Since Sylvanus and I made the decision to open our relationship to include other lovers for over a year now, we’ve become aware that it is very important to practice safe sex. My husband and I enjoy a life without condoms with each other. I use birth control pills to keep myself from getting pregnant, so we don’t normally use condoms. However, we can’t do that with other people we have sex with. We have no desire to bring any diseases into our home and into our bodies.

On another side note, I get asked by readers all the time how they can practice safe sex and what they should be aware of. In a way, writing this post is also a public service announcement for our readers. What better way to get started in talking about safer sex practices than to explore condoms! There are so many condoms out there. Some people are allergic to the basic latex condom and so they use lambskin, but some people don’t realize that lambskin condoms only protect you from pregnancy. They do not protect you from all STDs.

The first video I watched was “all about condoms”

What I loved most about watching this video was how down to earth it was. It was easy to connect with the instructor and it made watching the video a lot of fun. There was not one point that I was left feeling like I was getting bored.

I learned a few new things as well:

• colored condoms can be safer than clear condoms simply because you can see them better. When a colored condom breaks, it is very easy to see that from a distance.
• extra lubrication should be added to the reservoir before rolling the condom down even if the condom is prelubricated. More lube equals less friction and thus even more less likely to break.
• Ok, I admit it, I am not very skilled when it comes to rolling a condom down on a man. It takes me a few extra seconds to determine which is the correct side. The video helped me to quickly identify “the sombrero” because “a sombrero equal party time”! A handy little trick that will forever come in use for me.

The second video I watched was specifically on “Polyurethane Condoms”

This video is an important one for us to watch. There is the possibility that Sylvanus will be sexually involved with a lover who is allergic to latex. Polyurethane would be the choice for us to go with. It is a much thicker type of condom and fits tighter around a penis. It is less likely to break compared to condoms but it still can.

Also, female condoms are made of polyurethane. I have never used a female condom, but it is perhaps a better alternative to using a male polyurethane condom, however, it will be more expensive. In general, polyurethane condoms are more expensive than latex, but female condoms are more expensive than the male polyurethane condoms.

The final video that I watched in regards to condoms was “Condom Usage”

This video covered how to apply a condom on a penis with your mouth as well as, proper storage and how to check for expired condoms.

We should all know by now that keeping your condoms in your car’s glove compartment is a no no. What I didn’t know is that leather is also not a good way to carry a condom either. The natural oils from leather can break down your condoms. A condom carrying case is probably your safest bet.

One thing that I didn’t know in regards to checking condoms for safe usage was that it goes above and beyond checking the expiration date. You want to be able to move the condom around within it’s package. You also want to be able to crinkle the packet a bit and have a bubble effect. Without those 2 things, you have a condom that has gone bad, even if the expiration date has not been met.

OK, now on to the good stuff… putting them in use! I went out to the store and bought a few different types of condoms.

I bought some polyurethane condoms as well as some polyisoprene condoms. First we tried out the polyurethane condoms. Polyurethane is a type of plastic, so you don’t get the smell of latex condoms. You also get a thinner material, which means, for the man, you experience more sensitivity. Unfortunately, for Sylvanus, it also meant it was very constricting. The polyurethane condom was a very tight fit for him and though he was able to feel more of me through the material, he found it a bit uncomfortable. It was difficult for him to roll over the head of his cock, even with extra lube. Not sure if this is mostly because Sylvanus is *ahem* well endowed or if most men experience difficulties putting on polyurethane condoms. We decided to remove the condom after getting a feel for it on and move on to the polyisoprene condom.

The polyisoprene condom is a synthetic version of latex, and as such, it has many similar properties. It does not, though, contain the various allergenic proteins found in natural latex, and will therefore not trigger symptoms in most allergy sufferers. Like polyurethane condoms, polyisoprene lacks the smell that latex condoms have. For us, that is a plus. Since, polyisoprene is “like” latex, it has a little more give to it. For us, we enjoyed using them more than the polyurethane condoms. It was still a tight fit to get on for Sylvanus but it was less than what he experienced with the polyurethane. The thin material made for better sensitivity. If Sylvanus must use a non latex condom in the the future, his choice is polyisoprene.