How To Shave Your Balls Routine – Tips and Advice
This shaving your balls to get the best look and feel article is well overdue; a bit like my balls after a few weeks of not seeing a razor – OVERDUE, the beginnings of a wild forest.
It’s pleasing to see manscaping or body grooming for men has become so popular. Guys and women are more surprised these days that someone does not mow down some of that wiry body grass, or at least trim down the ball bush.
Previously this kind of thing of shaving anywhere but the face not so many years ago was unheard of and considered a bit sissy-like. Grooming for men has moved forward in all the right ways in recent years, thankfully!
Within this article, we will take a look at the pros and cons of manscaping the family jewels, provide a guide about the best shaving method, offer some do’s and don’ts, and answer some of the questions I have received in emails from readers.
Pros and Cons of Shaving our Private Parts
The positive reasons for shaving our scrotum, penis, and brief line outweigh the negatives for most men. However, it’s worth mentioning both the pros and cons.
Pro’s
- Hygiene and Cleanliness – It’s much more hygienic and clean. While there is no evidence I have seen that points towards shaving off pubic hair is hygienic (quite the opposite), it’s a common misconception, but I guess most of us feel cleaner, which makes us think it is more hygenic when in fact pubic hair improves hygiene and it is part of its purpose. On the other hand, if that area is not cleaned then it is most definitely not clean, and it ain’t going to smell too clever.
- Do You prefer Crabs? – You are reducing the chances of pubic lice (crabs). Studies have shown that since men and women have started to shave pubic hair more over the years, pubic lice problems have reduced drastically. If your partner is well groomed down there, you also reduce your chances of having one of those pesky crab-looking things jumping into your bush.
- Appears Bigger – It can make your penis look a bit bigger. Clearing away the forest makes way for the dick to reveal itself in its full glory, proudly. This could benefit guys who feel a bit on the small side when some of the penis is actually hidden away.
- Women Like it! – Most women prefer a man to be fully shaved or at least trimmed down below. Trimmed is a great look, and not everyone has to go entirely bare!
- Cooler – Shaving our balls keeps us a little cooler and less sweaty on hot summer days.
- Comfort – Once your body adjusts to being pube free it will feel more comfortable down there.
- Confidence & Self Care – Obviously, a clean-shaven ballsack does not equal a confident person. However, there is something about grooming ourselves and caring enough to make ourselves look and feel our best that reflects our view of ourselves. Of course, the opposite is true if we are just obsessed with our appearance, so a bit of balance goes a long way.
- Oral Sex – If it ain’t shaved or at least not washed it’s got a good chance of not smelling too good down there. Along with possible crabs, I think I would rather not eat tonight, thanks.
Cons
- Takes Time – Any grooming tasks we do take up time, and let’s face it, we just don’t feel like shaving anything some days, never mind something that nobody will see that day.
- Itchy as Heck – It’s only on the first occasion or second that a terrible itchy occurs. It’s not going to last long!
- Hygiene – I mentioned hygiene in the pros section and that having pubic hair makes the area more hygienic, as the experts tell us. That pubic hair has a job to do, and part of the job is to trap bacteria and sweat.
- Tricky Area to Shave – Without a doubt, shaving the scotum and surrounding areas is possibly the trickiest area a man has to shave. It does require a bit of practice and taking our time to do it well.
- Nicks and Cuts – Nicks tend to bleed quite profusely when shaving the gonads bag. Nicks and cuts can mostly be prevented by using the right blade, trimmer, and lubricant.
- Other Irritations – Other skin irritations like razor burn and razor bumps caused by ingrown hairs are an issue for some men: Hopefully, prevention of these issues with the right tools and technique prevents trying to remedy them.
- Injuries – I say injuries caused by manscaping; however, most mentioned in this report relate to razor burn or cuts. Injuries requiring medical attention were minimal (1.4%) of both men and women.
Now we have dealt with the benefits of shaving your balls and everything for and against this shave routine, let’s get into getting the job done.
How To Shave Your Balls and Get a Great Finish
This step-by-step guide assumes you are going for a full clearing of all the scrotum hair and lower region of the penis. After that, we can look at various styles further along.
What You’ll Need
Men can use various types of razors; however, some are better at cutting through pubic hair than others.
A decent cartridge razor like a Gillette Mach 3 is the ideal tool rather than a safety razor.
I love my safety razor shave routines for facial shaving, as seen in our numerous safety razor reviews. However, they are not best suited for this job as they are rigid, unlike a cartridge razor, and require more skill to prevent nicks and cuts.
