Annie, if you think your fella might balk, you may want to suggest him letting you perform the depilatory maneuver. Here's a bit of counterintuitive advice: it's easier to shave them dry.
Asking for a trim is okay although the request has more to do with preference and fashion (manscaping anyone?) than it does with hygiene. I'd guess the offer to perform the trim would go over pretty well.
That does make sense that it'd be easier to shave them dry. I'd imagine that if you did it right after getting out of the shower, it'd be hard to get a close shave but easy to cut yourself, in the worst possible place to get cut.
I'd like to "nuance" my opinion of pubic shaving -- if the goal is to cause the hair to grow back thicker and darker, then that's totally acceptable.
Asking for a trim is okay although the request has more to do with preference and fashion (manscaping anyone?) than it does with hygiene.
Less hair in the area means less oil and sweat trapped in the region and hence, ahem, a cleaner odor and taste. So not to put too fine a point on it, but it's not just preference, it's actually a way of being considerate to your future fellators. (This reasoning isn't my own: I've heard this line from two sex columnists and several female doctors.)
Yes, it's better to shave dry. I think it's best to shave dry using an electric trimmer and/or shaver to avoid razor burn. And yeah, it'd probably go over better to offer to do the trimming.
I recall reading somewhere - quite possibly here at unfogged - that some men trim their pubic hairs bc they think it will make their penis look larger. I dunno about that. Might need some before and after photos to draw a definite conclusion,
annie - shaving/trimming definitely gives a man a visual "boost."
I don't have before and afters but I have a high degree of confidence that you could find plenty of them online if you are curious. Or maybe have a partner demonstrate.
How come? I'm just curious. If you're careful to keep it away from your butt, there's no orifice or mucous membrane in danger, right? Is scrotum skin more permeable than other skin?
From the Nair product label: "Nair Lotion can be used on legs, arms, anywhere except: eyes, in nose, ears or on breast nipples, perianal or vaginal / genital areas. Keep out of the reach of children."
And I know a guy who grabbed me by the shoulders and shouted, "Don't Nair your balls! Sweet Jesus, don't Nair your balls!" I think he knew of which he spoke.
The Scrotee is a perfectly acceptable substitute, I say: Trim it short above, and twirl it in a long, pointy triangle below.
Wow, apo, you sure do know an awful lot about this. I've admitted to having a blog crush on you bco the bizarre yet relevant stuff you find on the web, but with this...this comprehensive knowledge of male public shaving...this puts you in a whole new realm.
ogged, did the women in your data collection say trimmed=gross? Or just totally shaved? Bc that probably would be gross, kinda like one of those hairless cats. But then I understand those cats kind grow on a person, so who knows.
Why not have a partner do the shaving/trimming? I'd think that'd be safer and easier.
Here's something to think about: pubic hair is the body's natural and potent recepticle for the pheremones emitted when you sweat from your public glands.
As I'm sure you know, these scents have been closely tied to physical attraction. So cutting off this hair is really, um, cutting yourself short, so to speak.
In other words, even if she *says* she doesn't like it, on a primal level she really does. It's a big part of what draws her to you.
Of course these *are* strong odors, so even if she's drawn to them on a primal level, she may not want her face shoved down in them. If you catch what I mean. So there is something of a trade-off, I guess.
In other words, even if she *says* she doesn't like it, on a primal level she really does. It's a big part of what draws her to you.
My woman said she didn't like it when I rubbed Rogaine on my butt cheeks, but she was nearly faint from pheremones, let me tell you. And she stopped asking me if I was gay.
I recall that Mr. B once opined that he thought it was only reasonable to remove at least some of the hair from any place you expected your partner to put in his or her mouth.
If you ever (accidently, of course) spilled gasoline on the male genitalia and compared it to, say, some gasoline on your arm you would most certainly know that there is a difference in perception. Oh yes, there most certainly is.
My incident was a little splashback at the gas pump. I will never stand in front of the spout again. Never.
Oh, and what is the deal with the so-called expert advice that it is better to shave the hair than it is to, like, wash every day?
Pretty soon us guys will be expected to shave our freaking armpits because then they'll stink less. We are already waxing our way down to pre-adolescence.
I'll add that while jock itch and athlete's foot may be caused by the same fungus, Absorbine Jr. is only recommended for the latter, and for EXTREMELY good reason.
I think trimming is necessary (for most people), but shaving is just over the top. I did encounter them (that is to say, shaved balls) once, and it was kinda cool, but not the sort of thing I'd want every day.
A friend of mine got lighter fluid on his pubic hair. Also, and simultaneously, a source of fire. The story involves him thinking it would look really cool to put lighter fluid on his hands and then burn that off, and then trying to put out his hands by slapping them on his legs. I'm not sure how this ended up with him burning his pubes, but it did happen.
