Ever thought of using an orange or an electric toothbrush as a sex toy?
Planned Parenthood Toronto (PPT) has released a homemade sex toy guide in order to help young individuals find easily accessible and inexpensive sex toy options.
The community health centre posted the “How do you make a sex toy at home?” guide on its Instagram page, which includes do-it-yourself (DIY) do’s and don’ts, toys for insertion, toys for penetration, DIY vibrators and DIY lube and cleaning tips.
“Sex toys can be expensive or hard to buy discreetly if you’re a young person, thankfully there are lots of at-home options you can try instead!” reads the caption.
The centre says masturbation and sexual pleasure are its most asked about topics, and as a result, it created a guide to ensure young people are getting the reliable information they need and are not using objects that could harm them.
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“Young people are curious about their bodies, always have been and always will be. Through TeenHealthSource.com, we receive questions about sexual health from young people and our responses are always medically accurate and judgment-free,” reads the post.
“At PPT, we provide safe and accurate information about sex and sexual health to young people. The information we provide is based on our expertise as healthcare providers, as well as the questions we get from young people themselves,” it continued.
DIY DO’s AND DON’Ts
Some of the DIY do’s include choosing smooth objects for penetration, avoiding electric toys near water, using condoms, gloves or a type of barrier, cleaning the toys, and storing them in a cool place.
Meanwhile, DIY don’ts include using objects with sharp edges or pointy bits, using objects that could shatter inside you, using electric toys near water, reusing toys without sanitizing between uses and storing toys in a sealed bag.
DIY TOYS
Toys for insertion include fruits such as a banana peel as a condom or oranges for a sleeve. Individuals can also use a toilet paper roll sleeve by putting a condom or latex glove through the roll and pulling the cuff over the rim. Then, they can take it one step further by filling the toy with lube for extra sensation.
On the other hand, the centre also outlined tips for using homemade toys for penetration meant for a vagina or anus. They say to use flexible objects which are smooth, durable and comfortable, use a condom on the objects, using objects with a flared base for easy removal and washing the objects between insertions to avoid cross-contamination.
As for DIY vibrators, the centre recommends back/muscle massagers, electric toothbrushes, cell phones and hand mixers without the blades.
“It’s recommended to clean these items after use or use a condom if possible, especially if they’re shared with family or roommates!” the centre emphasized.
For DIY lube, the centre says acceptable options include 100 per cent pure aloe vera, food oils (coconut, avocado, olive) and a DIY water-based lube which is one cup of water to four teaspoons of cornstarch.
CLEANING TIPS
Lastly, the centre shared tips for cleaning the toys afterwards. If the material of the object is non-porous such as steel or glass, the bacteria and dirt can be washed away with mild, unscented soap and reused.
If the toy is porous, such as wood or plastic, these objects are better off being used a few times if possible unless one is using a latex barrier.
RESPONSE FROM YOUTH COMMUNITY
Planned Parenthood Toronto says since it released its guide, the response from the community has been very positive amongst the city’s youth, despite some political backlash.
“…We have noticed it being passed around on reactionary troll sites online hoping to make political hay out of what they hope is a contentious issue. At PPT, we stand with youth who have the right to credible and accurate information to keep themselves safe and to not experience shame around their own bodies,” PPT Executive Director Mohini Datta-Ray said in an email statement to Now Toronto on Thursday.
Datta-Ray adds that it’s important for young people to explore their bodies and know that sexual health and pleasure are human rights.
“We are steadfast in standing with youth to have accurate evidence based information. We also know that comprehensive sexual health education teaches youth about boundaries, communicating consent, being able to disclose around experience of intimate partner violence. It also reduces homophobic and transphobic bullying and keeps young people safer from child sex abuse,” she said.
“The best time to speak to young people about age appropriate safer sexual health is before they start exploring sexually and whenever they are asking questions of trusted resources like PPT,” she continued.
She explained that there is a large gap in the sexual health curriculum being taught at schools on the topics of pleasure consent and masturbation and consequently, young people are filling this gap with questions.
“PPT is a trusted resource and our peer to peer educational model for a number of our programs further encourages youth to seek answers from us. We have the benefit of a whole clinical team of doctors, nurses and mental health experts to help craft accurate information, so our information is always focusing on safety, health and medical accuracy,” Datta-Ray said.
For more information, visit TeenHealthSource.com or chat with a teen peer educator anonymously. Lines are open Monday to Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 to 5 p.m.
