Hybrid Lubes Guide

Hybrid Lubes Guide

In my recent overview article relating to the huge and diverse world of sexual lubricants, I talked about sex lubes in general, why they’re fantastic, what not to use and briefly covered the various types. In this feature, I’d like to introduce one of those types in greater detail. Hybrid sex lubricants are relatively new to the sex lube scene -and are therefore at risk of being misunderstood and sadly avoided. Let’s correct that today. Welcome to my hybrid lubes guide!

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Enjoy all our hybrid lube reviews

Main Features

Hybrid lubes are a blend of different base liquids, forming a distinct type of sexual lubricant. These blended, hybrid lubricants often offer more usage versatility than a single-base lube. The most common type of hybrid lubricant is a blend of water and silicone, although you may also find lubes which are a blend of water and oil, too –as tricky as that sounds!

In the world of sex lubes, water-based lubricants and silicone lubes are quite easy to identify, with this main base’ ingredient clearly marked on the label. The usage differences, fabric staining risks and incompatibility with some sex toy materials means that quick & easy identification of these types is in the best interests of the manufacturers and the lube-users. Hybrid lubes can sometimes be a little trickier to identify at first glance. It’s best to head straight for the ingredients list on the label (and all good lubes have the full ingredients list on the label) so that you can tell exactly what sort of lube it is.

Best For…

Because hybrid lubes are a blend of other lubricant bases, you can enjoy the best of both worlds without much compromise.

The silicone or oil component added to a water-based lube means that the lubricant has increased longevity and superbly slippery glide while remaining compatible with flexible toy materials and being easy to wash off after use. Hybrid lubricants can be a fantastic option for those looking to move away from using just a water-based lube all the time. Hybrids offer extra slipperiness and versatility without forcing you to change to a full silicone or oil lube.

Not Great For…

I can’t think of any good reasons why you wouldn’t want to use or at least try out hybrid lubes, unless you’re specifically looking to use a water-based or silicone lube instead of a blended formulation.

Hybrid lubricants usually don’t contain enough silicone to render them incompatible with some softer sex toy materials which may react badly with silicone-only lube (however, remember that silicone lube and silicone sex toys are compatible).
As I explain in my main guide to sex lubes, if you’re not sure about the compatibility of a particular sex toy and lube, you can do a patch test first on a less prominent part of the toy such as the base.

Top Tips

Don’t buy more than you need

You probably won’t be as much at risk of doing this as with other types of lubricants –such as the gallon containers of water-based lube. I feel it’s still worth mentioning though, just in case. Only buy as much lube as you’ll actually use, before the expiry date.

Yep –sex lubes have use-by dates! Some hybrid lubes I’ve had for a long time have split and the ingredients separated – older lubes can also change colour and/or give off a strange scent. Better safe than sorry.

Get the right dispenser type for you

What sort of lube dispensing type do you prefer? Have you considered that how your lubricant dispenses could affect the flow of your playtime?

There are usually various dispensing styles for sex lube – sachets/pillow packs, twist-off cap bottles, flip-top caps, pump dispenser top bottles –but because of the nature of oil-based lube, it tends to be more limited. Some oil lubes can be firmer and almost set at room temperature, so they’re often found in flip-top tubes and bottles rather than with a pump dispenser top like more liquidy’ sex lubricants.

You can find my main pros and cons to the various lubricant dispenser styles in my guide to water-based lubes.

My Favourites

My top recommendations when it comes to hybrid lubes are as follows:

System JO Coconut Oil & Water Hybrid Lube

Our review – and all our System JO reviews,
including my Complete Guide to the System JO Collection

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Sliquid Silk Hybrid Lube

Enjoy all our Sliquid reviews

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Wicked Simply Hybrid

I love that there’s a ‘jelle’ version as well for those who prefer a thicker lubricant which stays where it’s put.

Enjoy all our Wicked Sensual Care reviews

Lubido Hybrid Lube

Enjoy all our Lubido reviews

Sexy Special Offers & Exclusive Discount Code

Click through the links below to find the latest special offers on sex lubes, sex toys, lingerie, bondage gear & more. Don’t forget to use the discount code CARASUTRA at checkout to get 15% off your order:

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Shopping at Bondara? Use discount code CARA15 for 15% off your order.

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