Doing anything for the first time can be a little intimidating, and vibrators are no exception! To someone who has never used one before, the very idea of putting such an unusual looking object near your most personal body parts can make you a little queasy. Feelings like this will pass over time as you get used to using them, but for beginners it can be useful to know what to expect and how to get started.
First Contact: When Your Vibrator Arrives
When you get your hands on your vibrator, you might want to get straight down to the action. I can’t blame you. You’ve been promised a whole world of sexual pleasure and you want to experience it as soon as possible. There’s a couple of things you need to take care of before you start though.
After you’ve unboxed your vibrator, have a read through any instructions that come with it to make sure you are aware of any special instructions on operation or cleaning. You might want to keep the box, so you have a good place to store the vibrator. If not, keep any instructions in a safe place in case you need them again later.
Give the vibrator a thorough check over, looking for any signs of damage or flaws in the surface of the material. In particular, the seams are important to check. There may be small bits of silicone or plastic leftover from the manufacturing process. If you find any, these can be filed down with a nail file. If there are any parts which look damaged or unlike they should, do not use the vibrator.
As long as everything looks the way it should, you then need to give the vibrator a quick wash. You might wonder why you need to wash something you’ve never used. During the manufacturing process many chemicals can be used to make sure that the materials are strong, durable, or flexible. While these chemicals will be washed off most of the time at the end of the manufacturing process, there can be some leftover and you don’t want to be putting these into your bodies.
With everything clean and safe for use, you should check the power supplies. If your vibrator plugs into a wall socket, try it out and make sure the wire is long enough to reach your chosen location of play. If it is rechargeable, plug it in so it is topped up. If your vibrator takes batteries, make sure you’ve bought the right type and throw a fresh pair in. There’s nothing worse than running out of juice just as you start to get into it.
Getting Started: The Plan of Attack
Depending on the vibrator you’ve chosen, and how you want to use it, this part can be very simple or take a little more effort. Some vibrators might be better used with a lubricant, and in some cases, you might want to use a condom as well. While a condom will change the feeling of the vibrator, it will make cleaning up afterwards easier, so it’s up to you. If you suffer from any kind of STIs or genital infections, then it is always recommended to use a condom with your sex toys to stop them becoming contaminated with these infections. If you use your vibrator unprotected and then your infection clears up, it’s entirely possible for you to contract the same infection again from your vibrator.
Lubricant is another consideration you need to make. Even if you aren’t planning to fully insert the vibrator, but just use it on the clitoris, penis, or other external body parts, lube can still help. In prolonged sessions, the continuous vibration on the skin can become uncomfortable without lubricant to stop the skin drying out. If you plan to use a vibrator in the anus, it is always recommended to use lube, as the anus and rectum are not self-lubricating. Going into the anus dry is almost certainly going to be a painful experience.
Using Your Vibrator
Now for the fun part. Getting down to business with your new vibrator. Regardless of which type of vibrator you’ve chosen to buy, there are a few simple tips for getting the most out of it.
Spending some time with your vibrator before you use it on the more sensitive parts of the body is always a good idea. One of the biggest mood killers will be getting close to orgasm and wanting a different speed or vibration pattern, and not being able to find the buttons or pick the right setting. Take a little time to get to know your device. Try it out on different parts of the body to see what the patterns or programs feel like. Learn where the buttons are, and practise using them without looking. Once you feel comfortable, start to more onto the more erogenous zones of the body.
The very first time, most women will orgasm very quickly so you shouldn’t need to do anything too fancy except hold it in position. Men will have a different experience as penile orgasms will rarely happen solely from vibrations, and a prostate orgasm is much harder to achieve. Whichever sex you are, if you’re struggling to reach orgasm a few things can help.
