A Beginner's Guide to Using Butt Plugs

It’s normal to be curious about the backdoor bliss that an anal plug can provide — after all, there are lots of butt-related sexual kinks out there, and plenty of allure around the anal orgasm — but it’s also normal to be apprehensive about it. However, it’s easy to safely explore the wonders of anal play and experience mind-blowing posterior pleasure as long as you remember the importance of hygiene and use your best judgement!

Why do people enjoy using butt plugs?

Butt plugs enhance sexual pleasure by gently stretching the anus, creating a sensation of sensual fullness and pressure that stimulates the sensitive nerve endings inside the walls of the anal canal. Depending on their shape and functions (such as vibration, rotation, rotating beads, etc.), they can stimulate the prostate (AKA the P-spot or ‘male G-spot’), the outer entrance of the anus in a thrilling ‘rimming’ sensation, or the G-spot and clitoris through the anterior wall. Butt plugs can feel good on their own or in conjunction with other sex toys — in fact, during an orgasm when your pelvic muscles are naturally contracting, a butt plug can intensify the sensation since your muscles are squeezing against something.

A butt plug is also a great way for beginners to explore anal play, either through solo masturbation or with a partner. You can start at any size and work your way up, either to larger-sized toys or to a playmate if penetration with a partner is your goal! Butt plugs are gender-neutral sex toys that are suitable for people of all sexual orientations, and they’re also hands-free once they’re in place. People with vulvas can also enjoy double penetration sensations while wearing a butt plug and enjoying a dildo or a partner’s strap-on/penis vaginally! 

Anal play hygiene & safety tips

Cleanliness is always important when it comes to your intimate areas, and that applies to anything going inside them too. Your colon is naturally full of bacteria, but these bacteria can cause infections if they spread to your genitals or a partner’s, so avoid transferring any anal sex toys between people or openings and don’t forget to clean your toys before thoroughly and after each use with warm water and an antibacterial adult toy cleaner. You can also place a condom over your butt plug, especially if it’s a toy you might share with a partner or use on another body part.

In terms of cleaning your actual anal canal, douches and enemas are both available, though which one you pick will depend on how thoroughly you want to cleanse and how much time you have. For a relatively quick 20–30-minute cleaning before gentle anal play and/or smaller toys, a douche is an option for you. If you have upwards of an hour and want an intense cleaning before some hardcore anal play (such as if your partner is well-endowed and/or you’re planning to use a large toy with some truly hefty weight behind it), you can perform an enema in your shower or bathtub instead. Whichever option you pick, it’s best to limit yourself to just one cleansing per day at a maximum of twice or thrice a week as anally douching too often can damage the intestinal lining and increase the risk of infection

How to insert an anal plug

Aim the tapered tip at a 45° angle towards your belly button and gently push to insert it, or hold the plug in place and try slightly bearing down on it, which will help open the sphincter and allow for easier entry. A small level of discomfort can be normal when using a butt plug, especially for beginners, but using anal toys should never be painful, so stop immediately if you feel pain. Regardless of how capable you’re feeling, remember always to go slow and use plenty of lubricant.

Speaking of lubricant, the anus is not self-lubricating like the vagina, so when it comes to butt stuff, there is no such thing as too much lube! The best lubricants for anal play are the ones that are specifically formulated for it as anal lubricants are designed to be longer-lasting and offer more cushioning compared to other lubricants. Silicone-based lubricants tend to last longer during play than water-based ones, though it’s important to remember that silicone sex toys and silicone-based lubricants don’t play well together — SB lubricants can degrade the surface of silicone butt plugs, leaving exposed openings in the material for bacteria to hide in and rough edges that won’t feel comfortable against your sensitive inner walls, so remember to check what your toy is made of before slathering on the lubricant! Sexyland are big fans of Wicked’s® Jelle Thickened Water-Based Anal Gel Lubricant, which is water-based for universal compatibility with all adult toys and condoms, and also has an incredibly thick, luxurious formula for superior cushioning and glide.

There are a variety of numbing anal lubricants available to buy as well, and while it may be tempting for a backdoor beginner to reduce derriere discomfort by numbing themselves, it’s important to be able to feel when something is wrong so you can stop and address it straight away. We recommend numbing anal lubricants for more advanced users who are familiar with how their body reacts to anal stimulation.

How to choose the right butt plug: size, shape & material

Shape

Butt plugs are usually cone-shaped, with a pointed, tapered tip for easier insertion, though some can have rounded tips for insertion that feels more ‘blunt’. They usually feature a slimmer 'neck' for your sphincter muscles to grip onto before hitting the flared base, which is essential for safety. A nice wide base will keep the plug at a safe depth between your cheeks and doubles as an easy-pull handle so you can take the butt plug out when you’ve had your fill of fun. Some butt plugs have curved bases that sit flush between your cheeks, perfect for wearing all day and rocking back and forth on while sitting down while others have suction cups for hands-free play against solid surfaces. There are also anal plugs that even have specially designed finger holds with looped grips specifically for easily grabbing onto for thrusting in and out of yourself!

As a general rule of thumb, don’t put anything in your butt that you can’t easily remove — getting something stuck or lost up there is a super-stressful situation at best, and an extremely awkward trip to the hospital at worst… 😬

Size

If you’re a beginner, the best butt plug size to start with is about as slim and as long as your index finger. Compared to your finger, the plug’s length should be measured from its tip to the flared base, not just the plug’s insertable part. You can slowly graduate in size when you feel ready to progress to the next level.

If you’re a beginner butt plug user and know you want to move up the ranks to more filling toys (or partners), an anal training kit is one of the best options for you. The Beginner's Mini Anal Plug Kit from Pretty Love comes with 3 petite butt plugs made of silky-smooth waterproof silicone, with suction cups underneath for mounting to flat, solid surfaces. Otherwise, if you’d like to wear your plugs discreetly all day, the They-Ology™ 5-Piece Wearable Anal Training Set is blessed with curved rocking bases so you can sit, rock, and lie down comfortably while one of the plugs is inside you.

Material

Certain ‘real-feel’ materials like soft thermoplastics, rubber, and jelly have a softer, more realistically squishy feeling, but these materials are porous and therefore can’t be sterilised properly since bacteria will just hide out in the tiny holes of the material (which also has the unfortunate side effect of holding odour too. Non-motorised butt plugs made of silicone, metal, and glass can be fully sterilised either in the top rack of the dishwasher or boiling water, making them a body-safe and easy-to-clean option. Metal and glass plugs also have the added benefit of being suitable for temperature play since the materials will hold onto heat and chill for even more sensation — try dipping your plug into warm or cool water for an extra thrill during play!

Ready to explore cheeky new pleasures? Shop the Sexyland range of anal beads, butt plugs, and other anal sex toys, or pop into one of Sexyland’s adult stores and chat to our friendly Fun Specialists about just how much fun you can really have between your buns…