In Ask Babeland, real Babeland Sex Educators provide real answers to real questions that they received from customers during their shifts. If one customer has this question, chances are others do too so we?re bringing them to you!Q: "I'm looking for a butt plug that doesn't burn when I use it. Can you give me any information that would help me?"A: Can I ever, my friend! I'm about to give you some information that's going to change your life forever. I'm serious about this, so listen closely.Most butt plugs on the market are made from very different materials: Jelly Rubber and Silicone. They are similar in one respect: they are both soft and flexible. In every other way, they couldn't be more different. Jelly Rubber is a porous material, with tiny bacteria-collecting craters on the surface. Silicone is non-porous making it much easier to clean. Jelly rubber breaks down over time, silicone lasts forever and ever (think of it as the Energizer Bunny).[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Tristan Plug"][/caption]Most importantly for your concern is this: jelly rubber toys contain rubber softening agents called phthalates. We don't know very much about these chemicals because we haven't done enough research, but we do know that in large doses, they may affect the body. We also know that because of the porous nature of the toy, your body reacts with the chemicals which is what can cause a burning or stinging sensation. Silicone has none of these chemicals and doesn't interact with your body so you shouldn't have any reaction to silicone toys. If you ever buy a toy at a store that isn't Babeland (shocking, I know!) and they can't tell you what material the toy is made out of, ask to open the packaging on one. If you can smell plastics when you open it, that's jelly rubber (it's called "off-gassing"). If you already have a toy you like, put a condom over it to solve your problem and make cleanup easier.You're probably already won over to silicone but let me give you two more reasons you'll want to make the switch. First, silicone conducts vibration. Take a silicone toy, hold a vibrator up to the end of it and, voila, you have a vibrating toy. When the vibrator breaks, just get a new one and keep the silicone toy! Second, silicone is very easy to clean: wash with soap and water, place it on the top rack of your dishwasher (if you're lucky enough to have one) or boil for 10 minutes to disinfect.That's it! Go forth and have non-stinging anal fun!Favorite silicone butt plugs include: Tristan Plug, Bootie, Little FlirtOther great silicone toys include: Dildos, Cockrings, Vibrators