Trimming
A trimmer or hair clippers need to be used first to trim down most of the pubic hair. Using a razor before trimming will be way too much work, although it can be achieved.
You can use the smallest trimmer or clipper comb (1mm) or without a comb. Without the comb requires using the trimmer in a manner that just glides over the hair with the trimmer avoiding the skin to prevent nicks and cuts (they happen easily with a timmer, trust me).
When using a trimmer or hair clipper comb, you don’t have to worry about nicks or cuts.
Related – A trimmer I can recommend for guys that DIY an all-over same-length haircut that makes a great body groomer and is palm held — perfect for trimming the area of the balls is the Remington QuickCut or ShortCut (see the review).
Shower
I would recommend showering your private areas first to loosen the scrotum skin. You can use a bath or a bowl of warm water, however, a shower is so much better for this messy task, and after the first lot of shaving, you can rinse and check for missed hairs or patches, then shave again.
Using warm water is going to help relax the ball sack to be able to stretch it when needed shortly.
Apply Lubricant – Gel, Transparent Cream, or Shaving Oil
Lubrication is required! While mixing up a great lather is ideal for wet shaving the face, it’s not best suited for pubic hair. We need to see what is happening while we shave, which makes any transparent creams or shaving oil best suited.
Use non-foaming gels, brushless shaving creams, or shaving oils. The product needs to be as translucent as much as it can be. If a product contains Aloe, then that is a bonus — Aloe can help reduce irritation.
A very small amount of lubricant is needed, unlike the amount we use on our faces to shave. You have enough applied if your balls feel slippy and lubricated throughout the shave.
The Shave
You can begin by shaving the hairs that grow on the underside of the penis first. At first, shave upwards with the grain while holding near the top of the penis.
Once the penis is shaved, which does not take long because there is not usually a lot of pubic hair there, you can then begin shaving with the grain (direction of hair growth) from the top of the balls while holding the penis upright first, then just continue with shaving down with small strokes. Rinse the razor frequently as it will get clogged.
Once you have removed most of the hair you will need to stretch the skin somewhat to get a closer shave. You’ll soon get familiar with this and be able to stretch your skin in all directions. You can now shave against the grain if that does not cause irritation.
After a couple of shaving strokes, rinse the razor and rub what lubricant is already on your balls around again. You’ll see how this keeps them well lubricated and how little of this stuff is so effective.
Rinse and feel for any rough patches and stray hairs that were missed. Then, reapply just a small amount of lubricant and shave those areas that need it, and against the grain if you want a very close shave .
Post Shave
Great job. Now for a bit of aftercare.
What a man uses post-shave on his balls might differ from one guy to another. Some men may have sensitivities while others don’t.
A type of balm that contains Aloe Vera is the first best thing to try. Aloe is a go-to for various aspects of a shaving routine from pre to post-shave. It is gentle and soothing.
Common Problems
It itches like mad – Itchiness after the first shave or two, especially when the pubic hair begins to grow back is annoying, and it doesn’t look too good going around scratching your balls. However, that awful itching goes away and never returns once the skin has adjusted.
In the meantime, while it is itching for a couple of days — you can apply some Aloe or any fragrance-free soothing creams like E45.
Nicks and cuts – Most are never serious, although the scrotum skin does seem to bleed a lot more than on the face and look worse than what it is. Simple first aid or even tissue placed on the bleeding area stops it.
Razor burn and bumps – Some men struggle with this more than others. Much of this can be avoided when following the steps mentioned above. However, adjustments or improvements may have to be made to reduce issues in the future, like a change of shaving style, lubricant, or razor.
Wait for any irritation to clear up before shaving again.
Stray hairs – After the shave you might find a couple or more stray hairs that found their way past the trimmer and razor, it’s weirdly normal. An easy way to get rid of these is to just run the razor over the area while it is dry, very lightly and it won’t harm at all doing it dry as you are just catching a stray hair, not shaving the skin
Final Thoughts
If you are new to shaving your precious balls then don’t worry you’ll soon get the hang of it, and it’s likely you’ll prefer the new sense of pubic hair freedom.
There are other variations to the routine above and different styles to consider. Some gentlemen prefer to shave it all over down to 1mm of clipper or trimmer length, while others trim the pubic area around the balls and then shave the scrotum with a razor. Other men will just shave the whole lot off with a razor!
I know it’s easier said than done; however, if you try to keep on top of your ball shaving routine and shave regularly, it’s much easier to maintain than starting with a new jungle again. Every few days, armed with a razor, a little lubricant, and a few minutes of time while in the shower is all it takes!
Try things out, as long as it doesn’t cause injury.
