Autumn's Bondage 101: Ultimate Guide to Hoods for Beginners

When I think about BDSM play, one of the first things that comes to mind is being tied up tight with a lot of sexy and silky bondage rope. And oh how that extra excitement from being erotically restricted gets the heart racing and blood flowing—to all the right places! Playing with bondage hoods is kind of like taking being tied up to the next level, because it restricts your body on both an external and internal level, depriving you of your senses. For me, in my experience with the sexiest and super stimulating fun in sensory deprivation play, hoods are an essential component. If you're new to the world of bondage hoods, you've come to the right place! I have tons of ideas and advice about the exploration process and what kind of hoods to start with.

Most hoods greatly limit or even cut off completely a submissive's sense of sight smell and even hearing. When certain senses are cut off, the ones that are still available work overtime. That means, if a hooded bondage slave can't see, smell, or hear, they will be highly sensitive to even the slightest touch from Master, sending arousal and stimulation to new heights! *g*

A couple words about safety with regard to hoods, before I go any further. Because hoods can cover the entire face, it not only restricts the sub's ability to see and smell, but also to breathe. Trust is essential so that a sub feels totally comfortable is this vulnerable position. As a Dom/me, make sure to pay attention and be aware of your sub at all times! With a bondage hood in place, you won't be able to gauge them as easily as when you can see their facial expressions, so keep that in mind and check in with them in some way or another from time to time to ensure your play all fun and only the right kind of pain! *wink*

Now, on to the good stuff, like choosing a hood! There are lots of varieties to choose from—leather, latex, form fitting spandex, and then there's locking hoods, full hoods, partial hoods, somewhere between with detachable parts, some even come with gags! If you've never used a hood before, I recommend starting out with a partial hood for the first couple times, as the sensation can be quite a switch from just a simple blindfold. Personally, I think latex hoods are absolutely perfect—it's not only gorgeously sleek, but it has plenty of room around the eyes and mouth and it's easy to use with that handy zipper in the back. Of course, don't get me wrong, partial hoods have their purposes for any experiences hood player as well, because an opening around the mouth can lead to certain other activities…*g*Partial hoods with opening can be great for some variety within a scene, too, if used in conjunction with blindfolds and gags!

If you just can't wait to try out a full hood (like the kinky slave that you are! *g*), beginners should try to find something on the loose side. Leather hoods are as soft as they are strict - as a lot of more tightly fitting hoods, but will put you in total head bondage mode so that you can get to work on all that stimulating sensory deprivation play you've been dreaming about!

One of my favorite things about bondage hoods is that they not only intensify a bondage slave's sense of touch, but without the ability to see or hear, every touch comes as a surprise! Imagine you're wearing your hood, locking cuffs in place on both your wrists and ankles, and Master slides an ice cube up your inner thigh, that cool sensation on your skin getting hotter and hotter—but you have no idea what's coming next! (I bet I know who will be cumming! *wink*) Then Master lifts the ice cube and suddenly you feel the tortuously erotic sting of whip or the *swak* of a spanking paddle! Between the stimulation from the sexy bondage toys themselves and all that sensitivity and surprise that wearing a hood will builds and build in your body, you'll be screaming in the most erotic sexual ecstasy like you've never imagined you would.