That sorta happened to former porn star Paula Price, though it was her g-string that caught on fire and she got burned pretty badly. When the dance club bouncers jumped on her to try to put out the flames, they ended up breaking her leg in several places as well.
Being absolutely precise, I got gasoline on my pants which soaked into my grundies and onto my balls.
It looked like I peed my pants so I pulled my shirt out to cover it, paid, and drove away. I didn't get very far before I had to stop at another gas station, run in with a big wet crotch and beg for the bathroom key.
Like I said, I will never, EVER stand behind the spout again.
Freaky-damn-deaky.
Posted by Urple | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:25 AM
Would someone please comment on this already? I've been thinking of suggesting a trim and want to know what others think about this topic.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:25 AM
Oops. A little late. But sorry, Urple, that comment wasn't very helpful. And I'm interested in opinions re: trims, not total shaving.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:26 AM
Trim's not unreasonable to ask, I think.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:26 AM
Women like it and it's easier than you think.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:27 AM
A total scrotal shave is probably easier to do than a trim.
I just wanted to rhyme total and scrotal.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:28 AM
But your evidence is anecdotal.
Anyway, I hear that look is cutting edge. At the Mineshaft.
Posted by Anthony | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:30 AM
Never heard of anyone having having health problems because their balls were too hairy, so that kinda rules out the hygeine
excuserationale.Also, are you asking specifically about guys who shave just their balls and not the surrounding regions?
Posted by My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:30 AM
Sorry to be unhelpful Annie. I answered Ogged's question.
A trim is not unreasonable; it's actually a pretty reasonable hygenic option. A shave is freaky. Worse than freaky, really.
Posted by Urple | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:31 AM
MAE: I think we mean "hygeine" pretty loosely. No one gets disease from not wearing deodorant either, but I'd consider that standard hygeine.
Posted by Urple | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:33 AM
Total shave is itchy as hell when it grows back. Which reminds me of a joke:
Why do women rub their eyes when they wake up?
Because they can't scratch their balls.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:33 AM
Annie, if you think your fella might balk, you may want to suggest him letting you perform the depilatory maneuver. Here's a bit of counterintuitive advice: it's easier to shave them dry.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:34 AM
apostropher- you seem to know a lot about this. Too much, really.
Posted by Urple | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:36 AM
I know a guy who died from not using deodorant.
In my opinion, trimming is reasonable and prudent; full shaving is unattractive. I think this holds equally for both genders.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:36 AM
Asking for a trim is okay although the request has more to do with preference and fashion (manscaping anyone?) than it does with hygiene. I'd guess the offer to perform the trim would go over pretty well.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:37 AM
Which reminds me of a joke
And that joke reminds me of another one:
Why do men snore when they sleep on their backs?
Because their balls fall over their ass and they vapor-lock.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:37 AM
apostropher- you seem to know a lot about this.
Yes, I do.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:38 AM
That does make sense that it'd be easier to shave them dry. I'd imagine that if you did it right after getting out of the shower, it'd be hard to get a close shave but easy to cut yourself, in the worst possible place to get cut.
I'd like to "nuance" my opinion of pubic shaving -- if the goal is to cause the hair to grow back thicker and darker, then that's totally acceptable.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:38 AM
When I had my nads professionally shaved at the Mayo Clinic they sat me on a frigging Depends diaper and poured cold water over them first.
I wasn't nearly as fun as it sounds.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:41 AM
Asking for a trim is okay although the request has more to do with preference and fashion (manscaping anyone?) than it does with hygiene.
Less hair in the area means less oil and sweat trapped in the region and hence, ahem, a cleaner odor and taste. So not to put too fine a point on it, but it's not just preference, it's actually a way of being considerate to your future fellators. (This reasoning isn't my own: I've heard this line from two sex columnists and several female doctors.)
Posted by bza | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:43 AM
Yes, it's better to shave dry. I think it's best to shave dry using an electric trimmer and/or shaver to avoid razor burn. And yeah, it'd probably go over better to offer to do the trimming.
I recall reading somewhere - quite possibly here at unfogged - that some men trim their pubic hairs bc they think it will make their penis look larger. I dunno about that. Might need some before and after photos to draw a definite conclusion,
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:46 AM
What about Nair? Would that be a bad idea?
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:50 AM
Less hair definitely encourages more oral attention, I've found. So you might persuade him that way.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:52 AM
annie - shaving/trimming definitely gives a man a visual "boost."
I don't have before and afters but I have a high degree of confidence that you could find plenty of them online if you are curious. Or maybe have a partner demonstrate.
Posted by Urple | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:52 AM
hence, ahem, a cleaner odor and taste
I'm given to understand that some people like the more "musty" odor.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:58 AM
I think it's best to shave dry using an electric trimmer
Um, no. Makes sense for a woman, but not so much in an area where the skin is that loose.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:59 AM
What about Nair? Would that be a bad idea?
