Many men don’t have a timeline or schedule for shaving their balls. We just watch it grow and grab the trimmer when it gets itchy or uncomfortable for some of us.
For some others, the only reminder to shave pubic hair comes when they’re getting down with someone.
Sadly, these options may not be the most healthy for you and your pubes.
Rather than waiting till your balls get itchy or you meet someone that tickles your fancy, shave regularly to keep the lower area clean and safe from bacteria infestation.
Men should shave their pubic hair at least once a month. Itchiness and unpleasant odor from bacteria are two things that cannot be easily avoided if you don’t shave your genital area. The optimal frequency of pubic hair shaving for a man is once per week.
However, there are some factors you need to take into consideration before deciding how often you wanna shave your balls.
Today we will discuss why and how often you should shave your pubic hair and also if you should use a trimmer or a manual razor to do it.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Why Should You Shave Pubic Hair As A Man?
A quick Google search on the benefits of pubic hair brings up STI prevention, sexual arousal, and lubricating functions. So why should you shave them?
Well, while not shaving your pubes does offer some significant benefits, leaving them bushy may not be as beneficial as you’d think.
However, there is no one compelling reason for you to shave your pubic hair, save maybe hygiene, but if you’re confident of keeping it clean, then you’re good to go. The following are some reasons why men shave public hair.
Hygiene
Pubic hair, just like your eyelashes and nasal hairs, serves as a filter, shielding you from bacteria, dirt, and other microorganisms. However, this function can come back to bite you.
The reason is that keeping too much hair down there puts you at risk of bacteria and lice infections, contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and even pubic odor.
The thicker your pubic hair grows, the harder it is to take care of it. Consequently, an overgrowth may erode some of the health benefits that come with pubic hair.
When it smells bad down there, how much success will you eventually have?
You get my point, don’t you?
Partner/Personal preference
The critical determinant when it comes to public hair removal or trimming is your personal preference. Many men who shave their balls regularly do it because they like to be clean shaved or think it boosts their sexual confidence.
Another reason why men shave their genital area is because of their partners. If you’re sexually active, you may want to consider your partner’s thoughts on pubic hair, as it could be a bit tricky during oral sex.
Social Influence
Pop culture and society also influence pubic hair removal. These days “hair-free” pubes seem to be regarded as more acceptable than those without a clean shave. For this reason, waxing is now common among women, and most men shave their pubes in anticipation of a sexual encounter
To get rid of pungent smells. Your pubic area secretes eccrine and apocrine glands that combine with the bacteria trapped in the growing hairs to create an unpleasant smell.
Sweat may also get trapped in your pubic hair, causing confidence-damaging odors. It is advisable to trim or clean-shave your pubes and shower regularly to prevent this.
As mentioned earlier, shaving your pubic hair is a personal choice, and you’re free to grow it as long as you can take care of it. However, the reasons given above are certainly worth considering, especially if you’re a ladies’ man.
Read Also: Should Men Shave Their Pubic Hair?
Pubic Hair Growth Rate
Another essential factor to note regarding pubic hair is the growth rate. The rate at which pubic hair grows differs from one person to another. This is due to age, hormones, infections, and diet.
Pubic hair growth follows a three-stage process (growth, stagnation, and falling out) similar to other hairs on your body.
The average pubic hair growth cycle (from clean shave to bushy) is about 30-44 days. So if you shave off all your pubic hair tonight, you’d be back where you started in about 30-44 days, depending on your age or hormones.
Medicine has shown that pubic hair adds about one centimeter weekly. At this rate, your pubic hair should reach the stagnation stage between three to four weeks. The only difference between the hair on your head and those growing around your pubes is their length.
Facial and head hair can grow to great lengths before falling out, while pubic hair grows considerably shorter. This perhaps explains why it feels like the hair on your pubes grows faster than those on your hair. Some factors that determine the growth rate of your pubic hair include:
- Age: As we grow older, our hair growth rate slows down. This reduction isn’t limited to the hair on your head, as you may also experience hair loss in the pubic region.
- Hormones: Hormones are just as important as age for hair growth. The major hair growth hormones are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (jointly called androgens). The higher the concentration of androgens in your body, the faster your pubic hair will grow. You may also experience slower growth or hair loss if you have a hormone deficiency.
How Often Should You Shave Pubic Hair As A Man?
Pubic hair is ever-growing, so you need to have a shaving plan depending on how fast hair grows down there and how tidy you want your pubes to look.
For instance, if you prefer the smooth baby balls look, then the frequency of pubic hair shaving will be more regular than someone who likes a medium trim or thicket growth. So let’s delve into pubic hair styles.
