At Essex Sexual Health Service, we provide a variety of different free condoms such as;
- Flavoured condoms (chocolate, mint, strawberry)
- Textured condoms (ribbed and dotted)
- Heat reactive condoms (ones that will give off a cool or warm sensation)
- And of course, our famous glow in the dark condoms
These are usually only given out by the outreach team at events or drop-in, and when we’re giving them there’s usually one question we can always expect to hear: “are they as safe as normal condoms?”
The short answer is, when they’re used correctly, yes absolutely! However, as this is a question that we’re hearing more and more, we thought we would give some information on the differences between our normal condoms and Fundoms.
The brand of flavoured condoms that you can get from the outreach team is called EXS, on their website they give this advice:
“ARE FLAVOURED CONDOMS FOR BOTH ORAL SEX?”
“Yes. However, we recommend if you do use for oral sex that you replace the condom before vaginal sex.”
Textured condoms are also completely safe to use for all types of sex as this is just a pattern that is built into the actual condom itself. With the warming and cooling condoms, they’re coated in a special type of lube that gives off the sensation of temperature changing.
Now the bit you’ve been really wanting to read about- glow in the dark condoms! These are possible due to a process called “phosphorescence.” The condoms themselves glow as they contain a non-toxic phosphorous pigment, this means that they can glow without requiring heat- so once they’ve been charged under a light they will glow! These can also be used for anal, vaginal and oral sex.
So, to summarise, all of the condoms we provide are safe when used correctly- we love that so many people are being health conscious and asking these questions. It is still always good practice to check dates on condoms, as well as change a condom if you’re changing the type of sex you’re having e.g. if you’re going from anal sex to oral sex or if you’ve been wearing the condom for over 30 minutes.
It is also super important to make sure the condom packet has either the BSI Kitemark (British Standards Institution) or the CE mark (European Economic Area.) Both of the signs essentially mean that the product has been tested by a third party, and they agree that it is safe to use.
If you need anymore help or support with how to use a condom check out some of the videos on our website, they go step by step on what you should be looking out for and how to open/use one properly.