Yes.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:59 AM
Data points: a couple of the women I put this question to said shaved=gross.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:00 AM
Shaving and trimming is all well and good, but I dunno about having a partner do the work.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:00 AM
I'm given to understand that some people like the more "musty" odor.
Maybe, but one probably shouldn't bank on that being the majority preference.
Posted by bza | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:01 AM
How come? I'm just curious. If you're careful to keep it away from your butt, there's no orifice or mucous membrane in danger, right? Is scrotum skin more permeable than other skin?
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:03 AM
I know a guy who Naired his balls. He didn't have any major complaints.
This was quite a vogue in the dorm when I was in college.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:03 AM
I sport a scrotehawk, complete with Elmer's glue. You know, 'cuz I'm so punk rock.
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:03 AM
I mean how come about Nair.
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:04 AM
From the Nair product label: "Nair Lotion can be used on legs, arms, anywhere except: eyes, in nose, ears or on breast nipples, perianal or vaginal / genital areas. Keep out of the reach of children."
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:05 AM
Data points: a couple of the women I put this question to said shaved=gross.
"Mom, I was thinking of doing some grooming..."
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:08 AM
re: 32
And I know a guy who grabbed me by the shoulders and shouted, "Don't Nair your balls! Sweet Jesus, don't Nair your balls!" I think he knew of which he spoke.
The Scrotee is a perfectly acceptable substitute, I say: Trim it short above, and twirl it in a long, pointy triangle below.
Posted by D | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:08 AM
I'm pretty sure that's not my friend D in 37.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:10 AM
Ogged is just trying to disguise the fact that he is the prophet who warns of the wages of Nairballing.
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:13 AM
ah, have I misappropriated someone's handle?
Posted by D is for Drivel | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:14 AM
Someone comments here occassionally who goes by "D." "D is for Drivel" is not taken, far as I know.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:15 AM
I confess I expected more votes for "eww, that's gross."
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:16 AM
It probably won't improve your breaststroke.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:18 AM
Wow, apo, you sure do know an awful lot about this. I've admitted to having a blog crush on you bco the bizarre yet relevant stuff you find on the web, but with this...this comprehensive knowledge of male public shaving...this puts you in a whole new realm.
ogged, did the women in your data collection say trimmed=gross? Or just totally shaved? Bc that probably would be gross, kinda like one of those hairless cats. But then I understand those cats kind grow on a person, so who knows.
Why not have a partner do the shaving/trimming? I'd think that'd be safer and easier.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:19 AM
It conceivably could if the rules mandated you swim naked.
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:20 AM
Oop. Classic typo: 'public' sb 'pubic'.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:20 AM
I think it indicates an overconcern with personal appearance that identifies you as what we called in my high school "a total gaylord."
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:20 AM
male public shaving
Dear, I do it in private.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:21 AM
Shaved balls are extraordinarily effeminate. Very hot in the gay scene. If you're into that.
Otherwise be a man and have some hair.
Posted by Umph | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:21 AM
47 to 42.
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:22 AM
'a total gaylord'! I haven't heard that since h.s. either! And then there's tubolard, which I haven't heard since grade school.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:22 AM
The women were reacting to totally shaved, not trimmed.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:22 AM
If you're into that.
No one's into that here. Just what are you implying?
Excuse me while I go rub Rogaine on my butt cheeks.
Posted by Man | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:25 AM
Also, not to get too graphic about it, but the less hair down there, the more the skin sticks to itself, leading to exponentially more ball-adjusting.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:26 AM
Advertising niche.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:27 AM
That's awesome.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:28 AM
Here's something to think about: pubic hair is the body's natural and potent recepticle for the pheremones emitted when you sweat from your public glands.
As I'm sure you know, these scents have been closely tied to physical attraction. So cutting off this hair is really, um, cutting yourself short, so to speak.
In other words, even if she *says* she doesn't like it, on a primal level she really does. It's a big part of what draws her to you.
Of course these *are* strong odors, so even if she's drawn to them on a primal level, she may not want her face shoved down in them. If you catch what I mean. So there is something of a trade-off, I guess.
Posted by Umph | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:29 AM
Otherwise be a man and have some hair.
I decided to go the "be a man and raise two sons" route, but whatever works for you, my fuzzy friend.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:29 AM
I mention the breaststroke because there are more straightforward ways of courting this woman than leveling your ballscape for the extra glide.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:30 AM
If you catch what I mean.
Very cryptic.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:31 AM
the breaststroke
Yeah, it isn't that hair that's slowing me down in the pool.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:33 AM
In other words, even if she *says* she doesn't like it, on a primal level she really does. It's a big part of what draws her to you.
