Nearly 6 in 10 millennials and about 40% of all men (not just millennials) perform some sort of grooming below the belt, according to a study. These steps on how to shave balls and trim pubes will help you avoid some common pitfalls regarding the topic.
Pubes, balls, sack, bush, taint, grundle, shaft, there are a ton of different terms for areas down there that may or may not need some grooming attention. A lot can go into how to shave balls and trim pubes. This guide is meant to shed some light on the act.
First, why is grooming below the belt important, and why are so many guys doing it? According to a new study by Cosmopolitan, 90% of women prefer their male partner have some sort of pubic upkeep. 51% of respondents, both male and female, say they groom because they feel more attractive down there; 21% say they do it for hygienic purposes, and 7% say they do it for their partner. However, after follow-up questions, several respondents said they started grooming after their partner told them that they were sick of getting pubes in their teeth during oral sex. (Source)
Clearly, pubic grooming is important, but how much is too much and exactly how far should you go with it?
See below for more detail on how to shave balls and trim pubes properly.
Step #1: Always Consult Your Significant Other
This is the number one tip for a reason. You should always do what your partner prefers and consult them first before trying something new when it comes to sex.
Since they are the ones that will be going down there doing the penis and balls stuff, they should have veto power when it comes to your grooming. If your wife or girlfriend prefers you 100% au naturel, and you surprise her one day with the 11-year-old version of you, she is going to be upset.
So, if your significant other prefers you King Kong style with zero grooming (this accounts for about 10% of women), there is no need to read further.
Just make sure you wash regularly.
If, however, your wife or girlfriend is like the 90% of other women, or you are single and want to cater to the majority, read on my friend. There is a lot to learn about how to shave balls and trim pubes.
Step #2: Trim the Bush
Although 46% of men prefer their female partner to be bare, only 12% of females prefer the same. On the contrary, 70% of females prefer their male partner be trimmed.
Lucky for you, this means red, itchy, bumpy in-grown bush hairs won’t be a problem.
So, how trim is “trim”, and what is the best way to do this?
A good average starting point is about 4mm (5/32 of an inch). For reference, this is what is called a “10 Day Beard”, if it were on your face. It’s longer than 5 o’clock shadow, but shorter than a “short beard”. See “Best Beard Trimmer in 2018 With Guide” for lengths and pictures of what I’m talking about.
This is a pretty good length, since it’s soft and doesn’t have the sandpaper quality of 5 o’clock shadow, but it’s not excessively long, wiry and unkempt either.
In order to achieve this, you will need a beard trimmer. Consider getting a budget beard trimmer used solely for your bush for convenience. You can pick one up for around $20. Otherwise, you can use the same beard trimmer you use for your face, as long as you don’t get grossed out AND clean it afterward using rubbing alcohol.
Our Choice Budget Trimmer: Philips Norelco Multigroom Series 3000 $19.95
For best trimming results, lift your toilet seat and hover over the bowl. With the 4mm guard/setting on the trimmer (or something close), move the trimmer against the hair grain until all hairs are properly trimmed. You might need to move the trimmer in different directions to effectively trim all the hairs, as they can sometimes grow out in odd ways. Remember, this is just for the pubic hair area above the shaft.
After trimming is complete, wipe the hairs off the toilet rim, flush, and put the seat down to avoid getting yelled at.
Step #3: Take a Warm Shower
The warm shower is meant to rinse the pubic hairs off your body and soften the remaining ball, shaft and taint hair/skin. Be sure to use soap down there as well to remove oil, dirt, and dead skin cells. This is sometimes called “hydrating” and will allow for smooth hair removal.
With practice and increased efficiency, you can proceed to step 6 in the shower. For now, though, proceed to step 4 after the shower.
Step #4: Oil it Up
Before proceeding further, I feel it is necessary to explain a few things.
If you are going to have a neatly trimmed bush, you can’t have your balls and shaft be all natural with long, wiry hairs growing out in all directions. Plus, if you enjoy getting oral, there is still going to be a problem with your significant other getting hairs stuck in their teeth. It’s like being a kid and just washing the palms of your muddy hands. No, you need to wash between your fingers and the backs of your hands to get it done properly.
Same goes with ball and shaft hair, it needs to be groomed properly.
However, the problem is that clippers have several blades that move back and forth very rapidly to cut hair. A sack, which is much like a turkey neck, is full of folds, spaces and wrinkles. These folds easily get nicked by clipper blades, which hurts. A lot.
Note: Any guide that tells you to use a trimmer to cut your ball hair is wrong. Back when I was a teenager, I curiously tried this method. The ensuing pain and blood was horrific enough that the memory will stick with me the rest of my life, much like seeing IT for the first time. Don’t try it, unless you’re into that type of weird pain.
