26 Masturbation Tips And Tricks You'll Probably Want To Try

Some helpful tips and tricks when you want some ~me time~.

We asked people of all ages, genders, and sexualities in the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their best masturbation tips. Here are the techniques you might want to try yourself.

Obviously everyone's bodies, interests, and experiences are different, so not all of these will apply to you. Feel free to take what you want and leave the rest.

1. Lie on your stomach and press against your vulva with the base of your thumb.

Netflix

"My trick for 200% pleasurable masturbation may seem unconventional, but I've been doing it ever since I can remember, and it's wonderful. You lie on your stomach on top of your arms. Then, with one hand, you press against your vulva with the base of your thumb. You can let your other hand help out, or you can just move your pelvis and enjoy the orgasm. I prefer doing this in panties. Depending on the fabric, it can be extra delicious."

—18/Female/Heterosexual

2. Watch yourself in the mirror while you masturbate.

Momentum Pictures

"Something about seeing myself come makes me wildly horny. Sometimes I ride a dildo while sitting in a chair in front of the mirror, so it's like watching myself in cowgirl position. Other times, I'll lie down in front of a mirror."

—27/Female/Bisexual

3. Try using warming and cooling lubricants so your body can experience new types of sensations.

Jennifer Lopez VEVO

"Take your little finger, pass it through a cooling lubricant, place it on your clitoris, and move your pinkie over it from one side to the other. Masturbation just got even better."

—19/Female/Bisexual

4. Squeeze your clitoris with your index finger and thumb.

Comedy Central

"When you squeeze the clitoris with two fingers (the index finger and the thumb), you'll feel a 'little nerve' inside. At first you might feel a little discomfort, like when you mess with your funny bone, but after that passes, it feels really good. Since I discovered this, it's the only way I can masturbate."

—20/Female/Bisexual

5. If you have a penis, fold your pillow in half and then go to town on it.

Netflix

"I have a super soft cover on my pillow, and I recently discovered that folding it over and screwing it is quite the amazing substitute. This has given me the biggest and best orgasms I've ever had (and my hand is enjoying its vacation)."

—19/Male/Bisexual

6. Do kegels as you're building up to climax.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

"Doing kegels works great for me. It helps me take things more slowly and really intensifies my G-spot orgasm when I have one, which is amazing."

—27/Female/Straight

7. Put some lube inside a condom for your very own DIY masturbation sleeve.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

"I didn't want to spend the money on a sex toy, so I put lube in a condom and then used that to jerk off with. It felt so good. Just trust me on this one."

—29/Male/Straight

8. Or you can do the same with a plastic baggie, lotion, and petroleum jelly.

Alice Mongkongllite / BuzzFeed

"I get hand lotion, mix it with some petroleum jelly, and put it in a plastic baggie. I put the baggie on my cock and wank for five minutes. I like to edge myself, so I then stop, wait a little, and then continue wanking until I come." —29/Male/Straight

9. Try masturbating to music and timing your crescendo with the song.

HBO

"I masturbate to music. It's the most incredible feeling to find a song that has a buildup, and having an orgasm as the music drops is the most intense feeling ever! Far better than any orgasm I have without it. I can't get off to every song — it takes time to find out what works and what doesn't."

—29/Female/Straight

10. Try using a vibrator on your balls and perineum to intensify your experience.

Netflix

"I use my girlfriend's vibrator on and around my balls (I have her permission, don't worry). The vibrator really amplifies things. I wish I would have known about it when I was in high school."

—30/Male/Straight

11. Watch or listen to instruction and encouragement videos where someone literally tells you what to do.

BBC Three

"While I don't experience sexual attraction, I do experience arousal. A phrase I've heard in relation to asexual masturbation is 'clearing out the plumbing.' What really works for me is Jerk Off Instruction (JOI), a type of porn where someone — usually a woman — gives you specific instructions on what to do. Instructions including how fast to go, how long for, and sometimes asking you to eat the semen you've just produced."

—24/Male/Asexual

12. Experiment with edging (stopping yourself right before you come, waiting, and then getting right back into it) to intensify your potential orgasm.

IFC Films

"I push on the head of my penis a lot with my right hand. Sometimes I trace the rim of my foreskin, sometimes I use my left middle finger to anally stimulate myself. I don't watch porn or use visual stimuli much, other than looking at myself in the mirror. Often I picture myself in various sexual situations with either people I've been in sexual relationships with or imagined people of various gender and genital configurations. Sometimes I stop myself before orgasm and take a short break in order to build up tension."

—23/Male/Bisexual

13. If you like nipple play/stimulation (or want to experiment a little), attach bobby pins to your nipples and give them a little tug.

Alice Mongkongllite / BuzzFeed

"Since I'm too chicken to actually buy nipple clamps, I use a bobby pin on each nipple, just enough so it hurts a little. The bobby pins actually make it easy to tug on if I want a little extra sensation. Then I pour body oil all over the front of me. I've noticed as I get older that it's perfectly normal to want to try new things. Rubbing the slippery oil all over me, combined with the sensation of my nipples being pinched, sets me right off."

