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

The xdipx Notebook

Welcome to The Notebook

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

Add xdipx as a preferred source on Google →
Sliquid Naturals H2O water-based intimate lubricant bottle, label facing out, in warm low sunlight against a plum and coral backdrop
Wellness Basics11 min

What's Actually in Your Water-Based Lube?

Water-based lube is water plus a handful of ingredients doing four jobs: holding the water, setting the body, keeping the bottle clean and placing the pH. Here is how to read your own label, what pH balanced is worth, and what the WHO and UNFPA specification says about osmolality.

EmmaOct 21
The Rechargeable Silicone We-Vibe Touch X Vibrator in Crave Coral lying flat on a coral paper card over a white paper sheet in warm daylight, a sheer coral fabric fold behind it.
Wellness Basics12 min

Is It Normal to Use Sex Toys After 60?

Yes, and a peer-reviewed survey of 3,001 US women aged 60 and older put numbers on it. Which toys they reach for, what frequent use tracked with, and how to choose a first external vibrator by the way it sits in your hand.

EmmaOct 11
The We-Vibe Touch X in Crave Coral resting on white paper in a pale blush corner, soft window light tracing the matte silicone, its round buttons and the fine join along its edge
Wellness Basics13 min

What Makes a Vibrator Body-Safe?

Body-safe silicone covers the surface, and a vibrator is more than its surface. The joins, the charge contacts and the printed ingress code decide how clean you can get one.

EmmaOct 4
The Peachy Bullet mini vibrator standing upright on a white linen sheet beside a resting adult hand, in soft warm daylight with a coral-tinted edge.
Wellness Basics14 min

Is Low Sexual Desire Genetic, or Is It Learned?

Low desire is not a gene you were handed. Twin research measured the heritable share of women's sexual desire at 37 percent and watched it fall to 14 percent across four years, and a 2026 review argues the wider gender gap was taught rather than inherited.

EmmaSep 26
The ROMP Rose 2.0 pleasure air clitoral stimulator, a magenta silicone rose resting on white paper against a soft plum backdrop with a sheer plum ribbon curling away behind it in warm raking light, illustrating this guide to how often is normal and how many toys is too many.
Wellness Basics10 min

Is It Normal to Masturbate Daily or Own Several Toys?

Daily is normal, and so is a drawer holding four things. The health libraries publish no frequency at all, and the test they use in its place is about your life rather than your arithmetic.

EmmaSep 12
The Wicked Sensitive glycerin-free water-based lubricant bottle standing in warm daylight on white paper, a sheer coral fabric sweeping behind it and a single clear droplet at its base, illustrating this guide to choosing a lube for sensitive skin.
Wellness Basics9 min

What Lube Is Best for Sensitive Skin?

Reactive skin does not need a gentler brand. It needs a short ingredient list, an osmolality close to your own tissue, and nothing in the bottle that heats, flavors, or perfumes. Here is what to read on the label.

EmmaAug 29
The Squishy Silicone WINX Hippity Hoppity Vibrator stands upright in warm daylight, its pastel-swirl silicone and playful bunny ears catching a soft golden shadow on a clean white surface.
Wellness Basics13 min

What Are the Different Types of Vibrators?

Bullets, eggs, rings, rabbits, thrusting, squishy, app-controlled. A plain map of every vibrator family, what each one is built to do, and how to tell which one is talking to you.

EmmaAug 22
The Biird Kalii glass G-spot dildo, a curved borosilicate piece with an iridescent blue-violet to seafoam-green finish, resting on a bright white daylight surface, its smooth glossy surface catching clean highlights to show the non-porous material up close.
Wellness Basics10 min

Which Dildo Material Is Best?

Silicone, glass, and surgical steel are the three non-porous materials worth your money, and the difference between them is give, weight, and temperature. Here is how to read a material claim before you buy.

EmmaAug 15
The FemmeFunn Ultra Bullet Massager in teal body-safe silicone, shown with its retail packaging on a bright white background, illustrating the non-porous single-material surface this guide recommends for sensitive skin
Wellness Basics9 min

Which Vibrator Materials Are Safest for Sensitive Skin?

Non-porous materials (silicone, glass, stainless steel) are the safest bet for sensitive skin, but the lube deserves the first look. Here is how to tell the difference and patch test without losing a week.

EmmaAug 6
Three graduated plum silicone kegel balls from the Je Joue Ami set resting on a small ceramic dish on a bedside table with a brass lamp, dried lavender, and a folded towel.
Wellness Basics7 min

Do Kegel Exercisers Actually Work?

A weighted kegel trainer will not do the work for you, but it makes pelvic floor training easier to feel and easier to stick with. Here is how they actually work.

EmmaJul 12
A matte black Tantus silicone massager and a white Magic Wand Mini resting on a brass tray on a bedside table, next to a folded linen towel and a small dish.
Wellness Basics6 min

Is Silicone Body-Safe? What to Look For

Silicone is one of the safest materials a sex toy can be made from, but the label does not tell the whole story. Here is what body-safe silicone really means and how to spot it.

EmmaJul 11

The Notebook, in your inbox.

One send, once-ish a week. Only the ones worth reading. Unsubscribe anytime, we're not needy.