# What did our Grandparents use for sexual lubricant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280 "2013-10-03T17:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/41 "2013-10-04T14:02:58Z")
Bag Balm. Solves any problem you may have. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/42 "2013-10-04T14:06:27Z")
> [@BleizDu](#): > > I was just coming over to post that I was surprised the discussion had came this far without someone mentioning saliva. i would be surprised too. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/43 "2013-10-04T14:13:54Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > All of my experience has been with my own species. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/44 "2013-10-04T15:13:05Z")
I am reminded of this joke: If your girlfriend starts smoking, Slow down. Use lube. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/45 "2013-10-04T15:38:41Z")
Someone should do a poll on extra lubrication. My college girlfriend and I used Astroglide and KY Liquid, but my wife and I have never needed it, even for long sessions or the times we’ve needed to use condoms. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/46 "2013-10-04T15:46:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **BleizDu** : > > I was just coming over to post that I was surprised the discussion had came this far without someone mentioning saliva. Ahem, post 14. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/47 "2013-10-04T15:48:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Doris Day has said that, at least in her earlier days, she would smear herself from head to toe with it once a week, to the point where she would sometimes slide out of bed, and this was why she looked so youthful. :eek: Dafuq? How do you sleep covered in grease? What did her bedsheets look like? How covered in Vaseline would they have to be to let her slide right out? * * * A man doing market research for the Vaseline Company knocked at the door and was greeted by a young woman with three small children running around at her feet. “I’m doing some research for Vaseline. Have you ever used the product?” She said, “Yes. My husband and I use it all the time.” “If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “what do you use it for?” “We use it for sex,” she said. The researcher was a little taken aback. “Usually people lie to me and say they use it on a child’s bicycle chain or to help with a gate hinge. But, in fact, I know that most people do use it for sex. I admire you for your honesty. Since you’ve been so frank so far, can you tell me exactly HOW you use it for sex?” The woman said, “I don’t mind telling you at all. My husband and I put it on the doorknob and it keeps the kids out.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/48 "2013-10-04T15:50:50Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > It says [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-In-One_Oil) that 3 in 1 oil has been around since 1894 helping to “clean, lubricate and protect.” If you’re putting 3 in 1, you’ll definitely need a good lubricant. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/49 "2013-10-04T15:53:35Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Our grandparents didn’t have sex. Only in our decadent modern times did the wicked deed become prevalent. I blame the MTV > **[Genetic Analysis](https://xkcd.com/830/)** ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/50 "2013-10-04T19:37:52Z")
They progressively used AA through KX. ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/51 "2013-10-04T20:21:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ahem, post 14. :smack: Sorry, too much lube, I slipped right past your post. :o ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/52 "2013-10-04T21:40:04Z")
I recall some WW2 novel I read (when I was a teenager) that intimated that the prostitutes in Malta would give handjobs using cold-cream as a lubricant. I won’t comment on the validity of the technique, though I was (as I say) a teenager at the time… Can’t remember the name of the book though, or the author. Maybe _Goodbye, Mickey Mouse_ by **Len Deighton** or _The Kapillan of Malta_ by **Nicholas Monsarrat** , but I read so many books at that stage of my life, so it might have been another one entirely. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/53 "2013-10-04T22:55:32Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They progressively used AA through KX. Oh go to, everyone knows that it was first formulated in Paducah. