10 Female Masturbation Techniques
At ASTROGLIDE, we believe everyone who wants to orgasm should be able to — with or without a partner. While men generally take orgasms into their own hands (literally) from an early age, often times women just don’t or they give up trying, because of the time and effort, it takes to get them there.
This year, we’re encouraging everyone, especially women, to “Own Your O,” which begins with getting to know what your body needs so you can translate it to a partner. Because at the end of the day, how is someone else going to be able to do it if you can’t do it yourself?
For all the women out there looking to take the reins on their own pleasure, we’ve compiled 10 female masturbation techniques that will make your heart race and toes curl.
Check out our top tips for female masturbation from ASTROGLIDE’s resident sexologist, Jess:
1. Penetrate While You Masturbate
The female orgasm can be elusive — and it tends to vary dramatically from woman to woman. While most women will focus on the clitoris (in fact, our survey of 2,391 women showed the clitoris is a powerful path to orgasm for many women), penetration can be an enjoyable bonus.
Next time you’re getting intimate with your clitoris, try incorporating a toy or your fingers for an added boost of penetration. It might just be what puts you over the edge into mind-blowing orgasm territory.
This is also where some masturbation lube can help. Dab a little (or hey… why not a lot?) on your weapon of choice (fingers, toy, etc.). What’s the best lube for female masturbation? The one that works for you! Try out a few of our free samples of ASTROGLIDE and pick a new fav.
2. Take It to the Tub
Or the shower! Water can be extremely sensual, and there’s nothing like a steamy room to turn up the heat. Add some scented bath oil or bubbles to the mix for extra relaxation. ASTROGLIDE X Silicone Gel is waterproof, so it’s truly the best lube for underwater fun. Splash your way to ecstasy without worrying about it rinsing away.
3. Heat Things Up
Did you know the clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings? That’s a lot of sensations for one woman. The secret is knowing how to activate them. One of our favourite tricks is adding a little heat to the mix.
ASTROGLIDE Warming Liquid is a super silky water-based lubricant that lets you experience gentle, tingly heat — making it one of the best lubes for female masturbation.
Also, important to remember: silicone lubricants can deteriorate soft, silicone toys over time. So, if you’re taking the toy route, a water-based lubricant is undoubtedly the best lube for masturbation.
4. Ride It Out
There’s a good chance you tried this one back in junior high, and guess what? It still works. For an amazing female masturbation session, use a firm pillow or a rolled-up towel and straddle it on a firm surface like your mattress or ottoman. The position allows you to control how much friction you feel by raising your body up or down. Honestly, this is one of our favourite female masturbation techniques.
5. Watch Porn
We’re big proponents of watching porn with your partner, but we also recommend it for ramping up the intensity of your solo sex life. Find the genre that gets you hot and bothered, and let the stimulus warm you up. Porn can be a great way to get and keep you in the mood and shouldn’t be overlooked as a way to start a masturbation session.
6. Use Masturbation Lube
According to Dr. Jess, lube works just as well with or without a partner. “Lube makes sex more exciting, as it multiplies the possibilities in terms of techniques, positions, acts, and approaches. When it comes to masturbating, you’ll likely find that using lube allows you to apply more pressure and grind against your hottest spots in multiple positions, which will likely lead to the discovery of new sensations and heightened pleasure.”
The best lube for female masturbation depends on your needs and preferences. If you plan to take a while, you might prefer an extra long-lasting formula like ASTROGLIDE X Silicone Gel. It’s silky and made to stay put for the long haul.
If you prefer a water-based lube that will work with toys, ASTROGLIDE Glycerin & Paraben Free Liquid is super smooth, easy to clean, and made without any parabens, hormones, fragrances, or flavours.
7. Masturbate in Front of a Partner
Remember the buddy system? It’s also one of our favourite female masturbation techniques. Masturbating in front of a partner can heighten desire and make the experience more exciting for both of you. It can also be an opportunity to explore each other’s likes and dislikes.
As Dr. Jess explains, “Masturbating in front of your partner is a great source of education, as they can observe exactly what you like in terms of touch, pressure, rhythm, speed, depth, position, angle and more.”
However, Dr. Jess says it’s normal to feel shy about masturbating with an audience.
“Many people find that masturbating in front of a partner can be awkward. Touching yourself while your partner is watching can be very intimidating because masturbation is likely something you’ve done in private for your entire life. Many of us were also raised to do so with shame and secrecy for fear of being ‘caught.’”
To overcome any awkward feelings about masturbating in front of your partner, Dr. Jess recommends easing into the process. “Try it on the phone first or do it in the dark or under the covers. It can be hot to be watched, but you may not want to be studied, as this makes many people feel self-conscious.”
Other tips from Dr. Jess include touching your partner while you touch yourself. “Even a hand on the thigh or a few warm kisses can help you to feel connected and safe during any sex act.”
8. Cool Your Jets
If you’ve got the luxury of a hot tub jet or just a simple adjustable shower head, you can use the added pressure to stimulate your clitoris. This is one of our favourite female masturbation techniques because it does all the work for you.
9. Put It in Your Pocket
If you loved Dr. Jess’s advice for Mind-Blowing Hand Jobs, you’ll love her go-to tip for the perfect female masturbation technique: The Pocket.
