If you’re having sex, then hopefully you’re using condoms. If you’re using condoms, then you’ve most likely discovered that one of the least sexy moments of a lustful liaison can be that sometimes awkward or somewhat stale moment when the condom must go on. There’s almost nothing worse then when you’re with your partner getting all hot and heavy, foreplay is explosive, you’re on the edge of being driven off the cliff of sanity into the abyss of pure primal lust… then you grab the condom. It often douses this highly erotic moment with a bit of cold water when you or your partner spend time doing battle with the condom.

In the beginning of my sexual journey, I had far too many moments of interrupted sexual energy when my partner suspended our intense passion to perform the necessary protective action of sheathing his erection in latex. In my “formative sexual years,” I simply accepted as fact that this section of sex—the part where we honor our bodies, our health and our parenting choices by using condoms—would forever remain the monotonous part of my sexual experiences.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided I would no longer allow any part of my sexual activities to be categorized as tedious; that this moment of great importance (and great awkwardness) would be transformed into a moment of deep connection and high erotism. Not till I stepped out the box and committed to experimenting with new ways to spice up this part of my sex life did I truly begin to enjoy it.

Over the years, I’ve collected a few fun, creative and seductive ways to put a condom on a succulent erection, or even a beautiful sex toy. Here are a couple of tried and true ways to take this necessary moment in time from blah to titillating!

1. Your hands aren’t the only things you can use to put on a condom. This technique requires your mouth, some lubrication and a little bit of focus. First things first: moisten your lips. Place the condom between your lips (gently) with the cap-like end pointing inside your mouth. Make sure the tip of the condom rests against your tongue. Purse your lips slightly against the outer rim of the condom to hold it in place. Once the condom is in place, wrap your lips around his penis and guide the condom onto the head. Use your lips to unroll the rest of the condom down his shaft. This mouth technique is a great addition to your foreplay, and the visual he receives is a naughty, beautiful site to behold.

2. This move is all business in the front and party in the back. Begin in a very traditional way. The Business End: using your hands, secure the condom over the very top of his shaft. Roll the condom down just over the ridge of the penis. The Party: get into the cowgirl position. This position requires that he lay down and you straddle him facing his feet. Very carefully and slowly insert the tip of his penis inside of you. Clenching your muscles slowly and slightly, lower yourself onto his shaft, letting your nether region finish the job your hands started by rolling the condom the rest of the way down. This move requires a fair amount of control and lots of Kegel exercise preparation, and is a good way to maintain the sensual energy of the moment.

No matter what techniques you employ in your quest to spice up any aspect of your sex life, the most important thing to remember is to use your imagination. You never know what treasures and pleasures await when you open up to something new.

Ladyspeech Sankofa is host of The Panties, an urban, pro-sex, pro-love radio show broadcast weekly on TradioV.com. Follow her on Twitter @LadySpeech.