Ah, the wonderful world of condoms. I remember my first awkward experimentations and giggling at the different available colors (please, who would risk being associated with a banana by using a yellow rubber?). As silly as they can be, condoms are an important part of many people’s healthy sexual lives. So how can you make your condom use even healthier? Skip the spermicide.

At first it doesn’t make sense; wouldn’t you want spermicide to help prevent pregnancy? The thing is, Nonoxynol-9 is a chemical detergent (complete with parabens, ugh!) and if you’ve noticed feeling dry and irritated during and after sex, this could be the culprit. But worse than that, the vaginal irritation caused by spermicides can actually increase your chance of contracting HIV. Definitely not what you’re going for.

Use a paraben-free lubricant if you need one, and fulfill your condom needs at CondomDepot, where they don’t sell anything with Nonoxynol-9. And when you're done, toss your condom in the compost!

Image: Laura KoAN Gioia