• Kiss of Mint (Lifestyles) are the most popular condoms for oral sex. Thinner than most condoms, they have an extremely flared shape that makes them wider at the tip—something men really like, because it gives them more sensation. Slightly shorter than most, cream-colored, flavored with a minty powder (unlubricated), reservoir tip.
• Trustex Flavored are also FDA approved, and they turn heads by being a bit longer, wider across, and made with thinner latex than average condoms. Colorful and flavorful in strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, grape, banana, and cola. Now, if they could just add bubble gum, in pink…
CONDOMS, NONLATEX
• Avanti Polyurethane beat the pants off latex by being twice as thin and strong as a latex condom. Many people without latex sensitivities prefer Avantis for oral sex because they have no taste. Hypoallergenic and available in Super Thin, this is the widest condom available and one of the shortest (flared at the end; snugger at the base). Lubricated, and because it’s not latex you don’t have to worry about contact with oils.
• Trojan Supra are the second polyurethane condom to hit the market. Made of Trojan’s Microsheer, they’re ultra-thin, really soft in texture, and hypoallergenic, and they have no taste or smell. Like any other superhero, they’re also truly invisible. Quite wide and long, but they have a band at the base to make them stay put. The catch? Currently only available lubricated with the skin-irritating (and mouth-numbing) spermicide nonoxynol-9. Bad Trojan!
When using a condom for oral sex, you can apply it to your lover either manually (very sexy) or orally (even sexier). For the hands-on approach, first open and unroll the condom a tiny bit so you can see which way it’s unrolling. Take a moment to drip a drop of lube into the very tip of the condom. The slippery surface will transmit more sensation to the head of his cock, helping him to feel every little lick. Pinch the tip, to keep the air out as you place the condom on the tip of his penis. This will make room in the condom for semen when he comes. Firmly wrap your thumb and forefinger around the base of the condom while holding the condom’s tip, and unroll. It will take a few strokes to roll it down to the base, but he probably won’t mind.
I’ll never forget the first time I put a condom on him with my mouth! He thought it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, and the blow job was his favorite.
Oral application takes a little practice, but it’s worth it. Place a little lube on your lips (or lick them), and suck the reservoir tip into the opening of your mouth, so the roll of the condom makes a ring around the outside of your lips. Make sure you have the inside of the condom facing out, so it will roll down over the penis. With your lips slightly parted, suck the tip of the condom in slightly and give the tip of his cock a nuzzling kiss with your lips, letting them glide down over the head. Hold the shaft with one hand, keep suction on the condom, and wrap your lips firmly over your teeth, squeezing the condom between your mouth and his penis. Push with your mouth in one smooth motion down the shaft, letting your lips unroll the condom as he goes into your mouth. It may take a few rolls. Don’t worry if you can’t go all the way, because your hand is there to help you finish if you need it. Because the first few tries may be awkward, it’s highly recommended that you practice your technique on a dildo. Unless, of course, you have a willing partner for some potentially humorous—but very hot—erotic experiments.
Latex and nonlatex gloves are your best friends when you want to incorporate your hands into oral sex. The feel of smooth, slippery latex fingers caressing a penis or penetrating an anus is a sensation some men go crazy for. Plus, gloves instantly solve the problem of rough hands, jagged fingernails, or hangnails. Using a glove is a good safer-sex practice, as you may have tiny cuts on your fingers you may not be aware of, and some viral STDs, such as herpes, can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.
Even if you are fluid bonded, you may still want to use gloves to touch his penis or for penetration. They facilitate easy cleanup: you have a messy lube-covered glove and you want to switch activities or cuddle—tada! You remove the glove. Without the glove, you would be washing up in the bathroom. Gloves are essential for preventing the spread of germs from your unwashed hands to his genitals, and vice-versa.
You can find singular little finger condoms called finger cots at your local pharmacy (made to protect fingers with cuts, these are used a lot in restaurants). Finger cots are great for fingers that may enjoy traveling southward during a blow job (for a little penetration), and they’re very discreet. They’re inexpensive, indispensable, and fit easily in pockets or purses.
If neither of you have latex sensitivities, you can use dental dams, or lollyes, for rimming. Dental dams are small squares of latex that are used in dentistry to isolate a tooth. They can transmit the sensations of rimming well when both sides are lubricated. Dental dams are on the thick side—thicker than a condom—so the sex industry has answered back with thinner, larger squares of latex. Glyde Lollyes are thin 10-by-6-inch sheets that come in both flavored and unflavored versions. Lixx are even thinner, but smaller (5-by-5-inch) and also come in flavored or plain versions. If you can’t find dams, you can cut open a latex or nonlatex condom or glove.
The best way to use dental dams and other, smaller barriers is to first mark the “mouth” side of your barrier with a pen (one side for your mouth, the other for the anus, in case it slips or slides), then apply a drop or two of water-based lube to the recipient’s anus. Press the barrier in place, and you’re all set. That little dental dam can be slippery when wet, so be sure to hold it in place with your hands. Remember to switch dams when switching activities or partners.
Latex allergies are no fun, and they can rear their ugly heads as rashes, chronic infections, or severe allergic reactions leading to anaphylactic shock. When in doubt, use plastic wrap (a.k.a. Saran Wrap) for rimming; it does the trick nicely and has playful advantages. It can be even better than those slippery little dental dam squares, because you can use long sheets of it, see through it, and even make a stay-put lickable barrier out of it! For a long time, safer-sex literature insisted on nonmicrowaveable plastic wrap, because the microwaveable variety has microscopic holes to keep your soup from exploding in the microwave. But recent research has shown that those holes don’t really open up until the temperature reaches microwave oven levels—that is to say, much hotter than you’re both likely to get. Still, it never hurts to be extra safe, so if you’re shopping for plastic wrap for safer-sex purposes, do choose the nonmicrowaveable kind.
The Eroticism of Safer Sex
For some of us, the snap of the glove, the unfurling of a dental dam, or the tearing open of the condom package means one delicious thing: we are about to have sex. While others hem and haw about the extra steps required by safer-sex gear, or the hassle, or the lessening of sensation, we smell the latex and know we are about to “get done”—and get done right. It means not only that our partner is considerate and cares enough about our health to take the lead but also that we can relax and anticipate good sex, because we know we are in the hands of someone who knows a thing or two about sex. I don’t know about you, but when the gloves go on I think of a smooth and slippery hand, and I purr. Especially if they’re put on with a wicked smile. And when a dam is dangled knowingly before my eyes, or a condom pack seductively slipped to me when I’m slipping lower and lower… my sexy partner is telling me there is no escape from pleasure now—and I melt.