—33/Female/Bisexual

14. Try masturbating without using any hands by simulating penetrative sex with a soft, folded-up blanket.

Sony Pictures Classics

"I always take a super soft blanket and lay it down on my bed, usually folded a few times to make it thicker. Then I set up some porn on my laptop and just lay on my stomach, with my dick against the blanket. Then I just move my hips back and forth or up and down so my dick would rub against the blanket until I come! It kinda gives me the sensation of actual penetrative sex because I'm doing the movements with my body rather than using my hand."

—20/Male/Gay

15. Don't ignore your butt.

NBC

"I incorporate ass play as much as I can when I masturbate. Plugs, dildo, fingers... having something in my ass always makes me come with more pleasure."

—22/Female/Straight

16. If your vulva is sensitive, try masturbating over your underwear.

CBS Films

"If you have a very sensitive vulva, the feeling of fingers on the labia can hurt. I almost always masturbate over my panties, with my open hand. That way I'm protected, and the fabric produces a warmth that makes it even easier to come."

—20/Female/Bisexual

17. Experiment by just playing with the head of your dick while masturbating.

Netflix

"Instead of stroking the shaft, I usually press my penis down flat and just rub the head rapidly — and lightly at first — with one hand and the other hand pressed on top for added pressure."

—31/Male/Bisexual

18. If you're watching porn, try to time everything so you finish exactly when the actors do.

Netflix

"I typically watch porn of some sort from one of those well-known tube sites. I usually draw it out for quite a while. When I come, I will often time it along with the money shot in whatever scene I'm watching."

—32/Male/Straight

19. Change up your positions. For example, lying on your back and putting your legs in a diamond/butterfly position may give you more control.

Netflix

"Regardless of how you use your hand, this butterfly position makes everything easier for me. It also gives me very good control of my pelvic muscles!" —20/Female/Bisexual

"I lie on my back with my legs apart in kind of a diamond shape (knees furthest apart and feet together). Then I put a finger on either side of my clit and rub back and forth until I come. Works every time." —26/Female/Straight

20. Truly invest in this "me time" and make masturbating more of an event, sort of like you're going on a date with yourself.

NBC

"I like to really pamper myself when I masturbate. Candles, mood music, the whole bit. That really helps me get into the mood. It's especially important to work myself up by massaging my whole body with oil before I even touch myself down there."

—Anonymous, 27/F/Pansexual

21. If you typically watch videos while masturbating, try switching it up and reading some sexy stories instead.

Focus Features

"I typically start by reading stories on Literotica or Reddit or something. I like to build up to it, so I'll usually resist touching myself down there until I'm soaked. Then, once I can't take it anymore, I'll start using a dildo or vibrator or my fingers (or a mix of the three) – usually slow and steady at first, then sped up to go along with what I'm reading or watching."

—25/Female/Straight

22. Don't be scared to get a little more rough and intimate with yourself.

Imagine Entertainment

"It took me forever to figure out how to masturbate because all the solo porn I'd seen was just women daintily rubbing their clits or gently fingering themselves, and that did nothing for me. I have to get rough and ugly. We're talking two vibrators, revved up to the highest vibration. One goes on my clitoris and the other one goes inside of me, and I hit it HARD with my palm with a steady, fast rhythm so it's like getting fucked. It probably looks rather aggressive and frightening from the outside, but it works."

—25/Female/Bisexual

23. If you have balls, play with them.

NBC

"I am a big fan of balls. I always give them a lot of attention first — cupping them, tugging them, rolling them around in my palm. Doing this always helps me come."

—24/Trans Female/Bisexual

24. Switch things up by jerking off with your non-dominant hand, or by using your dominant hand... only backwards (with your thumb pointing towards you).

HBO

"If I'm in the shower I'll lean against the wall so the hot water hits my back but doesn't wash the soap off of my junk. If I'm jacking off in my room, I'll use my non-dominant hand. If I'm in the shower, I like to use my dominant hand but backwards (with my thumb towards my body) and just squeeze the head of my penis repeatedly until I get off. It helps get a nice motion going. Just before I come I turn to let the shower run over my penis. Feels great. If I'm not in the shower I'm just your regular, old porn-and-sock kinda guy."

—25/Male/Bisexual

25. Don't be afraid to experiment with all types of sex toys.

Marvel

"I have a plethora of toys. This last time, I was taking a bath and decided to give myself the ultimate pampering. I suction-cupped a dildo to the side of the tub and also used a waterproof vibrator to stimulate my clit. I'll definitely be doing that again."

—23/Female/Bisexual

26. And if you really want to take the pressure off of yourself, turn everything into a game by giving yourself a time limit that you need to come by.

HBO

"Sometimes I love to put myself against the clock, like I'm defusing a bomb: I HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO COME! GO, GO, GO."

—21/Female/Straight