Sorry for this rather TMI question, but is there a way to apply water based lube without it dripping all over the place? I have a bottle of water-based lube and its just a plastic bottle with a flip cap lid and a hole. Just drips off and goes right on the sheets. I doubt a pump or anything else with the same “lube comes out a hole” concept is going to be any better, but perhaps more precise. Is this just an issue with water-based lube that I gotta live with, no special applicator that “brushes on” for a more evenly spread out thinner application that doesn’t? Or do I gotta live with “it’s sex, it’s supposed to be messy!” I mean, I know there are thicker, vaseline-type lubes that don’t drip but I’m not interested in those.
As you say, besides plastic bottles and plastic tubes you can also get water-based lube in a pump bottle, regular bottle, or, what I was thinking of, literally a tub of lube that you can slather on using your hands or any other applicator that strikes your fancy, no squirting out of a bottle necessary.
ETA also there are silicone-based lubes containing no vaseline, and also viscosity of water-based lubes will vary anyway, sometimes in a non-Newtonian manner
Thicker jellies are usually advertised for backdoor use but I don’t see why they can’t be applied to other areas.
Also, some lubes explicitly advertise thixotropic properties, e.g., [disclaimer: the first one I randomly found, this is not an endorsement of a specific brand]:
Recommended for all Types of Sex and Adult Toys, Swiss Navy Water Based lubricant has a viscosity unlike any other water based lubricant. Swiss Navy Water Based comes out like a gel and liquefies with friction so it stays where you put it.
This has to do with ingredients like hydroxyethylcellulose, but I am not an expert in rheology who can tell you exactly what to look for.
You don’t specify the intended usage but we used to have a sexual syringe type thingie that put it in her. No muss, no fuss.
I recommend the use of a folded-over terrycloth “bedroom towel.” Place it under the area that’s likely to get wet during sex, and you won’t have to worry about stray lube, semen, or whatever. You also won’t have the silly argument over who has to sleep on the wet spot. This is an idea so practical that I can’t understand why more folks don’t think of it.
Purchased, and, um, it works! Probably triple the thickness of the other one I was using, can be spread with one finger with no drips. No residue with just a quick water rinse. Thanks!
I heard from a friend that food-grade vitamin E oil is a good lube; it’s not messy, you don’t have to use much, and it’s edible. I think it’s expensive.
If your partner is male it may be easier and less messy to put it on him.