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/54 "2013-10-04T23:47:00Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > In the early 1970’s I had a little backyard snail farm for food puposes but became facinated with its lubricational abilities when I was washing my hands after handling. I ate a few snails raw just to see what they were like and the slime is really not bad. I attempted to create a slime gatherer by forcing the snails up the sides of the glass with water and then every few days scraping the glass with a razor blade so the powder could be rehydrated later. Unless I could have sold the powder for about $3,000 an ounce it did not prove to be cost effective. I love this place. Folks should be careful before eating raw snails, though. It’s safer if you are controlling their food and habitat, but you can get some nasty bugs from them. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/55 "2013-10-05T14:37:51Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > If you’re putting 3 in 1, you’ll definitely need a good lubricant. Thread winner, with bonus for fun username/post combo. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/56 "2013-10-06T02:51:22Z")
I’ve never had anal. I attempted it on a girlfriend once, but it didn’t happen. Did use lube. I have masturbated at least 10,000 times and had penis in vagina intercourse at least a couple thousand. Never used lube in any of those cases. Have rarely penetrated a vagina that wasn’t soaking wet. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/57 "2013-10-06T03:22:35Z")
> [@Dax-ion](#): > > Also as for the gentiles… do uncut penises require less lubricant for tight fits? Still… I think spit goes way back so to speak. I would guess _more_. Being uncut, we’re a little (only a little) thicker. We do, however, have the advantage of not needing lube for masturbating. We have our own, built-in Fleshlight 😃 > [@AaronX](#): > > I am reminded of this joke: > If your girlfriend starts smoking, > > Slow down. Use lube. Q: What is the proper procedure in case of fallout? A: Put it back in and take shorter strokes. > [@hotflungwok](#): > > :eek: Dafuq? How do you sleep covered in grease? What did her bedsheets look like? How covered in Vaseline would they have to be to let her slide right out? A joke from one of those “kid’s” joke books I read … when I was a kid: Q: Why did the boy put grease in his hair before bed? A: He wanted to get up oily the next morning. I will confess that I didn’t get that joke until many years later. As a kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I hadn’t heard too many New Joisey accents. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > [xkcd: Genetic Analysis](http://xkcd.com/830/) Sex is hereditary. If your parents never had it, odds are good that you won’t, either. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/58 "2013-10-06T04:36:57Z")
Molly (Marion) Bloom is inside the bedroom in a whorehouse. Bloom stands outside. (The other characters are two whores and two barmaids.) **BOYLAN** (_To Bloom, over his shoulder._) You can apply your eye to the keyhole and play with yourself while I just go through her a few times. **BLOOM** Thank you, sir, I will, sir. May I bring two men chums to witness the deed and take a snapshot? (He holds an ointment jar.) Vaseline, sir? Orangeflower?.. Lukewarm water?.. **KITTY** (_From the sofa_.) Tell us, Florry. Tell us. What. (_Florry whispers to her. Whispering lovewords murmur lip-lapping loudly, poppysmic plopslop._) **MINA KENNEDY** (_Her eyes upturned_.) O, it must be like the scent of geraniums and lovely peaches! O, he simply idolises every bit of her! Stuck together! Covered with kisses! \*\*LYDIA DOUCE \*\*(_Her mouth opening._) Yumyum. O, he’s carrying her round the room doing it! Ride a cock horse. You could hear them in Paris and New York. Like mouthfuls of strawberries and cream. **KITTY** (_Laughing_.) Hee hee hee. **BOYLAN’S VOICE** (_Sweetly, hoarsely, in the pit of his stomach_.) Ah! Gooblazqruk brukarchkrasht! **MARION’S VOICE** (_Hoarsely, sweetly rising to her throat_.) O! Weeshwashtkissima, pooisthnapoohuck! **BLOOM** (_His eyes wildly dilated, clasps himself_) Show! Hide! Show! Plough her! More! Shoot! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/59 "2013-10-06T07:51:49Z")
> [@Dax-ion](#): > > Some how I really really doubt this… people like Rick Perry had small families even back then. That doesn’t necessarily involve “certain sex acts”; one of my grandmothers had three daughters, the other one was among the many wives who mysteriously stopped getting pregnant every two years on the clock after the other-gender youngest child came around. For either one, anything that didn’t involve PiV was unthinkable: the first one douched and the second one had predictable ovulation. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280/60 "2013-10-06T08:00:35Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They progressively used AA through KX. I believe **AA Jelly** was introduced in 1948 and only became **KY Jelly** due to the effects of inflation, so to speak. Similarly, back in those days couples only engaged in oneplay before sex. Often it consisted of a bit of 61. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-our-grandparents-use-for-sexual-lubricant/670280.md?page=4)