What is Cunnilingus?

How to go Down on a Woman

What is Cunnilingus?

Definition: Cunnilingus is the posh term for ‘going down on a woman’, ‘licking out’, ‘giving head’, or ‘eating out’. However you refer to it, cunnilingus is the act of sexually pleasuring a woman using the tongue and mouth but can be combined with sex toys as well as fingers. Commonly used both as foreplay and to bring a woman to orgasm.

So now you know the technical term for oral sex you can start mastering the many techniques for endless pleasurable results. Oral sex for her can sometimes be seen as a bit of a dark art and yes, all women have different preferences, different moods and different tolerances for kink, but there are so many ways to pleasure a woman with oral sex and we’re here to guide you through.

Getting started: How best to go down on a girl

  • Make sure she’s in the mood

    First things first, if she doesn’t feel relaxed or feels like you don’t really want to do this, she’s not going to enjoy it. Obvious things, such as starting with some kissing, will help but also make sure she’s comfortable with the idea of oral sex. While you’re kissing, test the waters by seeing which parts of her body respond to your touch, whether it’s the outside of her thigh, her neck, her stomach, nipples and so on. You can then incorporate these areas later.

  • Work your way up to going down

    There are plenty of places you can cover in order to build up the tension before moving towards her erogenous zones. Kissing, licking and gently biting her legs from the ankle up can feel incredible. Start on the inner ankle, inner calf, behind the knee then work your way up the thighs…

  • Don’t head straight for the clit!!

    Once you arrive between her legs, there’s much more to do than simply lick her clitoris. If she’s turned on, every touch (and breath!) in this area has the power to make her gasp…

hands clasped

Top tips: How to perform cunnilingus

1. Read her reactions

From heavy breathing and gentle moans to the ego-boosting ‘oh wow HOW are you doing that??’, use her reactions to decide what to keep doing and when to change things up.

The longer you take to build things up, the more rewarding her orgasm is likely to be, so pay attention!

Eye contact is a personal thing – much like a lot of this stuff, everyone has a preference. Watching her reactions can obviously be useful, but gauge whether she wants you to look into her eyes while you go down on her. There’s a fine line between intensely sexy… and kinda creepy.

2. Use your tongue and mouth

Remember your tongue contains eight muscles – and these help to shape it in many different ways and adapt the pressure you can use. For example, flattening your tongue to lick slowly all the way up the vulva, then pointing it to slide inside her vagina or flick quickly over the clitoris… there’s plenty you can do here.

Whilst we’re talking about your mouth, let’s not forget your lips, teeth, and breath. Your lips can be used to suck her clit, or simply hold it between your lips and hum (this isn’t just a trick used in blow jobs).

Teeth can be used – and we can’t emphasise this enough – GENTLY on her labia, alternating with kisses and licks to mix up the sensations.

Don’t forget to use your breath! Gently exhaling your warm breath on her just before you actually touch can feel incredible, just as blowing a little cool air on her after you’ve licked her, or used some cooling lube, can make her toes curl (in a good way hopefully!).

3. Use your hands during oral sex

Your hands can play a really important part in oral sex, whether that’s gently opening her labia to give you better access to the clitoris or sliding them (wet please! Saliva or lube are our friends) into her vagina – start with one and add more if she wants. Curling your fingers towards the front of her body means you can stimulate her G-spot too.

Some – but not all (this is her decision, not yours) – women are happy with the idea of some anal play during oral sex too. This might mean a lubed-up finger, or rimming. Just remember not to put that finger back anywhere else. She won’t thank you for giving her an infection!

moregasm range

4. Use oral sex toys & lube

Clit stims, G-spot vibrators and butt plugs can add an extra dimension to the experience. Extra vibrations or pressure that you don’t have quite enough fingers to create can take her from ‘mmm this is good’ to the neighbours raising a noise complaint.

Using lube during oral sex is also a great idea. Yes, you have saliva in your mouth – and that’s great – but can your spit make her clit tingle, warm up, or taste like prosecco? Didn’t think so. Have a look at our edible lubes, licks and body paints – they’re a real game-changer.

lube

5. Try different oral sex positions

You might be surprised by just how many female oral sex positions there are – from your standard and classic missionary, where she’s on her back with her legs either spread or held together and up in the air (or against her chest), right through to a standing 69… there’s something for everyone! Want to know more about the best oral sex positions? Check out our guide here.

In the meantime, here are a few of our favourite ways to have oral sex:

standing 69
the full frontal
sideways 69
the bow down
riding high
four on the floor

Remember it’s not all about the big O but many women can orgasm from oral sex and have blended orgasms, meaning they receive more than one kind of stimulation at the same time. So, to give you the best chance of making a woman orgasm from oral sex, cover as many bases as you can using the tips above. Now you know how to give cunnilingus you’ll be having oral sex like a pro in no time.

Bon Appetit!

Love, Team AS x