My woman said she didn't like it when I rubbed Rogaine on my butt cheeks, but she was nearly faint from pheremones, let me tell you. And she stopped asking me if I was gay.
Posted by Man | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:43 AM
Wait, apostropher, so you shave your balls (there, I said it) but do you shave everything else around there?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:56 AM
Inverted package-tonsure?!
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:59 AM
do you shave everything else around there?
No, but I keep the area trimmed. Don't make me post a picture.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:02 AM
Ok.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:03 AM
Ogged -- did you realize when you started this thread that it was going to veer back toward the subject of bleached or otherwise groomed assholes?
Posted by D is for Drivel | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:04 AM
Also, is there a trick to adding links that I might not know, beyond the standard href tag?
Posted by D is for Drivel | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:05 AM
Put quotes around the URL.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:06 AM
And that's not a euphemism.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:07 AM
What about Nair? Would that be a bad idea?
Fuck Nair, what about Nads?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:36 AM
I recall that Mr. B once opined that he thought it was only reasonable to remove at least some of the hair from any place you expected your partner to put in his or her mouth.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:37 AM
If you ever (accidently, of course) spilled gasoline on the male genitalia and compared it to, say, some gasoline on your arm you would most certainly know that there is a difference in perception. Oh yes, there most certainly is.
My incident was a little splashback at the gas pump. I will never stand in front of the spout again. Never.
And that's no Euphonium either.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:38 AM
Oh, and what is the deal with the so-called expert advice that it is better to shave the hair than it is to, like, wash every day?
Pretty soon us guys will be expected to shave our freaking armpits because then they'll stink less. We are already waxing our way down to pre-adolescence.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:40 AM
I'll add that while jock itch and athlete's foot may be caused by the same fungus, Absorbine Jr. is only recommended for the latter, and for EXTREMELY good reason.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:42 AM
I think trimming is necessary (for most people), but shaving is just over the top. I did encounter them (that is to say, shaved balls) once, and it was kinda cool, but not the sort of thing I'd want every day.
You know, sort of like frog legs.
Posted by silvana | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:43 AM
better to shave the hair than it is to, like, wash every day
I've never taken those two as an either/or proposition, Tripp.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:43 AM
You got gasoline on your balls?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:43 AM
shaving is just over the top
Shaving just over the top results in the aforementioned scroatee.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:44 AM
What was your fly doing open at the gas pump?
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:45 AM
What was your fly doing open at the gas pump?
It was self service?
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:47 AM
You got gasoline on your balls?
Sometimes that happens when you pull the nozzle out of your gashole too quickly.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:49 AM
Tripp's balls seem to have taken a bit of abuse in their time.
Posted by Tarrou | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:03 AM
A friend of mine got lighter fluid on his pubic hair. Also, and simultaneously, a source of fire. The story involves him thinking it would look really cool to put lighter fluid on his hands and then burn that off, and then trying to put out his hands by slapping them on his legs. I'm not sure how this ended up with him burning his pubes, but it did happen.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:09 AM
He didn't by any chance say "Hey! Watch this!" immediately before said incident, did he?
Posted by My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:15 AM
burning his pubes
That sorta happened to former porn star Paula Price, though it was her g-string that caught on fire and she got burned pretty badly. When the dance club bouncers jumped on her to try to put out the flames, they ended up breaking her leg in several places as well.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:16 AM
Hey, I was young, I misunderstood "Self Serve."
Being absolutely precise, I got gasoline on my pants which soaked into my grundies and onto my balls.
It looked like I peed my pants so I pulled my shirt out to cover it, paid, and drove away. I didn't get very far before I had to stop at another gas station, run in with a big wet crotch and beg for the bathroom key.
Like I said, I will never, EVER stand behind the spout again.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:26 PM
Man, am I late to this discussion.
I don't think the point is hygiene; rather, it's a combination of aesthetics and courtesy to the person who's face is going to be all up ons.
Posted by Matt #3 | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 1:33 PM
I can't believe I just wrote "who's" in that last comment.
Sigh.
Posted by Matt #3 | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 1:33 PM
Are you sure you're not Matt Y?
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 1:37 PM
Quite an unlikely word.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 1:37 PM
Touché, apostropher and ben... touché.
Posted by Matt #3 | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:31 PM
So do y'all expect the ladies to also be shaved or at least quite trimmed?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:32 PM
It's nice, but not expected.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:34 PM
Variety is the spice of life.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:40 PM
Agreed. Shaving/trimming is not compulsory for the ladies, either, but man is it a treat (both aesthetically and functionally).
Posted by Matt #3 | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 9:27 PM
total shave = ewwww, wierdly prepubescent and not attractive (on women) and freaky wierd (on men)
trim = fine. (on either)
Posted by nattarGcM | Link to this comment | 09-25-05 5:48 PM