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How To Use An Anal Douche: Lovehoney’s Guide To Douching
All the anal with none of the worries. Learn how to douche for anal with our handy guide to backdoor cleansing.
Poop: it’s a thing. A totally normal thing, sure, but one most people don’t enjoy thinking about – or worse, encountering – during a steamy rendezvous with a partner.
Enter the illustrious anal douche, and the process of cleaning out your butt before taking it to pleasure and pound town.
What is Anal Douching?
Anal douching is the process of giving your rectum a bit of a rinse before you engage in anal play. That’s it, that’s all. People who douche tend to do so before anal sex or analingus (aka rimming).
It’s really easy! Most people douche by using plain ol' tap water and you can find more deets on how to do the deed down below.
Why Do People Use Anal Douches? What are the benefits?
People use anal douches for a few different reasons, but one of the major ones is their own peace of mind and confidence during anal play. Think about it this way: do you feel at your sexiest after mowing the lawn, when you’re drenched in sweat and bits of grass, or when you’re freshly showered and smell amazing? Feeling fresh can boost your confidence sky high, and everyone knows confidence is the sexiest thing of all.
Folks also choose to use anal douches for higher cleanliness during anal play. Now, a douche doesn’t guarantee that no scat will join your session, but cleansing your anus before play time can significantly reduce potential poop factor. Happy you, and happy boo!
Since shit does sometimes happen (and both you and your anal play pal should be mature enough to be okay with that), you might appreciate having a pack of wipes on hand in case of uninvited appearances. Planning for anal play can reduce the risk of encountering fecal matter if that is a serious turn off or concern for you. For instance, time your play safely outside of the time frame you ordinarily have to go to the bathroom. Also, mind what you eat for 24 hours or so before your date. Today might not be the day to try a new cuisine or chow down on your town’s famous 5lb pastrami sandwich.
Is Anal Douching Safe, are there Risks?
As with many things, douching is safe to do in moderation. Anal douches are safe to use – just make sure you clean them after use. Also, when it comes to keeping your douche clean, here’s a pro tip: never release the depressed bulb when the tip of the douche is still inside your butt. After the douche squeezes water out into your butt, releasing your grip could encourage the douche to suck water and bacteria back up inside it. Just remove the douche from your butt before letting go and you’ll be A-okay.
For max safety, always follow the instructions with your douche of choice and use only water or saline solution to douche.
It bears mentioning that douching is an anal-only activity. Vaginas are self-cleaning - in fact, they’re very good at cleaning themselves and need zero assistance. The Office on Women’s Health strongly discourages vaginal douching, as it's been linked to vaginal infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy problems.
Do you Need to Anal Douche Before Anal Sex?
Nope! Unlike using lube during anal sex, which is always mandatory, anal douching is totally optional.
Your body knows how to keep itself clean and the rectum is no exception. Unless you’re having digestive or constipation trouble, the rectum is normally free of waste matter until you feel the need to defecate. Think of the rectum as the highway that gets our bowel movements from point a (your colon) to point b (exiting your body). So if you’re keeping regular, no need to worry about douching! Just wash the area around your rectum or just inside the anus with a soaped-up finger during your usual bath or shower and you’ll be golden.
But if you’re keen to have a deeper clean, here’s your step-by-step guide to douching with water.
How to Use an Anal Douche
1. Time your douching
Anal douching sends water into the rectum to clear it out. While the rectum makes a sharp left turn into the colon and it would be difficult for any solid toy (or partner) you put into your body to get all the way into the colon, water is different.
Water from your douche can totally handle that hard left and hang out in your colon for a bit. This is why it's always a good idea to douche at least an hour before anal play. Some extra water may release from the body after douching.
If you’re trying to avoid interacting with more bodily fluids than you need to, good idea to give all the water a chance to exit before you get down with your partner.
2. Check the temp and fill up
Inside of your body is a sensitive place. Water that may feel comfortably warm on your skin and shoulders will probably feel too hot inside your body. Make sure to check the water temperature on the inside of your wrist before inserting it inside your body.
Aim for tepid water and you should be just fine. Once you have the temperature just right, fill up your douche by either removing the tip and running water directly into the bulb, or filling a container with water, squeezing the bulb, and dipping the tip of the douche into the water. When you release the bulb, suction will help water fill up the bulb easy-peasy.
Remember not to add soap or anything else to the water! Water will do a great job all on its own.
3. Lube the tip and insert
For smooth and easy insertion, put a little anal lube on the tip of your douche as you insert it. Make sure you don’t force the tip inside and stop immediately if you feel any pain. Depending on your experience with anal and douching, you may experience a little discomfort, but as long as you listen to your body and proceed slowly, you’ll be just fine.
