carm's dungeon

 

Tips for Latex Lovers

This article is copyright 2001 by the author, all rights reserved. Send inquiries to orlan@gurlmail.com

There was a time in my life when I thought latex was disgusting. I couldn't understand why people would want to sheath their bodies in something so... cold? rubbery? un-soft? The reason I finally put on a pair of latex stockings was the allure of something "kinky" and "different". At first the sheer difficulty of putting them on, and then the awful heat as my skin perspired beneath made me wonder if I had made a good purchase. The discovery that I was allergic to the powder that is all over them when they are new out of the box didn't help either. After washing them a few times, and learning how to get in and out of them, I really warmed up to the whole idea of latex. The feel of something so restricting against my skin, the way that touch felt through them, and still the whole idea of being "kinky" really turned me on. I'm a pretty strong believer now in the saying "When in doubt, try it out!".

If you are thinking of buying latex, here are some tips to make your experience better:

1) Allergies. If you have never worn latex gloves, used a latex condom, or somehow exposed yourself to latex before, you may want to buy a cheap latex item to test yourself for allergies before spending hundreds on that sassy latex number you've got your eye on. For myself, I found I was allergic to the dusty powder substance that is often on latex when you first buy it. I found that washing my latex a few times solved the problem.

2) Molded or Seamed? There are two types of latex, molded and seamed. The main difference is that seamed latex is glued along seams and often has zippers or garters attached. Molded latex has no seams, hence it comes all in one piece. One notable difference between the two is that molded latex tends to be much thinner. This could be a positive or a negative as thinner means you get more of that "second skin" feeling, but it also means the material is much easier to tear. If you get a hole in your latex, it's done for. Seamed latex on the other hand is thicker making it harder to damage but putting more material between you and your lover/sheets/toys/etc. Beyond that, the decision between molded and seamed latex is really personal preference and probably depends on the type of garment you are looking for.

3) Oils eat latex! Never use an oil based product of any kind, including lubricants, near your latex. Oils slowly break down latex, creating weak spots and holes with time.

4) Wash your latex. You skin will perspire and leave natural oils on your latex when you wear it. As I've said already, oils eat latex, so you will need to wash your latex after wearing it. Fill a sink with water and add a little tiny bit of detergent. Put your latex in the water and wash. I use my hands to rub the surface of the latex but you can just swirl it around in the water if you like. Now turn the latex inside out and repeat the washing. Once you are certain you've removed any oils, shake the water out of the latex and lay it down to dry on a towel. After the outside is dry, turn it inside out and leave it to dry again. When your latex is dry, fold it carefully and store it in a dry place, away from any substances that could ruin it.

5) Why isn't my latex shiny? Latex right out of the box often looks a dusty matte black. To get your latex looking as good as it does in photographs, you have to polish your latex. You will need latex polish and a soft cloth. Put your latex on, as it's very difficult to polish when it isn't stretched. Spray the polish onto the latex surface and smooth it on with the cloth. Unfortunately, latex polish seems to take an awfully long time to dry, so don't try to polish ten minutes before playing.

6) How the hell do I get in this thing? Putting on latex is a bit of an art, and practice is all that will help in this department. For things like stockings, you will have to bunch them up or roll them down and get just your toes in first. After you manage to get your foot in properly, you can inch your way up the leg.

The best piece of advice on this page is to keep your latex clean. I was extremely disappointed one day to pull my latex stockings from the drawer to find the toes had been eaten up.

If anyone would like to share tips on how to polish latex, send them to carmb@bad-candy.com. The polish I'm currently using takes a century to dry, and I find it remains sticky. I also find it difficult to polish the back of latex that I'm wearing!

Thanks for reading my article! - carmb.