- Baby balls: even if you’ve never seen a baby’s balls, you sure remember how your genital area looked pre-puberty. You know, the smooth surface that felt like other hair-free parts of your body? If you prefer to keep things bald down there, shave 2-3 times a week.
So once that itchiness that comes with hair growth wears off, you may want to grab your trimmer again. However, do this carefully, as frequent shaving can roughen up the skin around your balls.
- The Neat Trim: Maybe you want some hair down there and need it to read “I’m a clean guy,” then the neat trim is perfect for you. This features the right amount of hair, nothing bushy, just a slight stubble that shows how intentional you are about your pubic area. If this is your style, you may shave once a week or every two weeks, depending on how fast your pubic hair grows.
- The Thicket Guy: Of course, some men prefer to keep a forest down there, and that’s their thing. If you fall in this category, you may wait till the later stages of the hair growth cycle before shaving. This is usually around the thirty-day mark, so shaving once a month is sufficient. You may tone it down a bit or remove the hair entirely just to get some fresh air down there. Whichever style you choose, it’s essential to keep your balls clean and free from any unpleasant odors.
While these are the general pubic hairstyles, you may find yours overlapping between one and the other. However, you should always ensure your shaving schedule and style sync with your growth rate.
For instance, if you have a fast growth rate and want to keep your balls smooth, you can consider shaving once every three days.
Is It Okay Not To Shave My Balls At All?
The decision to shave your balls is solely yours. Although it may not be so popular, leaving your pubic hair to grow is recommended by experts. This is because pubic hair offers increased pleasure during sex and prevents dirt, bacteria, and lice from getting to the sensitive skin underneath.
Also, pubic hair shaving puts you at risk of itches, cuts, bumps, and contracting sexually transmitted infections.
While these are highly beneficial traits of not shaving your pubic hair, growing it too thick may also be a problem.
It’s easier to take good care of your balls and the skin around them when the hair growth is minimal. With thicker pubes, washing your balls may not be so simple. If not correctly cleaned, overgrown pubic hair also serves as a home for bacteria, lice, and other microorganisms.
The solution is to trim the hair around your balls regularly while leaving as much as your body feels comfortable with.
Should I Shave/ Trim My Balls With A Trimmer or With A Razor?
Once you’ve decided to shave your balls, it’s time to grab the right tools. But should it be a trimmer or a razor?
Many men are used to shaving their balls with razors for their affordability and accessibility.
Besides this, razor blades help you get a clean, closer shave that leaves your balls looking and feeling smooth. The only downside to this is the risk of cutting yourself. Razors are quite sharp, and extra care must be taken while shaving to avoid cutting yourself.
This often requires the use of warm water, shaving gels and creams with aloe vera for lubrication to avoid razor bumps, burns, skin irritation and other similar problems.
Also, the risk of infection is higher when using a razor compared to a trimmer.
On the other hand, trimmers allow you to get right into it. All you have to do is grab your trimmer and start trimming/shaving.
This one-time buy also solves the need to change razors or replace finished shaving cream or gel packs. Trimmers are safer to use (even without lubrication) and carry a tiny risk of cutting yourself. They also allow you to experiment with different hairstyles since they don’t give as close a cut as razors.
In conclusion, trimmers are safer than razors for your sensitive pubic area and provide creative freedom over the styling while removing the need for shaving gels.
But, please be careful! Not all trimmers can trim pubic hair! If your trimmer is too sharp or doesn’t have a good motor, it will pull hair. And the experience is far from pleasant, trust me!
I test trimmers myself to review them for you. So I know. First hand.
Your ideal ball shaving trimmer should also come with safety guards that understand the sensitivity of the pubes. Lastly, remember to change your trimmer’s blades (at least once in a few months) to keep them sharp and efficient.
Read Also: Can You Use Beard Trimmers To Shave Pubic Hair?
Conclusion
Shaving your pubic hair is very important. It may be boring and tiring sometimes, but it actually helps a lot. You should shave/trim your balls at least once a month. However, it is advisable to do it once a week.
This way, no matter if you currently have a girlfriend or not, you will always be ready to…give her what she wants when the opportunity arrives!
Read Also: Why Do Some Razors Pull Hair?
Got it, right?
We speak freely here. We are all gentlemen.
And that’s really it for today’s article. I really hope you found what you were looking for.
If you have any questions or comments, write them below and we will get back to you!
Until next time,
Stay safe,
Tasos
Tasos Moulios is the founder of Beardlong. He loves trying different beard and hair styles and blogs about them. The tips he shares come from his own experience and love for what he does.