Crystal Discovers Gold

In my continuing efforts to detoxify my life I made a startling discovery the other day, and being that this is an erotic writer’s blog, what better place than to share this news?

Lubricant, ladies. Yes, you heard me. The slippery stuff. The joy jelly. Thanks to my friends at Care2, I found some rather disturbing information about KY Jelly’s ingredients, which is perhaps the most popular “personal lubricant” available. Parabens!

Parabens are the most commonly used synthetic preservative in many cosmetics. They ensure a long shelf life by inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, yeast and mold. But they are suspected of posing grave health risks with long term exposure. Recent studies found parabens in human breast cancer tissue. This raises obvious questions about their ability to accumulate in our bodies. There is also evidence that parabens may disrupt the body’s hormone systems by duplicating the effects of estrogen.

Not in my vagina, thank you very much.

Ask scientists about parabens and they’ll tell you they want more testing. Ask cosmetics manufacturers about parabens and they’ll tell you they pose absolutely no risk. (So why then do they hide the ingredients if they can?) What it comes down to is you must make the choice for yourself.

My husband bought a bottle of glycerine and parabens free Astroglide and gave it the old field test. Personally I found this slippery goo much better than KY jelly, and delightfully decreed a permanent change in the Kauffman household.

From now on, my heroines and I will be using Astroglide.