One of the nice things about shopping here on EF is the ability to try lots of products we wouldn't normally use. That doesn't always mean toys, either - it's nice being able to experiment with different lubes, and Intimate Organics' Defense Lubricant is definitely one we wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Like many women, I sometimes get irritation 'down below' if something isn't right for me and my body. My hubby and I don't often use lubes for vaginal sex since they often contain ingredients that tip me over the edge and sometimes cause problems. One exception that we found was Wicked Ultra Silicone Lube, another is the Defense lube that actually takes things to a whole new level.

The first thing you'll notice with this is the packaging. The lube comes in a very nice light green box with a naked woman's torso on the front. Don't worry, it's tasteful packaging even if it's not 100% discreet. This has a look of something you'd buy from the Body Shop, so even though it's obvious what it is (the large text reading "Defense Sea Kelp & Guava Bark Lubricant" is a bit of a giveaway on its own). The bottle itself is also green and semi-opaque, adding to the body-friendly appearance.

The reason we picked this up is because this lube is advertised as helping to prevent certain conditions. Some claims seem a little far-fetched. Helps to prevent cervical cancer? Some STD's? Genital warts? How about the more believable ones? Yeast infections? That sounds more like it and being Diabetic, that was the particular appeal for me. I generally have to be careful about what goes down there, especially when it comes to lubes. Luckily I don't often need them, but decided to get this more for its preventative qualities than as an out and out lube. Actually, the Intimate Organics website gives the following information about this lube's benefits:

NATURAL ANTI-BACTERIAL EXTRACT FOR SAFER SEX!
ANTI-YEAST INFECTION LUBE
SEA/KELP CAARAGEEAN FORMULA TO PROVIDE HPV BARRIER*
GLYCERINE & PROPYLENE GLYCOL FREE
LIGHT AND LONG LASTING
LATEX CONDOM FRIENDLY
ALOE FOR SOFTNESS
source:Intimate Organics

Opening the flip top bottle releases a pleasant scent. With this being all-natural I was expecting something unscented, but this is somewhere between floral (roses, maybe?) and sea kelp (which would make sense since it's one of the ingredients).

Speaking of ingredients, they're listed as:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Carrageenan (Chondrus Crispus), Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, PPG 2 Methyl Ether, Methylisothiazolinone, Psidium Gaujava Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Sodium Hydroxide

I'm pretty sensitive and prone to problems if I use products (lubes or toys) that don't agree with my body. The Defense lube has been wonderful for me though and has not only been trouble-free but the ingredients have actually helped me.

This lube is runny. Very runny. In some ways it's close to my own natural wetness - there's just a LOT more of it! The point is, if you're going to use this on toys you'd better be ready for a bit of a mess. The extreme runny nature means that it's best to pour a little of this into the palm of my hand first rather than trying to pour it straight onto toys.

I have to say that this wouldn't work well for anal sex. It's just too runny and dries quickly when used there. I haven't found that to be the case when I use it vaginally, but that's almost certainly because I get very wet anyway. Obviously you have to provide all of your own lubrication when having anal sex, so this one just doesn't cut it.

Bear in mind that I haven't had any medical training and haven't discussed this with medical professionals, so these opinions are my own. But I have to say that since using this, I've noticed that my tendency to develop yeast infections has all but stopped. I actually got to a point where I was applying this a little like a prescribed lubricant (meaning that I was putting it on each day regardless of whether or not I was having sex).