The first time I kissed someone was on a dare. We were in grade 7, and all my friends had already had their first kiss. I really didn’t want to go to High School, never having been kissed. One day after class, my best friends, my crush and I were sitting outside on the field when my best friend dared my crush to kiss me. I was so shy, I was so nervous, but I really wanted it to happen. Thinking back on it now, the kiss was awkward, yet sweet. Other than hearing my friends talk about their kissing experiences and me kissing myself in the mirror, I had no formal experience of knowing how to kiss.

So if you’ve never been kissed or just want to return to the basics, here are a few tips to become a kissing Casanova.

Get consent: There is nothing wrong with turning to someone you like or are vibing with and telling them that you’d really like to kiss them and ask them if they’d like that too. Once you have consent, you can move on to the next pointers.

Carry chapstick on you. Remember Katy Perry’s hit: “I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick?” Make sure your lips are moisturised and not dry or cracked.

If you’re going to eat on the date, skip anything that might stay on your breath for a long time, like garlic or blue cheese.

Pack some fresh mint bubblegum on you if you want to kiss without worrying about your breath.

Relax your lips: Unless you are kissing your auntie at the family gathering, you’re going to want to relax your lips. Soft lips are the cornerstones of a good kissing session.

Start slowly, yes, kissing with your mouth open and tongues wagging can be exciting, but starting slowly can help build that connection and enhance the chemistry between you and whoever you are kissing.

If you want to progress from a closed mouth to an open mouth kiss, start with the relaxed tip of the tongue and gradually build from there. This is a good time to gauge the body language of your kissing partner.

Remember to come up for air and take breaks so you can gaze into each other’s eyes and then go for more.

As the kiss builds, with their consent of course, explore other parts of them, maybe kiss their cheeks, their neck, behind their ears.

Be intuitive. As much as I can write these tips here, once you are in the kiss it’s all over to you and whoever you are kissing to enjoy what you are doing. So go with the flow and don’t forget to have fun

Although kissing is relatively safe to do, there are some side effects. Viruses can spread through kissing. So if you or your crush are sick or have cold sores, wait for it to pass before making a move.

Kissing has many benefits, not only is it fun but it can help relieve stress and according to Better Health Australia, kissing boosts your metabolism by burning kilojoules. Don’t underestimate the power of a romantic kissing session. Kissing can be such an intimate and sensual experience, enjoy it and don’t feel the need to rush into anything else if you aren’t ready.

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