A good place to set up for your douching session is sitting on the john. This helps you get a great angle for insertion and gives you a perfect disposal location for the expelled water. No mess and no worries.
4. Squeeze and hold
Depress the bulb of the douche to dispense water into your rectum. Remove the douche without releasing your hold on the bulb to make sure the douche doesn’t suck in any water that’s within your rectum.
Hold the water inside until you feel a natural urge to expel it. You can repeat this process a few times until the water that comes out of your ass is clear.
Cleaning Your Anal Douche
Keeping your douche clean is as easy as it is important. Once you’ve removed your douche from your butt, give it a wash all over with water and mild soap, then leave it to air dry.
Types Of Anal Douches
Bulb Douche
Bulb douches are the easiest kind of douche to use, especially for beginners. They hold a limited amount of water so you can always be sure you’re not using too much and they’re really easy to obtain.
As far as the douche vs enema question, which tool you use to do your cleansing is really down to personal preference, but most people will see all the benefits from douching with a bulb douche – no need for an enema.
Best Bulb Anal Douche
May we suggest the Lovehoney Anal Douche for your pleasure? Compact and sleek, this effective anal douche is easy to use with a soft, squeezable bulb, making it one of our best sellers.
What customers say: "This product was the first thing I bought when exploring the backdoor. The price was very good and easy to use to properly clean everything for anal play. The bulb is quite flexible and easy to squeeze to get the water in."
Enema
Enemas tend to provide a deeper clean than bulb douches. There are a few different types of enemas, including ones that affix to a showerhead or tap like the Clean Stream Deluxe Shower Enema Set (see below) for full-on flow as well as ones that come in a whole kit including a bag, tube and nozzle.
Enema kits usually include a saline solution in the bag, but make sure you check it’s only saline or water. Your butt does not need anything else inside it - no wacky remedies you found on the internet, no up-and-coming miracle cleaning concoctions. Keep it basic!
Best Showerhead Enema
Benefit from a deep clean before anal play or sex begins by connecting the Clean Stream enema set to your shower and voilà, a clean and shiny bottom is yours to enjoy. Connect the kit permanently or temporarily to your shower for easy enemas any time using the adjustable valve, then use the tap to regulate water flow for a comfortable cleansing experience.
What customers say: "Super easy install. Great design, looks like part of the shower. The nozzles slide in perfect. The skinny one is great when you don't prep. Would definitely recommend for anyone playing in their back door."
Fleet Enema
Fleet is a brand of enemas that are often used as laxatives to help relieve constipation. They’re usually available in drugs stores and if you plan on using one for anal sex prep purposes, be sure to find the kind with “normal saline” solution for best results.
Fleet enemas include pre-lubricated nozzle tips and full instructions so you can feel confident using them.
Recommended Anal Douches
Anal Douching FAQs
How Long After Douching Can I Have Anal Sex?
This really depends on you and your body, but generally you should wait at least an hour after douching before diving into anal activity. That said, make sure you don’t rush your douching process! It’s better to go without douching at all than it is to potentially hurt yourself or have an unexpected need to go at an inopportune moment.
How Often Should You Use an Anal Douche?
Avoid douching any more than 2-3 times per week. Your rectum is self-cleaning, and douching more often than necessary may irritate the sensitive lining within it. Douching too often can make you more susceptible to infections, throw off the balance of electrolytes in your body or disrupt your normal elimination schedule.
If you’re the type who enjoys your regular morning bowel movement, don’t go wild on the douching.
What is the Difference Between an Enema and a Douche?
The biggest difference in the douche vs enema discussion is that douches are normally designed to cleanse lower down in your anal passage, using less liquid than an enema. Some enemas come in the form of over-the-counter kits, which are best used in the short term to relieve constipation or prior to medical exams, not for sexual activity preparation.
Other enemas attach to your shower, giving you a non-stop cleansing stream that can go deeper than a handheld bulb douche. That deeper reach means you should be extra cautious using an enema, as there’s more potential to accidentally hurt yourself or put too much water too deep into your body.
Can a Douche Be Used in the Shower?
Yes – in fact, some douches and enemas are even designed to be used in the shower. One of the benefits of using a douche in the shower is having a handy drain right there, ready to whisk away your used water and anything it contains.
On the other hand, douching in the shower means more likelihood of liquid running down your legs. It’ll get washed away, sure, but if that’s not on your list of experiences you wouldn’t mind having, douching on the toilet is plenty good too.
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