Condoms, non-latex options, and what ruins latex

A condom carton tells you the material on the front, and that single word decides which bottle from your drawer can go anywhere near it. Get the pairing wrong and the condom can fail without looking any different in your hand.

Most of the rules around condoms are material rules rather than technique rules. Once you know whether the box in your drawer is latex or polyisoprene, and whether the bottle beside it is water-based or an oil, the rest is straightforward.

Latex and polyisoprene on our shelf

We carry four condom boxes across two materials: two latex and two non-latex.

Polyisoprene is a synthetic non-latex material. It is what people reach for when either partner has a latex sensitivity or allergy, or when they simply prefer how polyisoprene feels against skin. Both Skyn boxes state polyisoprene on the carton.

If you are not sure whether a past reaction was to latex or to the lubricant already on a condom, do not test that theory by trial and error at home. Ask a doctor or a pharmacist before you buy the next box.

Oil weakens latex, and you will not see it happen

Oil and latex condoms do not mix. That rule covers everything that is an oil, whether it came from a kitchen cabinet, a pharmacy shelf, or our own collection.

• Foria's Massage Oil and Everyday Body Oil are botanical oils for skin, 3.9 fl oz each. Keep both away from latex condoms.
• Foria's Everyday Vulva Moisturizer and Hydrating Melts are made with organic botanicals that include coconut oil and cocoa butter. Neither is a condom lubricant.
• Plain coconut oil, olive oil, baby oil, and oil-based body lotions all weaken latex the same way.

Oil does not need twenty minutes to weaken latex. It starts working on the material right away, and a weakened condom does not always tear cleanly where you can spot it. If massage oil is part of the evening, wash it off hands and skin before a condom comes out of the wrapper, or save the oil for a night when condoms are not involved.

Which lubricant goes with a condom

A drop or two of water-based lubricant on the outside of a condom reduces friction and makes the whole experience more comfortable. More friction is not safer; friction is what pulls on a condom when skin gets dry.

Read the bottle before you use it. The words to look for are latex condom compatible, printed by the maker.

• Wicked's Simply Natural Gel is a 4 fl oz water-based gel that explicitly states latex condom compatible on the label, along with safe with silicone toys. When condoms are on the nightstand, that is the bottle we point to first.
• Wicked's Aloe Lubricant is a 4 fl oz water-based lubricant with aloe that states safe with silicone toys, and System JO's Agape is an 8 fl oz water-based lubricant made without parabens, glycerin, glycol, oil, or silicone. Where a bottle does not print a condom compatibility line on our record, check the physical carton in your hand rather than assuming it.

The full breakdown of how our three lubricants differ is in what is in a lubricant, and what to do when one stings.

Using a vibrator alongside a condom

Every device we carry is body-safe silicone or glass where it touches you. Neither silicone nor smooth, unchipped glass degrades latex on contact.

What matters when a vibrator and a condom are in the same bed is the lubricant between them and the edges around them.

• Use water-based lubricant so both the silicone device and the condom stay intact.
• Keep sharp fingernails, jewelry, and teeth away from the wrapper when you tear it open and away from the condom itself.
• If you are using a silicone ring such as the Renegade Players Ring Set or the ring from the Kiiroo Luxus set alongside a condom, put the condom on first and make sure the ring does not pinch, roll, or tug the latex at the base.

Heat, wallets, and expiration dates

Condoms have an expiration date stamped on the outer box and on each individual foil wrapper. Check it before you open one, even if the box has been sitting in your own nightstand.

• Keep the box somewhere cool and dry. A bedside drawer works. A wallet, a back pocket, a glove compartment, or a bag left in a parked car in Miami will cook the material long before the stamped date arrives.
• Look at the foil wrapper before you tear it. The little air cushion inside the foil tells you the seal is intact. If the foil is punctured, creased flat, or tacky around the seam, throw that one out and open another.
• Never reuse a condom, and never double up. Putting one condom over another creates friction between the two layers and makes both more likely to slip or tear.

When to talk to a clinician or a pharmacist

If you get burning, itching, swelling, or redness during or after using a condom, stop using that box and speak with a doctor, a clinician, or a pharmacist.

A reaction can come from latex, from a preservative or spermicide on a condom you bought elsewhere, or from friction when things were too dry. And if a condom breaks or slips off during sex, call a pharmacist or your healthcare provider right away rather than waiting a few days: questions about emergency contraception and testing are time-sensitive, and a pharmacist can walk you through the options the same day.

Check the drawer tonight

Open the nightstand drawer, read the expiration date on whatever condom box is in there, and check which bottle is sitting next to it. If the box is past its date, replace it. If the bottle next to it is an oil, move the oil to the dresser and leave a water-based lubricant like Simply Natural Gel beside the box instead.