When a Savvy Miss member asked the following question, we turned to Anne Semans for her expert opinion.

I’ve been masturbating for about a year now but haven’t been able to bring myself to buy a vibrator or anything. I usually use water, sometimes pillows and other things, to get there. I love masturbating but sometimes feel ashamed and that it’s wrong for a woman to do. What’s a good vibrator for first timers? Can I buy one online?

First, let me welcome you to the self-love club and assure you that there’s nothing wrong with masturbation. The reason many of us feel ashamed has everything to do with cultural baggage and absolutely nothing to do with whether it’s bad for you. On the contrary, masturbation has many positive health benefits, for example, it improves blood circulation and can help alleviate menstrual cramps. And it’s a great way to discover what types of stimulation feel good to you, so you can show a partner how to please you later on.

I applaud your resourcefulness with water and pillows: Many women have discovered the joys of self-love using these methods (myself included!). It’s only natural that you might want to try a vibrator—for one thing, you won’t have to take a bath every time you get turned on! Vibrators are popular because they provide direct, focused vibration. There are plenty of wonderful first-timer vibrators, so what you choose really depends on what kind of stimulation you prefer. Here are a few I recommend:

  • Wahl 7-in-1: This vibrator provides fast, focused stimulation on the clitoris, plus it’s nearly silent which makes it great for folks who have roommates or kids. It looks a lot like a handheld electric mixer—appealing to those who’d rather have their sex toys look more like household appliances than actual body parts.
  • Fukuoku: This is a powerful little vibrator that slips over you fingertip—perfect if you like manual masturbation but you need a little extra oomph. It’s also great for partner play, as your lover can wear it and use it on you in a variety of positions.
  • Pocket Rocket: A small, portable, but powerful vibrator designed for clitoral stimulation that also comes in a waterproof version known as the Waterdancer.
  • Rabbit Habit Vibrator: This is the vibrator made famous on Sex and the City. It’s got an insertable shaft with rotating pearls to stimulate your G-spot, plus an attachment that vibrates your clitoris at the same time.

Thanks to the internet there are many sites for women you can visit to discreetly purchase sex toys. But if body healthy green materials are important to you (we are in the go-green decade!) VibeBuzz.com is a tasteful site and all of their products are made from 100% medical grade materials. Masturbation should be about relaxing and enjoying and no one should have to worry if the sex toy their using could cause their body harm.  

Once you've chosen the right toy for you just relax and enjoy yourself. You'll most likely get to know yourself in glorious ways you never before knew possible!