boo to pthalates!

[polymexina.livejournal.com]

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/12/06/gertz/

argh -- so the above article talks about green issues/toxicity as they impact sex toys. this makes me very bitter, as i kind of took it for granted that OF COURSE my sex toys smell like plastic... in fact, my doc johnsons never smell like anything but plastic. now, however, i really want to get some new toys that are actually silicone (i've heard this can be a problem re: accurate labelling) and don't contain pthalates.

i looked at some of the suggested retailers in the article and so far really like:

http://www.smittenkittenonline.com/Products/LAYAspot_1429.cfm

any suggestions?

Comments

[pygmybugs.livejournal.com]

There's a Smitten Kitten by my house, and they're really fabulous people. Very knowledgable, totally trustworthy and awesome. They know their stuff.

My roomate swears by those fancy German vibes, too. She kills everything else. Gotta love German engineering!

[jocelina.livejournal.com]

Minneapolis FTW!

As far as I know, the Smitten Kitten in Uptown is the only one in existence -- just one more reason I love living here. :)

[pygmybugs.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo! Sad, though. There should be more. They're what a "toy" store should be (although Good Vibes is awesome, and I'm sure there's a couple others).

[dea-sex-machina.livejournal.com]

There are also glass toys, ceramic toys, metal toys, and even stone!

I love my LayaSpot, which I got at the Smitten Kitten. When I told them I wanted a lube that was latex-friendly, silicone-friendly, vagina-friendly, butt-friendly, and did not contain glycerine, they had more than one to recommend! I ended up getting Hydra-Smooth, which is slippery, scentless, and doesn't have a horrid taste either.

[jocelina.livejournal.com]

Like the user above, I bought my LAYAspot at the Smitten Kitten, and I love both the vibe and the store -- they are really knowledgeable when it comes to sex toys and the safety thereof, and I think they were one of the first stores to start warning customers about the dangers of pthalates.

If you're looking for a vibe to use for penetration, the LAYA probably isn't the best option since it's not really designed for that. However, if you're like me and like clitoral stimulation, then I would definitely recommend it! The shape of it is more suitable for that than any other toy I've used, and the range of vibration intensity is perfect. I've also heard good things about the LELO toys they have at the Smitten Kitten, which are similar to the LAYA in shape, but they're a bit more expensive so I haven't had a chance to test them out yet.

[lafeminist.livejournal.com]

womynsware.com in Vancouver only sells healthy toys, i've never had any issues with their products.

[xmissxmarsx.livejournal.com]

I'm another proud and happy LayaSpot user!
As another commenter mentioned, the LELO toys are great and high quality, but they are expensive. They make good clitoral(http://www.smittenkittenonline.com/Products/Nea_1684.cfm) and internal (http://www.smittenkittenonline.com/Products/Liv_1944.cfm) vibes.
As for German enginerring, Smitten Kitten carries Delight (http://www.smittenkittenonline.com/Products/Delight_2021.cfm) a wonderfully multi-purposed vibe.

So throw those ol Doc Johnson's away and spoil yourself!

[823freckles.livejournal.com]

I personally am really looking into a G-Twist. Anyone know about that? http://store.babeland.com/vibrators/g-twist-vibrator

[bomega.livejournal.com]

I have it, and then found out that my body is changing or something and isn't interested too much in internal stimulation, even if I am. It does have some girth to it, but it isn't too big. The battery compartment is a little tricky to open - you have to push hard in just the right place but then it pops open right away. It is pretty straight forward, but then it seems near impossible to find something like this in silicone, so if it is your thing I think its worth it. If you like a smaller vibe, you could look into the G-Swirl.

BTW, www.goodvibes.com is currently having a 20% off sale for online purchases, and they sell the G-Twist and the G-Swirl (in addition to other titles by Fun Factory.)

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

I have a G-Twist, and I have to be in a very specific mood to use it. I also have to take a lot of time to make sure my vagina is very aroused so that I don't hurt myself with it.

There are times when I like the ribs on the G-Twist, but most of the time, I really, really prefer my G-Swirl (http://www.goodvibes.com/display_product.jhtml?id=12AH90&lid=grid).

[rockymtnhigh.livejournal.com]

I work at A Woman's Touch (http://awomanstouchonline.com/), and we only sell toys that do not contain dangerous phthalates. Plus we ship fast, test mechanicals before selling, and include batteries and a warranty!

[bomega.livejournal.com]

It's true that there isn't even labeling requirements - a product can have some silicone along with jelly rubber and still be called a silicone product. So, I would go with reputable brands from reputable retailers.

However, there are other safe alternatives like TPE/TPR and hard plastic/acrylic in addition to natural materials (glass, metal, wood.) I don't have the Layaspot, but I've heard nothing but great things about it. Babeland recently came out with three new vibes of classic models but made of TPR which are affordable: http://store.babeland.com/brands-babeland. In addition, goodvibes.com is currently having a 20% off sale.