As the UK’s coronavirus lockdown continues for at least another three weeks, many people are finding themselves home alone, feeling pretty bored and possibly rather sexually frustrated.
As such, shops have recorded a spike in the sale of sex toys compared to this time last year.
However, not everyone can afford to splash out on the products, so it seems some people have resorted to making their own at home.
Online marketplace OnBuy have conducted research into this and discovered there were more than 23,000 Google searches for homemade sex toys in UK cities in the last month.
Leicester was found to be the city with the highest number of searches in proportion to their population, with hundreds of residents wondering how they could make their own vibrators and lube during lockdown.
The team at EliteSocietyLondon.co.uk attempted to provide answers for these people, coming up with a range of items people could use for pleasure at home.
Their suggestions included mobile phones, on which they say you can download apps to control vibration, as well as electronic toothbrushes and even cucumbers.
However a doctor has warned against using any of these items as sex toys.
Dr Shree Datta, a consultant gynaecologist from MyHealthcareClinic explained to MirrorOnline, the risks that could come from doing so – especially for women.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
She said: “I’ve been sent some research about people making their own sex toys at home during lockdown – using mobile phones for vibration, electric toothbrushes and cucumbers.
“Whilst this is not uncommon, I would not recommend using make-shift sex toys due to the risk of infection and complications such as retained parts in the vagina.
“In some cases, women have had to attend Accident and Emergency to remove plastic parts which have remained in the vagina, or with infection where parts have been retained and they have not been aware they are there.”
This isn’t the first warning Dr Datta has had to issue the public when it comes to unusual sex trends.
Earlier this year she spoke out about the worrying trend of men using toothpaste as a homemade lubricant during masturbation.
She said: “Toothpaste can contain ingredients such as bleaching agents, peppermint or scented oils, which can be irritating or abrasive.
“These may cause a mild chemical burn and blistering on any area of sensitive skin. I’d definitely advise against putting toothpaste into or onto your genitals.
“These products are specially designed for oral use and can disrupt the balance of your vagina flora, which might lead to thrush or bacterial vaginosis.
“They can also damage the delicate skin in that area and the vaginal wall, affecting the amount of pleasure you experience during sex.”
She added: “I would not recommend using toothpaste, or any other bathroom product as lubricant for that matter on your genitals, as these products are not recommended for this use and can irritate the skin, as well as disrupt the cellular balance of the skin on your genitals.
“Silicone or water-based lubricants which are designed and intended for use during sex are the best products to invest in.”
