Masturbation techniques

Furniture-humping, teddy bear-humping, even hanging from door knobs and door-humping —vulva-owners often get creative at a young age with masturbation, since portrayals of vulva masturbation are so sorely lacking in U.S. media. There is a vast variety of methods when it comes to masturbating the vulva!  

Using Hands to Find the Clitoris

For vulva-owners who are able to use their hands, a simple strategy to start off with getting off is to use fingers! Don’t be shy, explore the whole area, including the head of the clitoris, both on the hood and under the hood, down and along the inner and outer labia, inside the vaginal canal, and even the perineum—the delicate stretch of skin between the vulva and the anus. Try various frequencies and patterns, and consider using two hands to stimulate multiple areas at once.

There’s so much to explore and experiment with it can be hard to know where to start, so we’ve narrowed down a few techniques for you to try:

Circle Patterns Around the Clitoris

Pull back the hood of the clit and trace circles around it. If your clit is too sensitive to be touched directly, touch it over the hood. Try increasing the speed and pressure, and notice what feels best. Feeling extra handy? With your free hand, insert one or two fingers into the vaginal canal, hooking them towards your belly button, against the front wall of the canal and flutter them in a “come hither” motion. Read more on g-spot stimulation.

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Try various frequencies and patterns, and consider using two hands to stimulate multiple areas at once.

Third Eye

Coined by Pleasure Professional duo Afrosexology, Third Eye involves making a peace sign with your index and pointer finger and then cupping the head of the clitoris (also known as the glans clitoris) in between the two fingers. As you gently slide your two fingers up and down, they will softly rub both the labia and the sides of the glans clitoris.

Slow Sex

O.school Pleasure Pro Lucia Pavone has spent the last twenty years researching orgasm. She recommends focusing on the upper-left-hand quadrant of the clit, which is believed to be the most sensitive area of the glans clitoris. The key? Lucia frequently spends an entire hour honing in on that special spot. If you don’t have an hour, spend fifteen minutes. And, if that spot isn’t working for you, or feels overly sensitive,  try super slow gentle caresses and see if that feels more enjoyable. Some bodies need more time to relax the pelvic muscles and get warmed up for play.

Humping

Sure, humping is something little kids often do—but adults (of all genders) do it too! Humping and rubbing genitals against bedclothes, pillows—whatever!—can be a super satisfying form of masturbation because it intensifies pressure.

Sex Toys for Clitoral Orgasm

For folks who are not able to use their hands, or if your fingers don’t quite do it for you, there is a vast world of toys to choose from for solo (and partner!) play. Vibrators, dildos, butt plugs—the range is huge.

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Forget diamonds and dogs, lube is the best friend to all bodies.

“Which toys are best for vulva masturbation?” you ask. While we can’t answer that question for you, we can offer some questions for you to consider. Here are a couple of ideas to start your search:

Hitachi Magic Wand

The Hitachi Magic Wand is one of the best-known and most-loved toys on the market. It’s incredibly powerful, and is famous for helping vulva-owners achieve orgasm. Of course, for some bodies, this toy will be too strong. If you know your vulva is super sensitive, this is probably not the toy for you.

Vibrating Panties

Pleasure Professional and Disability Rights Activist Eva Sweeney recommends vibrating panties for folks who don’t have or have only limited use of their hands. You can check out Eva’s recommended pair, or DIY, by sticking a bullet vibe in the crotch of your favorite panties (or, whichever panties you don’t mind getting too wet!).

Butt Plugs

If you’re into it, butt plugs can add some extra pizzazz to your masturbation practice. Start with your own finger, or a small plug, like this Rosie Plug from Good Vibrations, to get used to the sensation. The feeling of fullness in the anus can be extremely pleasurable, and can add an extra dimension to clitoral or vaginal stimulation.

Dildos

If you’re a fan of G-spot stimulation, you’re going to want to check out the Njoy Pure Wand. It’s deep curve, broad bulbed head and weighted metal material make for an out-of-this-world G-spot experience for many bodies. Plus, it’s known for making people squirt!

More to Think About While Masturbating

No matter how you prefer to masturbate, think about:  

Lube

Forget diamonds and dogs, lube is the best friend to all bodies. Lube heightens sensation, reduces friction, and decreases the risk of condom tears. Don’t leave home without it.

Edging

This is an excellent tool to spice up play (whether solo or with a partner). Do whatever it is that does it for you, until you come to the edge of orgasm—or as close as you can get—Full Stop! After your tautened pelvic muscles have released, and your body has calmed, start stimulation again. At the edge of orgasm… Full Stop! Repeat. It can be tricky to figure out how much time to wait in between stimulation sessions, and how many times to start and stop. Experiment! Start with 15-30 seconds in between sessions, and only full stop twice. The next time you play, try lengthening or shortening the time in between stimulation, and try edging three or four times.

You might consider keeping a pleasure journal of what works best, and what doesn’t work so well. You might find that what works changes from day to day or over time, and that’s okay!