Ben Wa balls are used to do kegel exercises, which strengthens a woman's pelvic muscles. This is done for both health reasons and for sexual pleasure. In terms of health, toning the vaginal muscles will help to control incontinence. In other words, ben wa balls will be beneficial to women who have problems with peeing a little when they laugh or sneeze. Strengthening the vaginal muscles is also a great way for a woman to achieve a tighter feel after she has given birth. In terms of sexual enhancement, the more toned the vaginal muscles, the greater the contractions during orgasm. This can also lead to being able to have multiple orgasms more easily.

Wondering what exactly a kegel is? Well, to perform a kegel, you do not actually need ben wa balls. Next time you are peeing, stop yourself in midstream. That muscle you just tightened was your pelvic floor muscle and you just did your first kegel. By simply tightening and releasing that muscle, you are exercising your vagina. It is recommended to do 10 sets of these 3 times every day. Results are usually seen in a few months.

Read more about the benefits of kegel exercises and how to perform them here and here.

So what if you don't want to wait a few months to see results? Well, that's where the ben wa balls come in. Ben wa balls are weighted to help you achieve faster results when you do your kegels. To use ben wa balls, all you have to is put them inside you and then use your vaginal muscles to keep them inside of you. You may even forget that they are in there.

These ben wa balls are part of the Pipedream Icicles line. They are made of hand-blown glass. The particular type of glass used for these balls is borosilicate, which is more commonly referred to as Pyrex. This material is non-porous and can be completely sterilized, earning a 10/10 on the safety scale. It is also possible to engage in temperature play with glass items. By placing these balls in a glass of warm water or cold water before use, you can take your experience to a whole new level. There is no scent or taste to this product.

This product comes in two sizes: 1" and 1 1/4". These sizes refer to diameter. The larger the ben wa balls are, the easier they are to hold in and to take out. Conversely, women who have not given birth may have a harder time in terms of comfortably wearing larger ben wa balls. Regardless of which size you choose, both sets are the same weight, which is 30 grams or 1.2 oz. This is definitely a weight which will be better suited to beginners.

Ben wa balls are designed as two separate unconnected pieces, which is one of the ways in which they differ from kegel balls, which are one solid piece. The fact that ben wa balls are two separate pieces causes them to be less effective and a little harder to use. First, in terms of effectiveness, ben wa balls do not always stay in optimal placement inside the body. Since kegel balls are one long piece, they sit inside the vagina in a certain position that allows them to work the correct muscles. Ben wa balls can separate from each other, which means that it may take longer to get results.

Ben wa balls can also be harder to use because it is more difficult to take them out. Kegel exercisers come with a retrieval cord so that you easily remove them. To remove ben wa balls, you must bear down. This is basically the same muscular movement as when you give birth or have a bowel movement. While you are gently bearing down, place a finger inside of yourself and scoop the balls out. The second one is usually the more difficult one to get out. It is not possible to "lose" the ben wa balls inside of you, so you don't need to worry about this, but it may take a little patience to retrieve them.

Read more about the differences between ben wa balls and kegal balls here. This is a picture of the Icicles ben wa balls compared to the Luna Beads Noir kegel balls.

I found that these ben wa balls were very easy to insert and hold in. On the other hand, getting these little glass balls back out of me became quite a chore. The biggest problem I have with this product is definitely the lack of retrieval cord.

The glass material of these balls makes them very smooth and comfortable to wear. I also love the fact that I am able to warm them up before using them. However, being that these are made out of glass, they are designed as one solid piece. When the balls are made of plastic, they usually contain a smaller weighted ball inside of them, which causes a very nice rumbling sensation inside the body. I must admit, kegel exercises are a bit more fun with rumbling involved.

In terms of weight, this set of ben wa balls is one of the lighter ones. For example, the Icicles ben wa balls are less than half the weight of Luna Noir. This will make them best suited to beginners, I think. Advanced users will be likely to be disappointed.

The glass used for these ben wa balls is much more resistant to breaking than ordinay glass. Glass is compatible with both water based and silicone based lubrication. To keep this item clean, use toy cleaner or an antibacterial hand soap. It is important to wash them before and after every use to avoid getting a bacteria infection. The ben wa balls come with their own storage bag, which measures 3"x2". The bag is stitched down the center to form two seperate compartments. The bag closes with a drawsting secured with a plastic clip. Due to the size of this item, it is extremely easy to travel with.

This item arrives in a cardboard box. The front of the box has the name and a picture of the product. There is a ribbon tag on the right hand side that allows you to open a book-like flap and preview the product. The information inside the flap is identical to the information on the back of the box. The bottom of the box has the company's website and a barcode for smartphones. Inside the box, the ben wa balls are packed tightly in white Styrofoam with a travel bag packed underneath. The box is rather stylish, but not at all discreet. It could be used for storage, but it is so much bigger than the item that it may be impractical. The box is recyclable.

When I first got these, I was immediately struck by how simple and beautiful they looked. I was a little surprised to find them to be so light weight, as I personally prefer a heavier weight when I do my kegels. However, since this set was so light, I did find that I was able to keep them in for a longer period of time. In fact, I wore them for hours and completely forgot that I even had them in. I could see myself being more likely to use this set when leaving the house since they are so light and quiet. The only big issue I had with these was taking them out. I felt like I was pushing with my muscles and scooping with my fingers much longer than I needed to be, especially with the one that was higher up inside of me. It was like a workout in itself. After I finally was able to get them out, cleaning them was incredibly easy. I also really love the little storage pouch. The pouch itself is really high quality and it's so small you could keep it anywhere. It's like an order of kegels to go.