Review: Astroglide Lubricant

When it comes to lubrication, the higher-end and specialized lubes are great; I've reviewed some before, and I actually have a few more in the queue for future reviews. But some of these can be harder to find, and are often on the more expensive end. How about something you can find at your local Walmart or pharmacy? Among these, my go-to pick is Astroglide.

I've used several of Astroglide's lubes, but my favorites are the Astroglide Gel and their Astroglide Liquid Personal Lubricant. Both are water-based lubricants, which I've mentioned before are my preferred bases for easier cleanup.

The liquid personal lubricant (their original product, from what I can tell) is a nice, thin liquid that runs across skin very nicely—it will spread and flow to fill the cracks around it. The label also calls it a "vaginal moisturizer" which it excels at, as well. This stuff is perfect for getting me prepped before a little toy-play, or for giving hubby a nice "rub-down." The consistency is almost like vegetable oil, but a bit thinner. It isn't flavored, but the taste that it does have isn't unpleasant; a little bit sweet, but otherwise nondescript. I keep a small (2.5 oz.) bottle of this in my overnight makeup bag, and another in my purse, for those "just in case" situations. 

The much thicker gel is what you would hope and expect from a gel: it doesn't "run" or flow anywhere, but stays where you put it. I like the gel version in three circumstances. First of all, it's great for back-door, anal play; because of the thicker viscosity of the gel, it will really get in there and lube up a butthole pretty thoroughly. Second, I like it for when I want to coat my toy(s) with lube before use; it will cling to the toy nicely, and not evaporate. Third, it's a great option for use in the shower because the thickness prevents it from washing away as rapidly—in fact, the water from the shower will really get this stuff very slippery! (Because it's water-based, it's not as good for the tub.) The gel isn't as thick as, say, vaseline, but it is thicker than a typical shampoo or hand lotion. It too has a not-unpleasant nondescript taste. Unlike most lubes that I've used, I find that a little of the Astroglide Gel goes a long way; it also doesn't need as much re-application as other lubes I've tried.

One down-side to water-based lubricants in general—and Astroglide is no exception here—is that, as they do begin to dry out, they can leave a tacky/sticky feeling on the skin surfaces they touched. This can be dealt with by re-moistening a little (a few drops of water or even some saliva will encourage the slipperiness to return), and it goes away fairly quickly. But for those moments when it is there—say, on your hands after rubbing some all over *ahem* your husband's member—it can be momentarily unpleasant.

Another comment with both pro and con implications: Astroglide products all come with a flip-cap cover that is fairly easy to get into one-handed; very useful, right? But, the covers on the bottles of Astroglide liquid are somewhat flimsy; it isn't very hard for the flip-cap to be broken off, or to pop open when you don't want it to. I have had a bottle open and leak all of its contents out in my makeup bag once, which left a little gooeyness all over the other containers.

Astroglide makes a variety of options: there's a warming formula, silicone-based lubes, sensitive skin versions, and even flavored varieties. As I mentioned above, I've tried several of these; the two I have reviewed here are my favorites, but (as always) your mileage may vary. All of them are very reasonably priced, and many varieties are commonly available at big-box stores, pharmacies, and even grocery stores.

I give it four and a half out of five "Os," because of the flimsy cap on the liquid bottle. Besides that, Astroglide is a great lube and plenty capable to meet most peoples' needs. (And if you like this review, check out all of My Reviews.)

Buy Astroglide: