Every year, more than a thousand men wind up in the emergency room because of pubic grooming injuries. Cases range from scrotal lacerations to infected razor burn—all collateral damage from the mission to achieve a smooth sack.

Before you cast judgement, let’s acknowledge that manscaping your ballsack is a herculean task. It requires surgical precision to navigate your scrotum’s crevices with a razor and not draw at least a little blood. Not to mention, you’re doing it while standing naked in a slippery shower holding a sharp blade. 

What could go wrong?

Before you start hacking away at your nut sack, it’s important to do some self-reflection and decide whether the risks of shaving your balls outweigh the benefits.

Should You Shave Your Balls?

Roughly half of dudes manscape regularly, but only a small subset of groomers remove the pubic hair from their scrotum. Research suggests that the most common reason for shaving pubes is to prepare for sex. However, an open cut can increase your risk for an STI.

“If you groom before sex, you might disrupt your epithelial barrier [skin that protects the body from damage], and you might be more susceptible to things transmitted via the epithelial barrier,” says Dr. Thomas Gaither, a resident physician at UCLA. “So that’s all the sexually transmitted infections that are cutaneous — HPV, genital warts, syphilis.”

What a tragedy: even if you’re wearing a condom, you can contract an STI through open wounds on your ballsack. But let’s not ignore the major advantages of shaving your balls.

For starters, shaving is more hygienic. Coarse body hair is a breeding ground for smelly bacteria—especially in sweaty, cramped quarters like your crotch. But with a shaved sack, those germs that cause pubic lice and crabs have nowhere to hide. 

When it comes to the bedroom, women overwhelmingly prefer their man’s nether regions to be manscaped. It makes sense: Who in the right mind would enjoy sifting through a tumbleweed of pubes, much less stick their face into it?

Now, if you’re committed to getting a pair of silky smooth balls, get ready to put in the work. 

How to Shave Your Balls (Safely)

When it comes to hair removal on your testicles, your options are rather limited. Waxing is out of the question for obvious reasons, and trimming can leave you with stubble that causes itchy balls. The only logical solution is shaving, but it’s a delicate art.

Skip these steps at your own risk. DUDE Nation is not responsible for negligent manscaping injury lawsuits.

Step One: Acquire the Proper Supplies

If you thought you could slap on some shave cream and go to town, think again. Here’s what you’ll need for a safe and pleasant ball shaving session:

• Clippers or an electric trimmer (there’s plenty of options on Amazon)
• Safety razor
• Pre-shave oil
• Post-shave balm or aftershave
• Talc-free body powder

Step Two: Prep Work

If you have a full-blown bush below your belt, you need to clean up with a hair trimmer before you attempt to shave. Ideally, the hair should be a centimeter or less to make shaving more manageable.

Once you’re trimmed down, hop in a steamy shower and lather up your sack with warm water and a moisturizing body wash. This will open your hair follicles and soften your pubes so your razor can glide through them like butter.

Step Three: Apply Shave Oil

If you’re thinking about using the shaving cream you use on your face, forget about it. You need a pre-shave oil that’s clear so you can see exactly where your razor is going and to make sure not a single pube goes unscathed.

Step Four: Pull Your Sack Skin Tight

If you’re right handed, use your left hand and pull your scrotum skin taut. This will ensure no hairs are hidden in the crevices.

Step Five: Slow Strokes

With your dominant hand, slowly guide your razor downward towards the floor using short, gentle strokes. After each stroke, rinse the razor under warm water to remove the debris. Once you’ve shaved your whole sack, rinse with cold water to minimize the risk of ingrown hairs. Feel around for any stragglers and take care of them.

Step Six: Preventative Care

Your testicles are enclosed by some of the most sensitive skin on your body, so don’t just leave them hanging. Immediately after you pat your balls dry, apply a layer of aftershave balm to cool the sensitive area and prevent razor burn. 

To prevent chafing, you can apply lotion, although it's much easier (and fun) dust your boys with body powder (AKA ball deodorant). Our DUDE Menthol Chill is a talc-free, deodorizing, cornstarch-based body powder infused with natural ingredients like aloe and peppermint to keep swass and stank at bay.

Congratulations, you just prepped, shaved, and pampered your family jewels without a trip to the emergency room.