Dial Up Your Anal Play! 5 Expert Tips for Using Anal Dilators

Ready to take your anal play to the next level? An anal dilator might just be the toy that you need.

What is an anal dilator?

An anal dilator can make butt play more pleasurable by gently stretching your anal sphincters and getting your bum used to the feeling of penetration.

If you're unfamiliar with the gamut of anal sex toys, an anal dilator might sound like some sort of scary instrument that you'd find at the doctor's office — and if that's what you're into, you can totally turn your anal training into a role-playing game of nurse and patient, but that's a story for another blog.

A dilator is simply a tool - or often a set of tools - in the shape of a smooth, graduated wand that helps facilitate the gentle stretching of an orifice.

Vaginal dilators

You might have heard of vaginal dilators, which gently stretch the vagina after episiotomy surgery or in the case of vaginismus and other medical-related issues.

Dilators are useful when penetrative sex - whether anal or vaginal - is uncomfortable due to skin and muscle tightness.

An anal dilator is much the same, except they have a flared base at the bottom to prevent the tool from getting sucked up into your anus.

What is an anal dilator set?

Anal dilators often come in a set of several pieces, starting with a small plug and ending with a medium or large-size plug, depending on how much you'd like to stretch your orifice of choice.

Each anal dilation tool in-between the smallest and largest sizes gets slightly more extensive as you move up the line.

Once you've become comfortable inserting the smallest anal dilator, you can work your way through the set until you've found your most comfortable size, or until you reach the final dilator — whichever comes first.

Still feeling a bit confused about what to stick where? Let our booty experts get you started on the path to butt bliss!

Here are 5 simple steps on how to get started with your new anal dilator kit:

1. How to use an anal dilator: Clean up before you get down!

If you're new to anal play, you probably have a few typical, totally normal questions like:

Is this going to make a mess all over my crisp-white sheets? And when I pull this thing (an anal dilator, a penis, you name it) out of my butt, will it be covered in poop? Yikes!

Unless you've just digested a HUGE meal of greasy fast food and you've got plans to ream yourself as fast as possible with the biggest butt toy you can find (all of which we'd never recommend no matter how anally skilled you are, you're not going to have an accident in your bedsheets. It's also highly unlikely that you'll encounter any poop during gentle butt play. Fecal matter doesn't generally hang out in the lower portion of your rectum, which is as far as b-Vibe anal toys can reach.

Take a full shower if you're up for it, or just lightly soap up your b-crack with a formula made for sensitive skin. Washing with super harsh soap or scrubbing too hard can irritate your back door and make penetration painful.

MASTER: How to prep for anal play like a pro!

If you're feeling bloated or just extra paranoid about running into the brown stuff, rinsing your rectum with plain ol' water using a body-safe enema bulb works to clear your intestines (and your worries).

2. How to use an anal dilator: Get comfy and lube up

If you're a b-Vibe fan, you already know the 3 Golden Rules of Anal Sex — Lube, more lube, and a comfy atmosphere.

You've got to feel comfortable and safe in the first place to enjoy any type of butt play. Pick a place where you can really spread out and properly position yourself for relaxing self-pleasure.

To maximize comfort and help make insertion easy-peasy, lay down on your side with your legs pulled up and your knees at your chest. This position relaxes your rectum and creates an easy, clear path for the dilator, and your butt cheeks will naturally spread for easy access to your b-hole.

LEARN: b-Vibe's founder Alicia Sinclair reveals how to choose the best anal lube

Lay out some towels or extra sheets if you're worried about getting lubricant over the place (but know that unless you're using an oil-based lube like The Butters Lube, everything comes out easily in the wash).

We recommend a water-based lube to start, but silicone lube and even coconut oil can also work to moisten that booty. Don't be afraid to slather it on thick: on the anal dilators, directly on your b-hole, and on the skin around your anus. Your goal is to create a smooth, slick surface so that the anal dilator doesn't pull your skin on the outside or rough up your sensitive anal tissue on the inside.

3. How to use an anal dilator: Relax, breathe & insert slowly

Now that you've assumed your lubed-up position, take deep, even breaths and wait to begin the insertion process until you're completely relaxed.

Remember, no one is forcing you past your comfort zone. You can stop and start at any time, and if you're feeling too nervous to continue, you can always clean up and pack away your anal toys until you feel ready.

Take the smallest anal dilator and insert the tip into your butt. The anus is covered in erotic nerve endings around the entrance, so feel free to pause, play with your clitoris and labia or penis, and yourself ultra-aroused for the sensations that await you.

Do you know what else makes anal easier and cozier? Feeling super horny for orgasms in general. Get yourself worked up and ready to romp, and your booty is that much more likely to be open to a new experience.

4. How to use an anal dilator: Do what feels good!

Where is your b-hole telling you to go from here? Linger as long as you need, and know there are more awesome sensations ahead.

When you're ready, slowly push the anal dilator in further, and don't be afraid to embrace what you feel. Butt sex feels completely different from any other kind of intercourse and can take some getting used to. Some people love it from their first try, while others might need to practice with the smallest anal dilator until they've reached a place of pleasure.

Now is your chance to get into the groove of anal and finally figure out for yourself why so many folks are near-obsessed with it. You can go deep, stay shallow, or move up to the next anal dilator when you're aching for that slow, sensuous stretch.

Move on to the next step up the anal dilator ladder only after you're positively comfortable with the last. Forcing yourself into painful anal play sets up your brain and body for failure. Not only is it dangerous for your thin, easily-torn rectum tissue, but you'll have an even harder time getting into a happy mindset the next time you play.

Work your way slowly, gorgeously into the lusciousness that is anal sex. In the end, it doesn't matter if you climax from the tiniest booty plug or the largest string of anal beads. The entire point of butt sex is to enjoy it. If you really entertain dreams of becoming a God or Goddess of booty orgasms, you'll get there in time.

5. How to use an anal dilator: Introduce temperature play

Are you ready for a bonus round? Try heating up your anal dilator in some lukewarm water for a temperature treat.

You can do this with silicone toys, but it works the best with glass toys. There are also special water-based sex toy lubes that provide a cooling and warming sensation.

An anal dilators set made from borosilicate glass absorbs heat like a magnet, so dunk them in a cup of warm water and they'll slide in with just enough heat to relax your bum and add some extra goodness to your anal experience. Warmth opens the blood vessels, which means that there are more pleasurable sensations for you.

If you'd prefer an icy chill, use a cup of cold water or stick your anal dilators in the freezer for 3-5 minutes. Just be careful if this is your first time! A cold touch causes constriction of the muscles and blood vessels, but it can still feel great if you get off on a chilly touch.

Find Your Path to Butt Bliss

An anal dilator is your ticket to discovering anal pleasure. If you've never experienced butt sex, these toys are the perfect place to begin. If you're already a follower of the butt gospel and ready to go bigger, they're a safe route to comfortable stretching. However you prefer your butt stuff, b-Vibe is here to have your back (literally, too).

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Enjoyed this article on how to use an anal dilator? You might also like our most popular guides on prostate play or how to perform analingus a.k.a. eat ass like a boss!