What’s in your condom?
It is important to know what enters your body and, in our culture, where we never ever talk about the body, this is doubly important. The condom should be one of the most important forms of contraception and not the pill as the pill is full of harmful effects for women.
But it is not as if the condom is free from its own harmful effects. Condoms are made of latex, a milky sap made from rubber trees. But to make them smoother, an animal protein is used called casein. Apart from upsetting vegetarians and vegans, casein also has harmful effects on the body.
As if that were not bad enough, there are other chemicals used in most mainstream dotted and ribbed condoms which are harmful. These include benzocaine, parabens, nonoxynol-9 and glycerine.
Brands claiming to provide the best condoms for feeling use Benzocaine, a local anaesthetic which numbs never endings and reduces stimulation in order to lengthen the time a man takes to climax. This numbs the partner too and can cause physical irritation and neurological side effects for your partner and you.
Dotted condoms brands use glycerine as a lubricant and to add flavour but it has terrible effects like yeast infections, vaginal and anal inflammation and overall pH balances (acidic balance in the body).
Parabens impersonate estrogen which causes hormonal imbalances in the body.
Nonoxynol-9 is a chemical found in many spermicides, which helps aid the contraceptive properties of the prophylactic. It can cause irritation in the vaginal and rectal wall and can increase the chances of STDs and STIs. To choose a condom for sensitive skin, you should keep the above-mentioned points in mind.
All of these things are in most Indian contraceptive brands, most of them claiming to provide ultra-thin condoms, and while much of this is being increasingly removed from condoms in the West, none of it has reached India yet in any big way.
It is important for Indians to become aware of what’s in their condoms and to choose chemical-free condoms or non-latex condoms which do not use all these chemicals but instead use plant and fruit-based substitutes which are organic and not harmful to the body. It’s time for you to make a choice of healthy, mutual love with paraben-free condoms such as Bleu. Their brand new range is specially curated without harsh chemicals and artificial flavours for a comfortable and long-lasting experience.
Finally, it is also important that the practices in the production and distribution of safest condoms are ethical and sustainable, supporting small local farmers instead of big corporate giants who only care about profits and not what goes into your body. Much more ethically and environmentally-conscious condom producers in the West now make sure that they involve local farmers and women’s collectives (as a workforce), accredited and legal production of latex and fair wages to the workers.
Part of that revolution is Bleu, a company led by an intrepid young Indian woman, featuring India's first non-animal product and a non-chemical condom that does not have any of the problems with conventional condoms. Bleu condom is much safer in comparison to other available condom brands in the market and is only getting better.
Join the condom revolution and make sure that only what is healthy enters your body and circulates in the world. Switch to Bleu, India’s first chemical-free condom brand, to ensure wellness and pleasure together.