Zachary Zane’s Wicked Sensual Care Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are allegedly the most wonderful time of the year, but between seeing (estranged) family members, spending money on gifts, the cancellation of flights due to weather, and the general chaos at the airport, most of us feel pretty damn stressed.

If there’s one way to relieve stress—a tried and true method that has helped men, women, and nonbinary folks calm down since the dawn of humankind—it’s sex. When I’m talking sex, I’m not just talking P-in-V. I’m talking oral, anal play, mutual masturbation—and even solo masturbation. (Sex with yourself has to be one of the best ways to help reduce holiday stress!)

With all the holiday craziness, make sure to carve some time, however small, for pleasure with yourself, your partner, or that guy from high school you hook up with every time you’re both home for Thanksgiving. 

Of course, with pleasurable sex comes the use of lube. Wetter is always better, no matter what type of sexual play you’re engaging in. (In fact, I’d argue it’s mandatory if you’re having anal sex as the anus is not self-lubricating like the vagina, and no, spit does not cut it!)

So, without further ado, here are the best lubes from Wicked Sensual Care—a lube for every occasion.

The Best Lube for Sensitive Skin

simply® Hybrid

A hybrid lubricant (meaning it is both a water-based and silicone-based lube), simply®, is free of glycerin, propylene glycol, and parabens, making it ideal for folks with sensitive skin or people who want a clean and simple lube. I tried this one out with a partner who had a vagina, and we both loved it. It was long-lasting (meaning we didn’t need to reapply), compatible for use with sex toys (and my baby loves her magic wand), and the texture was something special. The simply® has a thick, creamy color that looks like cum, so I felt like I was having sex with her after she was already creampied (which turned me the hell on)!

The Best Warming Lube

Ultra Silicone Heat

A vegan lubricant without glycerin and parabens, the Ultra Silicone Heat lube isn’t as intense as the name may imply. Initially, I saw “ultra heat,” and all I could think of was stinging pain or irritation, but that’s far from the case. I tried it out with a male partner of mine (I was topping, and he was bottoming), and it was a very subtle, gentle warmth that increased sensation, even when I wasn’t directly penetrating.

Note that the lube is long-lasting, so a little goes a long way. It also took a few minutes before the “heat” reached the full effect, so don’t overapply. Use a little, see how it feels, and if you’d like more, then reach for the bottle. For what it’s worth, the man I was having sex with said it felt “mild yet pleasurable” in his hole. (FYI, after having sex, I would definitely recommend taking a shower to wipe off the excess lube.) 

The Best Lube for Anal Sex:

Jelle PLUS

While I’m typically a silicone lube guy when it comes to anal sex, because silicone lube is vicious (i.e., thicker) and the anus does not self-lubricate, I actually didn’t mind Jelle PLUS, a water-based anal lube. Dare, I say, I even liked it! The reason was that it was still long-lasting. I hate having to reapply every thirty seconds while I’m having anal sex. It really takes me out of the moment. I also liked that since it’s water-based, I could use the lube with my silicone anal toys. (Silicone-based lubes are incompatible with silicone toys and will erode, eventually destroying the toy).

The Jelle PLUS is also made with several natural ingredients, like aloe, arnica, vitamin E, jojoba, and clove extract, which can help act as natural relaxants during sex. (To be clear, there is no numbing agent, and you never want to buy a lube with a numbing agent because then your body won’t be able to tell you if you’re in pain.) Not to mention, it smelled lovely—a little sweet, which I liked!

Best Flavored Lube for Blowjobs

Passion Fruit

Wicked Sensual Care has several flavored lubes, including watermelon, cherry, brown sugar, birth cake, and more, but my favorite was the passion fruit. Vegan and sugar-free—sweetened with stevia—I didn’t find the lube too sweet or saccharine. I often dislike flavored lubes because, in my humble opinion, they taste kinda gross, but the passion fruit lube really tasted like passion fruit. Dare I say, using it made me even more excited about giving a blowjob (and let’s be honest here: I’m already pretty excited). 

Best Antibacterial Sex Toy Cleaner

Cleene Antibacterial Toy Cleaner Spray

While antibacterial sex toy cleaners aren’t always necessary (typically, you can clean a sex toy using antibacterial soap and warm water), they can be very helpful, especially when using a silicone toy that keeps the scent of sex. Even after washing a toy I’ve used for anal sex, the smell sometimes does linger, and I really don’t like that, so using an antibacterial sex toy cleaner like Cleene Antibacterial Toy Cleaner Spray can be very helpful!

Good luck this holiday season! With an arsenal of lubes by your side, I’m hoping—praying—this holiday season is the least stressful one yet.