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         Green Sex Toys: Making Your Sex Life Green With Green Sex Tips

The trend to make your sex life and sex toys green is becoming an increasingly prominent issue and we are happy to see people finally coming on board! After all, we at HolisticWisdom.com have been educating consumers about health, the environment and sexuality for many years. Looking at one's health on all levels is important and often overlooked when it comes to sex. Often people forget that sexuality is an enormous part of our health and using products that encourage it can make a huge impact. Green sex toys can allow for deeper pleasure, satisfaction, peace of mind and prevention of health complications that may result from not using healthy products. It can also positively impact the environment.

Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D., C.E.O. Holistic Wisdom Founder

Using Non Toxic Sex Toys With over 43% of Americans having used a vibrator, sex toys are a prominent part of our sex lives these days. However, along with all the pleasure and sexual creativity they bring, there may be some unwanted chemicals they come with them as well. Many educated consumers are now looking for green sex toys that are hypoallergenic, nontoxic, eco-friendly with lubricants that are paraben and glycerin free. Concerns come into play because the government has not been willing to work with the adult industry, rather they attack and repress it. Instead of acknowledging sex toys as being for sexual behavior they insist that manufacturers label them as novelties or medical devices (the latter being quite a challenge for sex toy manufacturers to achieve).

Because the U.S. Government is not requiring sex toy regulations, sex toy manufacturers classify their products as "novelties" and avoid having their products regulated as well as you might think. This is also why it is rare to find user manuals on how to actually use the products, as this would define them as something for sex and possibly defined as a medical device, which affects their product classification.

What you end up having are companies that make sex toys and companies that make literature and videos about sex toys rather than having the ability to buy a sex toy with a manual for use. It cheats the consumer from really being able to fully enjoy their sex toy and be fully educated about it.

Dangers In Phthalates

Phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) are "plasticizers" used to soften PVC vinyls. If vinyls do not have any softeners, they are basically very hard PVC plastic.

Many of adult sex toys contain the same toxic substances that the European Union banned from use in children's toys. Greenpeace tested some of the toys and found that seven of the eight sex toys it had tested contained between 24 and 51 percent of phthalates.

Phthalates can disrupt the human hormonal system, diminishes fertility and adversely affects the kidneys and liver. The substance is used to soften plastics and PVC plastic. Banning phthalates would just mean that manufacturers would need to make nontoxic alternatives which is pretty easy to do. They just cost a little more.

Safe Green Sex Toys To Look For

Look for toys made from glass, metal, silicone, hard plastics, or elastomers. Putting a condom over a suspicious dildo is also a good move.

Since sex toys are used on intimate parts you will want to make sure any sex toy you use is a high quality product and as chemical free as possible. The high quality green sex toy brands that you can trust are Vibratex, Fun Factory, Erotic Embrace, Jollies, Tantus and Lelo to name a few all of which we carry on our site.

You can see that most of our products list whether or not something is phthalate free, non-toxic, hypoallergenic, or 100% medical grade silicone. If you are unsure, feel free to contact us and we will clarify any of the questions you may have about it.

Learn More About Sex Toy Safety & Materials

 

Lubricants

We recommend organic, glycerin, paraben free, waterbased lubricants because it is closer to your body chemistry and less likely to cause a reaction. Sliquid H20 is a glycerin, paraben free waterbased lubricant that emulates your body's own natural lubrication and tends to be less sticky. Because this type of lubricant is water-based, they dehydrate (dry up), but remember that the slippery ingredients are still there... so a quick dunk of your hand in a glass of water on your bedside table, touch the lubed area, and you're back in business.

If you decide you prefer a silicone lubricant, we highly recommend Sliquid Silicone Lubricant due to the high quality ingredients and texture. Sliquid also makes a hybrid, Sliquid Silk, that is comprised of a combination of waterbased and silicone ingredients. The Sliquid company has long been ahead of their time regarding research of ingredients and quality and composition of their lubricants. All Sliquid products are hypoallergenic and nontoxic

Learn More About The Safety Of Lubricants

 

Condoms & The Environment- Picking A Green Condom

Health & Condoms-

Latex-
Most condoms are made from latex. One thing to keep in mind when using them is that latex condoms can only be used with water based lubricants, not oil based lubricants as they break down the latex and destroys the protective nature of the condom.

Allergies- Use Polyurethane
People who have an allergic reaction to latex can use polyurethane condoms which are made of a type of soft plastic. They are thinner than latex condoms and more expensive. Oil and water based lubricants can be used with them.

Going Natural
"Natural membrane," or "sheepskin," condoms are made from the intestinal lining of sheep. This is the oldest type of condom still being used today. The natural membrane is somewhat porous, and is therefore not recommended for protection against certain STDs. This type does, however, protect against pregnancy and bacterial STDs. Some users find these condoms to be more comfortable than those made of latex. They have a strong odor that some find a bit overwhelming compared to latex or polyurethane.

Condoms & The Environment-

Condoms are contributors to how big an ecological footprint you are leaving. There is still controversy as to whether or not latex condoms are biodegradable and what the effects additives and lubricants have on their biodegradability.

Latex is biodegradable as it is an all-natural substance made from the sap of rubber trees. However, latex condoms are not composed of 100 percent latex and latex does not biodegrade when it is in water, which is one reason why it is not good to flush your used condoms.

Used condoms are best sent to the landfill as flushing condoms down the toilet is not good as this clogs pipes, treatment plants, and rivers. As of yet, no one has taken up the job of recycling these plastic items along with soda bottles and such, so don't throw them in the recycling bin.

The plastic and foil wrappers condoms are packaged in are also not biodegradable and should be taken into consideration as well.

Natural Membrane Condoms
"Natural membrane," or "sheepskin," condoms are biodegradable which make them a nice way to be environmentally conscious.

Polyurethane Condoms
Polyurethane condoms, a plastic material, are not biodegradable.

Lubricants & Spermicides In Condoms
Lubricants and/or spermicide coated on and/or added to latex and lambskin condoms, however, may alter their decomposition potential. And, no one has studied how long it takes condoms, lubricated or not, to break down. Regardless of condom biodegradability, most landfills are over-capacity and do not provide the ideal environment nor the main ingredient, air, necessary for effective decomposition.

Green Condoms?
Unfortunately, there is not a "green" condom at this point, but we will keep you posted. Until then, experts recommend condoms be disposed of in a trash receptacle.

Alternatives
Condoms are a great form of contraception and STI protection, however if you're worried about accumulating extra trash, there are other options out there. If you and your significant other are both monogamous and have tested negative for STIs, you might want to consider a birth control method that produces less waste.

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