Gift Guide for Self Care
Written by Jimanekia Eborn
Because you deserve to take care of yourself
WELCOME to the guide you didn’t know you needed, OR maybe you did know you needed it. The one that is just about YOU! Time with yourself, pleasure with yourself, centering yourself. If you are like me, continually supporting and doing stuff for others, THIS IS THE GUIDE FOR YOU! An opportunity to do a bit of self-love and reflecting for yourself.
Self-soothing is the things that we can do at the moment to distract ourselves, as a treat, while self-care are things that can help our overall well being.
Self-care and self-soothing are things that are so necessary to our survival. If you are thinking, wait, what? there is a difference? YES! Self-soothing is the things that we can do at the moment to distract ourselves, as a treat, while self-care are things that can help our overall well being. They are both needed, and there can be overlap between them. Oftentimes we know we need to take care of ourselves but cannot think of the things that may be great for us. This is the loud and aggressive reminder that you deserve time for yourself.
Did you also know part of self-care and self-soothing can also be a SELF-pleasure? It’s true, sometimes a little focused time alone is just what you need. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite things that you may need and or can use for some of that solo love fest. Which you can mix and match these things for multiple adventures. Also, the beauty of this list as well is that it is for all bodies and all genders because pleasure and self-care are universal.
1. MATH Magazine Coloring Book
Why not take it back to the basics?! I find something soothing about coloring and slowing down. I love this because it allows us to be in a calming middle space. Some of us never truly got to be kids. This normalizes that we still need to connect with that side of ourselves. So nab this dirty but fun coloring book to open up some of those creative channels.
What I love about this is the endless options. There are seven different vibrational functions, and you can also use it with attachments or just directly. Think of your body like a map and you are an explorer. The beauty of this toy is that you can find all the spots on your body that maybe you knew you liked to be stimulated or find new ones. It is affordable, rechargeable, and not too large to handle. Oh, and did I mention it is waterproof? Like I said, the options are endless, and it can be combined with other sensations or toys.
3. Wicked Antibacterial Toy Cleaner
A CLEANER meant for cleaning and maintaining. Who would have thought? You may be thinking, why would you add this to the list? Well, because maintaining the quality of your items and keeping things clean is a part of self-care. After you have some playtime, utilize this for a great clean up. YES, you can use soap and water, but this also has some pretty great antifungal and antibacterial properties to it as well. I like to keep my cleaner in the bathroom, right next to the hand soap; use it for a lovely clean up and let your items air dry.
Do you like penetration? Do you like plugs? Have you been thinking about trying a plug? Did you know that they also had vaginal plugs? Well, this is the toy for you. It can be used vaginally or anally. What I love about this is the adaptability to different bodies as well as the extra vibrating arm which can ALSO be used internally. It is totally up to you what kind of pleasure you are looking to have! To add to the pleasure of that already full feeling, I love plugs because they are toys that you insert, and then you can squeeze and enjoy them. I love not having to do anything but just enjoy the toy.
5. Earthly Bodies Massage Candle
I love candles and I love massages. Self-massage is something that I do not think people do enough. Slowing down and taking care of your body, and checking in with your body, is super important. Remember you are allowed to set the mood for yourself. You can dribble it on your body and focus on different erogenous zones. This can be utilized right after a bath, after some play, or during. Not only does this candle smell great, but it is great for moisturizing your skin. Dry skin is never in season, so do yourself a favor and nab this 3-in-1 candle. Eight natural oils are in this candle, including hemp seed, Vitamin E, Jojoba, avocado, and apricot (so be mindful if you have any allergies)
6. Wicked Simply Hybrid Lubricant
Lube is your new best friend. If you are someone that has thought I do not need lube, I never use it — I hear you, but… GET SOME LUBE! (said most lovingly.) I promise you; it will upgrade any type of play and/or pleasure you are looking for. Lube is also not something you have to just use with a partner or for an insertable. Even with external stimulation, it can be great to add some slip to the type of play you are partaking in. What I love about lube is that this is it is a hybrid. It is a combination of silicone lube and water-based lube; it also isn’t going to be as sticky as silicone lube. Which is great because of EASIER CLEAN UP!
7. b-Vibe Anal Massage and Education Kit
Part of self-care and self-soothing can also be SELF EXPLORING. And guess what we all have? BUTTS! We all have butts, and anal play can be a pleasurable experience that maybe you have never tried. I remember thinking, oh no, that is not for me, and then I got really curious, which you may also be. I recommend starting slowly and being patient with yourself. What I love about this set is that you are getting more than just the toys, you are getting a specially curated box that has education. I have found that anal play can be intimidating for a lot of folks (like me, for a long time). The more education and understanding of preparation, the greater chance you have of having a pleasurable time. THIS is the least intimidating way to get into exploring anal play. Also, combining the wand with the insertion of the butt plug is something that I enjoy to help the body to relax with insertion.
I love multipurpose items, and that is exactly what we have here. As I am sure you saw above, I recommended a lovely toy cleaner. This is also something that I think is pretty amazing. I am so amazed that it is such a magical forward-thinking type of item. This lovely pouch can kill up to 99.9% of any type of harmful bacteria. It can hold a toy up to 10”, and it is super simple. You place it in the bag, press the power button, and 3 minutes later you have an amazing DISINFECTED item. Now, I love this because you can also utilize it for other items; keys, remotes, and things that are used often by others in your home. Whatever you can put in this bag, you can sterilize.
I am in LOVE with all of Momotaro’s products. Again, I love a product that I can use in multiple ways. Yes, there is a theme happening here — the theme of options and how much I love them. This tonic is one of those all over magical oils. It is great after you have sex, in a bath, or when you are just needing some moisturization on your bits. This oil is great for yeast and bacterial infections and smells a little woodsy. I also use it sometimes as a lovely face oil after I wash for hydration. The only thing you do not do with this is use it with condoms, or ingest or use it internally within your body. The oil does not mix well with latex and other condom materials and will break the condom down. Besides that, the sky’s the limit. It is one of those magical oils that I am so thankful for.
10. The Ultimate Guide to Solo Sex
Last but not least, a resource. As someone that is a lifetime student I thought I would recommend a book on literally just some SOLO pleasure. This book is great because it covers the science behind sexy times, new ways to up the ante with yourself, aka new exploration, and also recommendations for even more new toys that may haven’t considered exploring.
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I truly hope that you know that you are allowed to take care of yourself. We all need some alone time to explore the things we use to love and things we have been wanting to try. Sure things are lovely exploring with a partner. But, why can’t you just have some time gifting yourself with a little bit of pleasure? Take care of your star player, as no one can do it the way that you can.