Massage Oil vs Lube: When Your Hands Start Wandering South

The back rub was a very good idea. Your partner's lying naked on a towel, breathing slowly, and your oily hands are sliding lower down their back with every stroke. They've started lifting their hips to meet you. You're starting to have further ideas.

Enjoy that feeling, but massage oil doesn't get a new qualification just because everyone's horny. Oil belongs on skin for massage, and lube is made for sex. They're both slippery, but that's where the shortcut gets dodgy. Here's what you need to know before your hands change direction.

Massage oil: for everything north and south of the fun bits

Oil lets your hands glide over skin slowly, and it turns "I'll rub your shoulders for a minute" into a proper seduction. Wicked Sensual Massage Oil in honeysuckle and ivy will do the job nicely, or browse our massage oil range. A massage candle gives you warm oil to pour, which is a whole other kind of hot.

Fragrance and other ingredients that feel great on a back may not suit genitals or the inside of anyone's body. Your shoulders and your vulva have very different opinions about a surprise dose of scented oil. Tease your way around the inner thighs and hips, then stop short.

Lube: for when the massage stops being a massage

When hands head between legs, switch bottles. Personal lube is made for this, and a plain water-based one is an easy starting point with most toys and condoms. See our lube range, and our water-based vs silicone guide if you need help choosing. Grabbing the right bottle only takes a second, and you can make your partner wait for it.

Or get something that does both

Now this is the fun option. JO Nuru Massage Gel is a water-based gel inspired by Japanese Nuru massage, where you cover your whole bodies and slide over each other, skin on skin, with no hands required. Put down a sheet you don't care about, get utterly drenched and see how long you last before the massage becomes something else.

Oil and condoms don't mix

Oil can damage latex and polyisoprene condoms and make them more likely to break. "Non-latex" doesn't settle it, because polyisoprene is non-latex too. Our condom and lube guide has the details.

Wash the oil off your hands and any skin involved before genital contact or handling those condoms. If oil has already got on a condom, replace it, as wiping it off won't undo the damage. This is the one part of the night where being fussy pays off.

Set the scene

Keep both bottles nearby, with a towel for oily hands and somewhere to wash. Dim the lights, warm the room and warm the oil in your hands first. Start at their feet or their shoulders and take far longer than you think you should. You'll know it's working when they start pushing back into your hands.

A massage can stay a massage, too. A great back rub isn't a binding agreement to sex afterwards, however pleased you are with your work.

If something stings, stop and wash it off gently, and see a doctor about irritation that doesn't go away. Otherwise, enjoy having your hands all over someone you want. Just let each bottle stick to the job it was bought for.