Why Does Lube Get Sticky? Get Your Glide Back Fast

The door's shut, your phone's on silent, your favourite toy's charged, and things are getting very good indeed. Then it all starts to drag. Your wet, easy glide has turned tacky, and suddenly you're paying more attention to the bottle than to your own clit.

Don't panic, because your lube isn't necessarily a dud. Water-based lube gets sticky as it loses water, and a fresh squirt often fixes it right away. Lube that goes tacky after a while and lube you hated from the first drop need different answers, though.

It was slippery a minute ago

As water evaporates or soaks into your skin, water-based lube gets thicker and stickier. How quickly depends on the formula, how much you used and what you've been up to. A long session will always ask for more.

When the glide goes, stop and add a bit. A top-up is a perfectly good excuse to get your partner's hands back on you.

Your bottle's always out of reach

There's a very particular regret in remembering you tidied the lube away before getting into bed. Very organised of you, and now it's on the other side of the room. Keep it right next to you, so that a top-up doesn't involve the big light and a search behind three things you haven't used since Christmas.

With a toy, add it where it touches you, as a slippery handle won't help a dry shaft. If you're losing your glide almost straight away, you may be starting with too little, and our guide on how much lube to use can help.

You hated it from the first squirt

If you rub it between your fingers and immediately want to wash your hands, more won't change your mind. That's a texture you don't like, and there's no prize for finishing a bottle that makes every wank a bit annoying.

Thin liquids spread fast, and thick gels stay put, but neither promises a longer glide. Try a small bottle from our water-based range while you find one you love. That economy-size bottle isn't such a bargain if you've just bought enough disappointing lube to outlast your relationship.

Burning or stinging is different from disliking the feel. Stop using that lube, and see a doctor if the irritation sticks around.

Want a glide that keeps going?

Perhaps you love everything about your lube except how often it needs you. Silicone lube doesn't evaporate, so it just keeps sliding. Wet Stuff Touch, from an Aussie brand, is silky and delicate and works for full-body massage as well, so you can start on their back and finish wherever you end up.

There's a catch: silicone lube can damage silicone toys, so stay with water-based if you want to keep your favourite vibrator in good nick. Or try something in between with hybrid lube, and our water-based vs silicone comparison has the details.

Once you find one you love, give it the bedside spot it deserves. You've already charged the toy and ignored your phone. You shouldn't have to leave a perfectly good bed to negotiate with the bathroom cupboard.