“Roll onto your stomach and cup your hand right around your lips. The palm of your hand rests against your pubic mound (aka Venus Mound) and your fingers fold over your lips to create a warm pocket. You can use the weight of your body to press, grind, rub, pulse and undulate against everything on the outside. The pressure you create with your body weight and the mattress allows your hands to stimulate the inner clitoris including its shaft and sensitive bulbs.”
10. Hit Up Your Toy Box
Sex toys can make female masturbation more pleasurable, but Dr. Jess stresses that toys are a matter of personal taste. What works for one person may not be quite right for another.
For example, if you’re into G-Spot play, Dr. Jess recommends the We-Vibe Nova. “It has an internal arm that simply can’t miss the G-Spot and an external arm that vibrates against the head, hood, and shaft of the clitoris.”
More into clitoral stimulation? Dr. Jess suggests the Womanizer. “It uses ‘pleasure air’ technology to create a suction-type sensation over the lips and head of the clitoris.” In other words, it almost mimics oral sex.
For added intrigue, put your sex toys on double duty. “If you like pinpointed vibrations against the external clitoris, use the Crave Vesper necklace,” adds Dr. Jess. “It functions as both a piece of jewellry and a vibrating toy.”
10 Male Masturbation Techniques
The numbers are in, and yes, men masturbate quite a bit. 64 percent say they’ve masturbated within the past month, while only 41% of women say the same. Still, there’s always room for improvement.
Listen up, guys: you can do better than five fingers and your palm, and why not? Just because something works, doesn’t mean you can’t make it even better.
Here are a few of our favourite masturbation tips for guys (pro tip: a good masturbation lube will make every single one of them even better).
1. Try a Cock Ring
Men are often more hesitant about toys than women. Listen up — it’s time to get over your ego and start enjoying your body! While putting a ring around your member might seem intimidating, most cock rings are made of soft, flexible silicone that expands with you, not against you. With a drop or two of masturbation lube, you can slide the ring up your shaft. Remember: with silicone toys, stick with water-based lubricant.
A cock ring can also help you last longer, which is great if you’re looking to stretch out your solo session. And here’s the good news: it doubles as a toy you can use with your partner.
2. Use a Vibrator
They’re not just for women. In fact, G-spots aren’t, either. Certain vibrators can help guys locate the male G-spot, which is a total game-changer.
Start exploring the possibilities by gently stimulating the area between the testicles and anus. A vibrator will help you find the right spot even faster. Once you feel comfortable, you can probe a little deeper, with the help of a masturbation lube, of course.
3. Focus on the Testicles
In the same way, women tend to focus on the clitoris, a lot of male masturbation techniques focus on the shaft. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but you might just find something new and exciting when incorporating testicles into solo play. The scrotal skin has just as many nerve endings as the penis, so there’s definitely some pleasure to be found there. Gently massage the area with some masturbation lube and see if it increases your pleasure.
4. Roll Up Your Sleeves
Male masturbation sleeves come in all shapes and sizes, with the Fleshlight being one of the most popular. You can even find masturbation sleeves with double openings, which makes it easier to clean and maintain.
Many masturbation sleeves feature nubs, patterns, and other stimulators, so you can enjoy a range of different sensations. If you decide to try a masturbation sleeve, keep in mind that a good masturbation lube is a must. As good as they might feel, they don’t self-lubricate.
5. Nipple Stimulation
For some men, nipple stimulation can increase arousal. If your partner isn’t around to help, you can use clamps or other toys to tease your nipples while you tend to matters down below. If you don’t have any clamps handy, bobby pins make a great substitute in a pinch.
If you’re hesitant to try clamps (which we totally get), you can still coax some powerful stimulation from massage alone. Many guys overlook their nipples as a potential erogenous zone. Why not increase your pleasure?
6. Think Sexy Thoughts
It works for Lady Gaga, so why not you, too? In an interview in New York Magazine, Mama Monster said she can think her way to an orgasm. Thoughts are a powerful thing, so focus on your deepest, naughtiest fantasies and see what happens.
7. Take Yourself to the Edge (Again and Again)
Masturbation doesn’t have to be an afterthought. Stop rushing — take some serious time for yourself and really enjoy the process.
One popular masturbation technique we recommend is “edging.” The sex educators at Pleasure Mechanics describe it as a mind-blowing sex technique that works with or without a partner. All you have to do is slowly and gradually approach climax, only to stop just before you peak. As you get closer and closer to the edge, you’ll build an even stronger desire, making your eventual orgasm more powerful.
8. Give Yourself a Sexy Massage
Both men and women have erogenous zones all over their bodies, why not get to know them all? Samantha Evans shares some lesser-known ones, so you can get straight to working them. You can massage these areas using the same techniques you’d follow for giving a sexy massage to a partner.
ASTROGLIDE O is one of our favourite massage oils because it’s infused with relaxing essential oils like ylang-ylang, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. Slick yourself up and explore!
9. Visualisation
Visual stimulation is highly effective in terms of arousal. Masturbating to porn or a partner can boost the buildup and excite greater orgasm. If you choose to go the porn route, trying to mirror your movements to what you’re watching for added arousal.
10. Use Two Hands
When ASTROGLIDE surveyed 1,951 men about how their partners could help them orgasm, we saw multiple responses to the effect of, “use two hands!”
Masturbation doesn’t have to be a one-handed affair. In fact, giving yourself an extra hand can ramp up the sensations and make spending quality time alone with yourself that much more satisfying.