The world of sex toy design is exploding, with all sorts of interesting materials being used in all sorts of cool ways.
This means there are all kinds of fun, cool sex toys available, but it also means that you have a lot of choices to make. Today I’m going to talk about some of the materials you’ll most commonly find dildos and other sex toys made out of.

Some of the coolest materials being used to make sex toys today are metal, glass, stone, and wood. These make very hard insertable sex toys that are also quite smooth, and the result can feel amazing.
Stainless steel is a popular material for sex toys. It’s silky smooth and warms quickly to body temperature. In practice, it feels quite unlike anything else; once warmed, it’s like a sense of pressure that I’ve heard compared to warm liquid. The Njoy Pleasure Wand is one of my all-time favorite toys. Aluminum, which warms even more quickly than steel, is now being used to craft fun, gorgeous sex toys.
Stone is heavy and holds temperature well. The heaviness of it is a feeling that many people very much enjoy.
Glass is probably one of the best materials for dildos. Every woman I’ve talked to who has tried a glass dildo says it’s her favorite toy. Glass can be shaped into all sorts of textures, and glass sex toys often feature knobs, ripples, or ridges for more stimulation. It’s stunningly beautiful as well, as this example shows, and can be surprisingly affordable.
Wood sex toys have a deep, warm glow that’s pleasing to the eye and a smooth finish that’s pleasing to the senses. Wood toys are generally sealed with a hypo-allergenic finish to render them smooth and impervious to moisture. While they tend to be pricey, some of them are also absolutely gorgeous works of art.
All these materials are compatible with any kind of lubricant, and are easily cleaned and sterilized; while they tend to be pricey, they are investments in pleasure that can last a lifetime.

Silicone is becoming extremely popular for sex toys. While silicone can be pricey, it is a safe, long-lasting, non-porous material that’s flexible an smooth. Silicone dildos and anal toys are easily cleaned (you can even wash them in the dishwasher!).
Silicone is an especially popular choice for dildos that are used with strap-on harnesses.
The one drawback of silicone is that it can not be used with silicone-based lubes; the lubes will damage the toy. They are compatible with other lubes, however.

Vinyl is a fairly new material for making dildos and sex toys. Like silicone, it is long-lasting. It tends to be softer than silicone, for people who like a little extra “give” in their sex toys.
It has an advantage over silicone in that it can be used with any kind of lube, including silicone-based lube. It’s usually about as expensive as silicone toys, but is a bit harder to clean; consider using vinyl toys with a condom for ease of cleaning.

Rubber dildos are available in a huge assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors. These are very inexpensive toys, great for people on a budget. Jelly rubber material is porous and it’s very difficult to clean thoroughly, though, so I recommend using a condom with any rubber toys to make cleanup easier.
There has in the past been some concern over the presence of phthalates in jelly rubber sex toys. Phthalates are ingredients which make rubber softer, and some people have claimed that they are capable of irritating the skin or causing allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to them. For that reason, most sex toy manufacturers have stopped putting phthalates in their rubber sex toys.
The problem this creates is that without these ingredients to keep the rubber soft, it can sometimes tend to become brittle and crumble over time. Rubber sex toys are very inexpensive, but may not last longer than a year or so. Still, considering how little they cost, this might not be a problem for most people.