Did you know that CBD lube is a thing? Foria is a brand using cannabis to enhance female sexual wellness. And their Awaken Arousal Oil does more than just lubricate (hint: it can help you cum). Here’s what I’ve discovered about how cannabis and hemp can improve your sex life. – Karley Sciortino
This article was created in partnership with Foria.
As much as we like to pretend that sex is fun and easy 100% of the time, that’s unfortunately not the case. Sex can be stressful, painful, or (worse?) boring—whether you met the guy ten minutes ago in line for the bathroom, or you’ve been dating for a hundred years. Some people Spice Up Their Lives with complicated lingerie, polyamory, Burning Man-flavored orgies, or anal. While I’m a firm believer in getting off in whatever way suits you (duh), I’d like to cast a vote of confidence in something a little more low key: CBD lube. Specifically, Awaken Arousal Oil by Foria, a pioneering brand using cannabis to enhance female sexual wellness.
Pretty much everything and your grandmother is made with CBD these days—aka Cannabidiol, a chemical compound found in cannabis plants. You can vape CBD, moisturize with it, drink matcha lattes infused with it, mascara your eyelashes with it, bathe in it, and literally pomade your hair with it. Adults are eating gummy bears like never before. Remember when people cared about goji berries? Well, they’re CANCELED. (Just kidding, but they have def been demoted for their lack of ~magical botanical properties~ .)
The point is, CBD is a thing, and for good reason. As you likely know, science and medicine have been awake to the medicinal properties of weed for a long time—loooong before Canadians, Californians, and Coloradoans started putting dispensaries on every block a la Starbucks in the Great Decriminalization of 2016. So even though CBD might feel like just another trend destined to fade away into Millennial mythology, like Tide Pod consumption or affordable housing, cannabis’ status as a healing herb is tried and true.
Foria makes cannabis and hemp products for sex and beyond. I’m a big fan of their Awaken Arousal Oil, which is basically viagra for vaginas. It’s a CBD infused botanical spray, which is kinda like a lube, but not just lube. Awaken is 100% plant-based, organic and sustainably-sourced, and is made with nine botanicals—or “plant-based aphrodisiacs”—including CBD. Awaken not only makes sex easier from a practical point of view (lube…lubricates), but it can also make you more turned on, enhance sexual pleasure, and even make it easier to cum. Plus there’s no THC in it, so it’s legal everywhere, and (bonus) you’re not gonna get paranoid and lazy from fingering yourself with it.
But seriously. If you’re someone who doesn’t easily get wet during sex or masturbation, or if you have a hard time reaching orgasm, I think Awaken is worth a try. I went through a long period when, even when I was turned on with someone in bed, the pressure to cum was so stressful that it became impossible to relax, thus making cumming a distant fantasy. (And as we know, Real Feminists Don’t Fake Orgasms™.) Awaken increases blood flow and relaxes tension, which can relieve discomfort and heighten arousal, which is helpful whether you’re an anxious teen or being slutty post-menopause.
For me, Awaken has been really fun to use solo. It’s easy to preach sexual self-care, but it’s another thing to practice it. When you’re as precocious a masturbator as I am, it can become habitual to mechanically get yourself off in three minutes and then move on with your blogging. But using Awaken is a good excuse to slow down, in order to feel its therapeutic benefits. In other words, its chilled me and my vagina the fuck out.
All photos by John Tuite