Toy care week: clean it, store it, keep it body-safe.

The xdipx Notebook

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Things worth knowing. Things worth trying. Things Emma dug up so you don't have to.

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The Womanizer Next clitoral stimulator leaning against a coral paper sweep on a white paper ground in bright daylight, its curved matte black body and single grey accent band in crisp focus, the recessed soft-rimmed opening at its base turned toward the camera
Guides8 min

Is a Tongue Vibrator Really Different From a Suction Toy?

Yes, and the difference is what the brand says is moving. One family is named for changing air pressure. The other puts a tip against your skin. Here is how to read a listing when the words on it are doing the selling.

EmmaOct 28
JO Refresh foaming toy cleaner bottle standing upright on a white surface in warm daylight, with a soft cloud of foam and clear water droplets beside it and a sage leaf sprig behind
Guides9 min

Do You Need a Sex Toy Cleaner, or Is Soap and Water Enough?

Plain warm water and a gentle unscented soap cleans every nonporous toy. A dedicated cleaner is worth the money in four situations: a motorized toy you cannot rinse, scent sensitivity, speed between partners, and travel.

EmmaOct 26
The Dame Pom Flexible Palm Vibrator Ice standing upright in soft window light on a pale plum-tinted backdrop, a thin coral ribbon curling beside it
Guides8 min

What Should You Expect the First Time You Use a Sex Toy?

Arousal before the toy, lubricant before the first touch, and three sessions before you judge it. A first session that goes nowhere points at arousal, angle, or setting, well before it points at the toy.

EmmaOct 19
The Lovense Gush 2 Motion, the app-controlled vibrating glans massager, standing on white paper in warm daylight: a deep teal body with a purple-to-aqua gradient inner panel, one fold of coral-pink sheer fabric beneath it.
Guides8 min

What Is a Gyroscope Sex Toy? What the Motion Sensor Actually Does

A gyroscope is a rotation sensor. What matters is what the toy does with the reading: feed it back into the toy in your hand, send it to a paired toy somewhere else, or both. Which of those a listing is selling you is the thing to check before you pay extra.

EmmaOct 14
A blue silicone anal training dilator set in rising widths, four pieces each with a flat round base, lined up on white in bright daylight
Guides9 min

What Size Butt Plug Should a Beginner Start With?

Start at about half an inch across at the widest point, the width most dilator kits start at. How to read a plug listing, why the base and the neck are part of the fit, when to move up, and why nothing goes in without a flared base.

EmmaOct 12
Pale pink floral lace GLOW Equilibrium crotchless bodystocking in queen size, laid flat on a soft blush ground, showing the halter teardrop neckline, open waist cut-outs and lace legs with closed feet
Guides13 min

What Makes Lingerie Body-Safe, and How Do You Size It?

Body-safe means something different in lingerie than it does on a toy page: the dye, the finishing chemistry and the metal, and the fiber label mentions none of them. The measurements a bra or a set is sized on take five minutes, and thigh-highs run on a different system entirely.

EmmaOct 8
The Reform School red tartan pleated mini skirt laid flat and front on, its waistband straight across the top and knife pleats falling to a short hem, on a pale lavender backdrop with soft daylight from a window at the upper left.
Guides12 min

How Do You Pick a Costume You Can Actually Play In?

The closure, the fiber content, the size list and the piece count decide whether a costume survives its own evening. All four are printed under the photograph rather than in it.

EmmaOct 5
Tomboi Nylon Briefs Harness with Vibrator Pockets, Medium, in red with a black waistband and round ring opening, laid flat on a soft lavender backdrop beside a coral tape measure in bright daylight
Guides11 min

How Do You Choose a Strap-On Harness?

Three decisions, in order: how the harness sits on you, whether its ring matches the toy, and what the fabric asks of you afterward. The ring is the one that needs a tape measure.

EmmaSep 30
Magic Wand Original corded wand massager resting diagonally on a warm coral-soft surface, cord coiled neatly beside it, bright daylight editorial still life
Guides9 min

Do More Vibration Modes Actually Matter?

A mode count is the easiest number to print on a box and the least useful one to shop by. What to weigh instead, and the three situations where a long pattern list genuinely pays for itself.

EmmaSep 28
The We-Vibe Nova 2 flexible silicone rabbit vibrator leaning at a dynamic angle on a bright coral-soft backdrop, its curved outer arm and ribbed inner shaft both clearly visible to show how the flex lines up.
Guides10 min

What Makes a Great G-Spot Rabbit Vibrator?

A rabbit has to be right about two places at once, and the outer arm is what decides whether the inner one lands. How to read curve, arm flex and motor frequency off a listing before you buy.

EmmaSep 23
The Tantus Acute Curved Dildo 5.5 in. Medium-Firm, an emerald green silicone piece, lying on a coral paper card over a white paper ground in warm daylight, a brass tailor tape measure uncoiling beside it and a small plum paper swatch to one side.
Guides9 min

What Size Dildo Should You Actually Start With?

Shop on diameter first and insertable length second, and never on the number in the product name. Here is how to convert a listing's measurements into something your body can predict before you buy.

EmmaSep 21
A couple in soft loungewear sit close together in warm morning light, one holding the Adjustable-Fit We-Vibe Vector+ prostate massager, the other holding its remote control, sharing a playful, anticipatory smile.
Guides9 min

How Do Couples Use a Prostate Massager Together?

One of you receives and reports back. The other owns the angle, the speed, and the remote. Here is how couples run a prostate session together, what to buy for two people, and the safety rules that are not up for negotiation.

EmmaSep 20
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