Choosing the right ball gag head harness for your BDSM toolkit is a deeply personal decision, and the right design can significantly impact the overall experience playing with it. This article will outline material and design considerations when shopping for a ball gag, to help you select a style that offers maximum safety and comfort for the wearer - so you can stay focused on the scene.
1. Choosing the Right Ball Gag Material
Special consideration is called for in selecting the material the ball gag itself is made using. Ball gags, unlike other leather body harnesses, spend a substantial amount of time in direct contact with the mouth of the wearer.
What are the risks of a ball gag made from plastic?
While most ball gags are made from a soft material to protect the wearer’s jaw, many conventional plastics are porous, vulnerable to extreme temperatures, and may degrade over time.
A poorly made ball gag will be difficult to keep sanitary as most cleaning products or techniques will degrade the material, and the acidity and enzymes in the mouth may also damage the material over time. For more information about cleaning ball gags, read, "3 Techniques for Cleaning Ball Gags."
Beyond the obvious hygiene risks posed by a bdsm toy that can’t be cleaned properly, over time the gag will begin to leech microplastics, which are something you definitely don’t want to be ingesting.
What is the best material for a ball gag?
The best material for a ball gag, bit gag, or ring gag, is medical grade silicone. Silicone is a non-reactive, flexible, temperature resistant, biocompatible polymer - not to be confused with silicon, which is a brittle chemical element used in computer chips!
When shopping for your perfect ball gag head harness, look for one that all the parts that touch the mouth are made from medical grade silicone. Medical grade silicone ball gags are made from platinum silicone that meets FDA requirements for safe long contact with body membranes.
It goes through additional purifying and curing processes to ensure it won’t degrade or leech with normal use. If you’ve ever used a menstrual cup, soft bite guard, or silicone food storage solution, chances are you are already familiar with the texture of medical grade silicone.
Medical grade silicone is also free of BPA, BPS, and other phthalates - chemicals added to increase the durability of plastics, which researchers are still coming to understand the potential long term health hazards of regular phthalate exposure.
2. Choosing the Right Ball Gag Head Harness Style
A ball gag head harness designed for comfort and safety will allow you - and your play partner - to stay focused on the fun of the scene, instead of constantly adjusting fit.
What safety and comfort features should I look for in the ball gag harness design?
Many traditional ball gags have a strap that affixes around the neck. We prefer a style that affixes around the crown of the head.
Traditional ball gags notoriously fall out during play if not affixed tight enough, but when tightened to stay still, can dramatically tighten or loosen during play depending on how the gagged sub is moving.
Around the crown of the head ballgag head harness style offers a stable, secure fit, that doesn’t change no matter how the wearer moves, meaning a more secure fit for rough and tumble play, and a more comfortable wearing experience.
What safety and comfort feature should I look for in choosing the ball gag itself?
Leather has very different cleaning requirements than silicone ball gags, so you’ll have an easier time keeping your ballgag clean if you can fully remove it from the rest of the harness. In addition to making cleaning easier, a removable ball gag offers an important safety feature during play.
If your ball gagged sub seems to be having any difficulty breathing, instead of needing to manage straps to get the harness off them, you can very quickly snap out the ball gag and the rest of the harness will fall off. We always recommend when playing with any restraints to keep a strong pair of safety shears nearby as well, in case of emergency.
Some ball gags are constructed with breathing holes in the silicone ball gag itself, so the wearers breath is not restricted by the gag during play.
Tip: All of our ball gag harnesses have a snap in, snap out design for hygiene, safety, and extra fun as you are able to swap in a variety of ball gag, ring gag, and bit gag sizes and styles. All of our ball gags have an additional safety feature of being designed with breather holes in the ball gag itself.