Romans, too, were known for using oil as a lubricant.

It was even considered to be a contraceptive, according to Aristotle. Far more effective than spit, oil was much easier to access and did the job quite well.

However, today, olive oil is not recommended for use with latex-based condoms, as it will only break the material down. Other oils, like vegetable, were quite common for the Chinese. In Japan, from the early s to late s a. They also preferred a slick substance called tororo-jiru, made from mashed yams, during sex and for masturbation, often along with animal intestine condoms.

Because when one feels the itch, one gets incredibly resourceful. Dating even further back to BC, we know that those in Japan, Korea and China used carrageenan, a sticky liquid extracted from red seaweed, and used as a thickening agent in some foods. Because it is water soluble, viscous and slippery, it made for an efficient lubricant and is still used in some lubricants today, according to botanist Ryan Drum. Recently, researchers learned that carrageenan-based gels might help prevent the transmission of versions of HPV that can cause cervical cancer.

By the s, lubricant began to take form in the way we know it today. For that, we have American chemist Robert Chesebrough to thank, as he patented the first petroleum jelly in Primarily a skincare product, it became a popular lubricant anyway by the mids, thanks to its thick, greasy form. Silicone-based lubes followed shortly after in , when English chemist Frederic Kipping made the ground-breaking discovery of a special polymer , which he dubbed polymer silicone.