Another trick: if you are allowed by your doc: buy a jar of coconut oil. It produces less friction than lube, and only melts at body temperature so there is no mess. But sometimes coconut oil is not allowed, so be sure to check that. I found coconut oil to be the least painful, especially with PU plastic dilators, which are painful because of the rigidity. All other oils and lubes are horrible in my experience. After a month or so, I also tried switching to a dildo, which felt really good. But I remain using the PU dilators 'till this day. Dilators are designed to do a specific thing.