Making sure you’re in the mood before you start is always a good idea. How far you want to take this is entirely up to you. Some people like to go all out, lighting candles, lowering the lights, and setting the mood with appropriate music. If you aren’t quite willing to go to all that trouble, you can still get yourself aroused before you get down to business. Try using your vibrator on the nipples, insides of the thighs, or areas surrounding the genitals. With enough stimulation, your body will be practically begging for you to bring the vibrator to those sweet spots.
Initial Feelings
The very first time a vibrator hits a sensitive spot like the clitoris or prostate it can be a little overwhelming. Most of the time it’s recommended to start off with your fingers and gently massage your chosen area. This prepares it for the initial vibrator contact. You should usually start off with the lowest setting your device has too. Over time you’ll become more used to using it, and be able to jump in a little faster.
Although the very first session is likely to be over quite quickly, as you become used to your vibrator it can be a great tool to help explore your own body. Using it alone gives you the time to try out anything you might be able to think of, and the constant stimulation provided by the vibration makes it more effective than fingers or mouths at working out whether a particular spot is good or not. Once you’ve found these spots you can let your partner know exactly what you like, or you can even let them explore with your vibrator for some hands-free enjoyment.
Can You Get Addicted to Vibrators?
A common fear among vibrator novices is becoming addicted to it. While there can be some truth to this, you shouldn’t worry too much. Enjoying a vibrator isn’t going to make you enjoy sex any less, as it is an entirely different sensation. You might enjoy your vibrator a lot, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no scientific evidence that you can become addicted to these feelings, although just like with other types of masturbation, there is such a thing as too much. It’s important to use your vibrator as part of a healthy sex life, and not as a replacement for another partner.
Things You Shouldn’t Do with a Vibrator
You’re probably keen to try out a million ideas with your vibrators. There are a few rules though. If you want to avoid any nasty surprises, follow these few simple tips.
Never move from anal stimulation to oral or vaginal. If you have used your vibrator anally, you will need to clean it before using it on other areas of the body. The bacteria from the anus and rectum can be harmful to other areas of the body, and will cause infections if carried over by a vibrator.
Try to avoid sharing your vibrators. While it isn’t expressly prohibited, it is usually better to have separate vibrators for separate people. Most of the time these devices will be around (or inside) openings in the human body. We all have healthy bacteria inside us which help our bodies to function properly. What is good for one person though, isn’t always good for another. Carrying bacteria from one body to another can be dangerous, so if you must share sex toys ensure they are properly cleaned between users.
After use, remove the power supply. Whether it is powered by a plug or batteries, removing the power supply is always a good idea. Leaving a vibrator plugged in while not in use will still be conducting electricity, and over time can weaken your vibrator. Similarly, batteries still conduct charge while not turned on, so they will drain faster if left in permanently. Another consideration is that batteries can corrode the insides of devices if left in for a long time, so to avoid damage to your toys you should remove them between uses.
A final consideration relates to cleaning, and is a simple one. If your device is not waterproof, you should never submerge it fully in water. Doing so is a sure-fire way to damage the internal workings of your vibrator and probably break it.
After Care
When you’re finished with your vibrator, it’s important to clean and dry it thoroughly. Depending on your vibrator you may be able to submerge it in boiling water to sterilize it, or will need to clean it down with soap and water. After cleaning, you should dry them to make sure mould cannot form on the vibrator, and store them properly to prevent cross contamination or degradation of the surfaces.
And that’s about it! Vibrators are one of the simplest and easiest to use sex toys available, and there really isn’t a great deal to worry about. Plus, it works great with other toys, too! If you want to explore other sensations of your body, try our vibrating dildo collection. You may start with a beginner dildo and slowly discover more exciting types, like a squirting dildo for an ultra-immersive experience. Choose between silicone dildos and small glass dildos to enhance your bedroom play.
Remember, you can always explore different sizes to suit your comfort level—start small with a thin dildo or a 4 inch dildo. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how much you discover new sensations within your body by combining different sex toys.
But that's a story for another time. Hopefully though, any fears or questions you might have had will be put to rest, and you’ll be rearing to go try out your new vibrator!