Plucking is absolutely not an option, neither are scissors, waxing or any chemical that dissolves hair. It’s probably best to keep as many chemicals away from your jewels as possible in general.
The last option is shaving, which is surprisingly fast, easy, effective and most of all, safe.
This brings me to the next step, oil.
A quality pre-shave oil will fill in microscopic skin imperfections, which will create a protective layer between the razor and skin. The will allow the razor to effectively glide over the skin, reducing nicks, razor burn, bumps and irritation.
Apply a couple drops to your dominant hand and lightly transfer onto the shaft and sack. You might need to pull areas taut in order to get proper coverage. Avoid rubbing the oil completely into the skin, the goal is to have it feel a little “greasy” in order to get that protective layer.
Tip: Choosing to groom your taint, grundle, gooch, or whatever you want to call the area between your sack and ass is up to you. It does get pretty marshy down there, so taking care of that hair might cut down on the “smells like balls” scent that can waft out occasionally. If you choose to take care of this, make sure you apply oil there as well.
Our Choice Pre-Shave Oil: American Crew Ultra Gliding Shave Oil $9.93
Step #5: Lather
After the oil has been applied, apply a quality shave cream or gel to the shaft, balls and taint. Again, you might need to pull and lift things to ensure even coverage.
Tip: Avoid using aerosol shaving creams and gels in cans. The propellant has a tendency to dry out the skin and make it more irritating.
Step #6: Shave Away
Just kidding, don’t shave away. You need to be careful, but it is surprisingly easy once you’ve done it a few times.
Don’t get crazy here with blades though. Definitely don’t use a straight razor…the thought of that is terrifying. Don’t use your Edwin Jagger Double Edge Safety Razor
either. Heck, you don’t even need to use your Schick Quattro four bladed monstrosity either. The fewer the blades, the better. This means less irritation and fewer chances of being nicked. Rather, consider using cheap, single blade sensitive skin disposable razors. I like the Bic ones. You can pick them up very inexpensively at drug stores or get 36 from Amazon for $10.
Bic Sensitive Single Blade Disposable Razors
Technique is totally personal and up to you. I’d recommend starting with the shaft and working your way down. Pull shaft taut and shave with the grain around the circumference, you can experiment later with going against the grain once you become more comfortable. Move on to the sack and shave downward while still pulling the shaft upward and taut. When the front half of the sack is done, you’ll need to move to the back half. This is when you can get to the taint.
Pull sack outward and taut, bend over, and shave toward you from back to front, this should be the direction the hair is growing at this point.
Throughout the shave, make sure that you are rinsing your blade regularly to remove hair from the razor. Don’t press too hard or go too fast. Remember to shave with short strokes and avoid going over the same spot several times. NEVER shave from side to side. Yikes.
Step #7: Rinse
Once you are done shaving, rinse with cool water to constrict pores and remove all hair, oil, and shaving cream.
Step #8: Apply an Aftershave Lotion or Balm
Remember the scene in Home Alone after Macaulay Culkin gets out of the shower and applies Brut aftershave to his face and screams? Yeah, that’s not the aftershave I’m talking about.
Look for a quality aftershave or balm without alcohol to avoid the burn. The purpose is to soothe skin and replace any moisture loss as a result of showering and shaving.
Place some lotion or balm between palms and rub together. Apply lightly and evenly to all shaved areas.
Our Choice Aftershave Balm: Lather & Wood Shaving Co. $16.97
That’s it!
Although you may be hesitant and scared at first to take a razor down there, I promise you will get used to it. Eventually, it will become so easy that you may skip some of the steps above, and just do the entire act in the shower without shaving cream or pre-shave oil and just use water. I would argue that it even becomes easier and much faster than face shaving.
I think this quote by Abby C. out of Riverside, CA sums up manscaping and how to shave balls and trim pubes as a whole: “I like neatness. I like when he’s spent a lot of time clearly manicuring his situation. It shows that he knows how to put effort into even the littler details. I think it says a lot about a man.” (Source)
To put everything above plainly on how to shave balls and trim pubes: shave balls, shave shaft, shave taint, trim bush, and make sure your significant other is okay with it.
Thanks for reading 8 Steps on How to Shave Balls and Trim Pubes!
-Chris
Enjoy reading 8 Steps on How to Shave Balls and Trim Pubes? Check out some of our other great articles: A Complete Guide to Men’s Hair Products, How to Trim a Beard Neckline, or Minimalist Wardrobe for Men, A Casual Guide.
