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News & ArtsWednesday, January 13, 2010
Savage Love SL Letters of the Day: Grooming Tips
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 4:29 PM
I have to take issue with your advice for Clever Nickname Up To You regarding the removal of hair on the balls. I have been happily shaving this area of my anatomy for twenty years or so, and the following method works just fine for me:1) Lubricate well with soap suds (for some reason, ordinary bar soap seems to work better than shaving foam).
2) With your spare hand, grasp the loose folds of sac firmly and pull the skin taut.
3) Shave the stretched skin.
4) Repeat all over, until all offending pubes are extirpated..
5) For the base of the sac, squeeze gently around the middle of the sac, and then shave the skin stretched tight over your balls.
No fuss, no mess. I honestly can't recall ever cutting myself, and interestingly, you don't get shaving rash on this skin either, in total contrast to what happens if you shave the skin on your pubis. Waxing—youch!
Smooth Comfortable Razoring Of The Epidermis
P.S. Is "scrotum" the ugliest word ever, or what?
No, SCROTE, it's not. "Penis" is the ugliest word ever. More beauty tips for CNUTY after the jump...
Clever Nickname Up To You asked about ball hair removal. I use a Gillette Mach 3 on my balls all the time. I'm not even particularly careful and I haven't cut myself once. We don't have Old West Barber Shop-style straight razors anymore—pretty much anything you get that wasn't bought in bulk at the dollar store is sack-safe. Just make sure it's always wet and pull the skin taught and go to town. Just don't use the same razor you use on your face for Christ's sake. Oh, and shaving cream just tends to make everything a weird slippery mess so use it very lightly if at all.Giving Scrote Advice Over the Internet
P.S. NO ELECTRIC RAZORS EVER. Learned that one the hard way.
My wife bought this for me a Norelco Body Groom for Christmas. I had tried other products in the past and all turned out to be nutsack-skin-pincher's. The Body Groom is versatile and easy to clean, it can be used in the shower, and no pinched scrotum. It works on chest, back, legs and arms too, if so desired.Long Time Reader
A couple of years ago, I sent you a brief letter asking for advice on removing scrotum hair, similar to the guy from this week (Jan.13th). He signs off with "Clever Nickname Up To You," while I signed off with this gem: "Perturbing Unwanted Bushy Excess." clearly more fun for you and your readers alike. Reading this week's lame entrant was like getting teabagged with a hairy nutsack.PUBE
2
There isn't a soul on God's green earth who wants to know this, but on the left half of mine the hairs just come right out when you pluck 'em. Doesn't hurt, doesn't even pull much. Other side's normal. Those Norelco body shavers are great as long as you don't try to get blade-close.
5
What the fuck kinda weirdos am I hanging out with here? You guys shave your balls? Pluck your balls? Geez, I'm really, really happy I live in America.
9
once the balls are shaved, what's supposed to happen then? are women supposed to like testicles more (or at least not be revolted by them) at that point?
10
Been shaving my ball since I read about in Gore Vidal's "Creation" nearly 15 years ago. Razor with Avena gell. Also shave my t'ain't and lower shaft. It is very comfortable and my wife likes it a lot.
11
Males have body hair - what the hell is this all about? Gay men even have body hair.
If he/she can't like the natural man, who cares?
And how much time does all this take?
No, will not, don't want, keep my balls hairy.
If he/she can't like the natural man, who cares?
And how much time does all this take?
No, will not, don't want, keep my balls hairy.
14
I had a traumatic experience with a Schick as a kid, used an electric on my face when the need arose, and have used one ever since. I can say with quite a bit of certainty that a blade will never, EVER touch my balls.
I don't think I'd even let the bf do it. Glad he likes hairy balls, as do I.
I don't think I'd even let the bf do it. Glad he likes hairy balls, as do I.
15
My take on the whole thing is that the excess hair on a scrotum, along the shaft, and even the main bush is there to foster an environment for scents to collect and develop, or 'mature' if you will. A hold over from our earlier stages of evolutionary development. Now days, we really don't respond to those kinds of scents in the same way, and it seems that some of us, due to some mechanism or factor of biology, produce/acquire too much of this scent. Keeping things clean as a whistle, and smooth as Churchill head down there seems to help a lot! I've been doing it since I was 13, and you learn how to do it without hurting yourself! Also, as a guy that has some pretty excessive shaft hair, it is important to keep it down to a minimum, as I've pulled out a few hairs pulling off a condom at a critical time, and that isn't the rush sensation I was looking for at that particular moment.
16
OK, time to call Dan on his shit here.
Dan, you wrote a total of 18 words here. Actually, it's 16 words and 2 acronyms. I know you're a busy guy, but c'mon!
Dan, you wrote a total of 18 words here. Actually, it's 16 words and 2 acronyms. I know you're a busy guy, but c'mon!
17
My husband has naturally hairless balls. Above the cock is hairy, sides of the area are hairy, crack is hairy, balls have nothin' on them. It's insane. I'd prefer hairy over shaved... but I have to say that no stray hairs in my mouth + no stubble = pretty great!
18
Ball hair is almost as bad as back hair. A few people have a weird fetish for it but otherwise it is disgusting and those that try to deny it are just ignorant.
Having a liking for a long natural pubic bush is perfectly natural but ball hair, always gross. The balls are actually very easy to shave and the hair grows back much slower then any other hair. With no ball hair it actually makes the penis shaft sensitive to arousal (not just the head) and erections are fuller and last longer. Sex is much more pleasurable.
And the people who support ball hair? Seriously? Does your spouse actually tea-bag those two hairy tribbles.
Having a liking for a long natural pubic bush is perfectly natural but ball hair, always gross. The balls are actually very easy to shave and the hair grows back much slower then any other hair. With no ball hair it actually makes the penis shaft sensitive to arousal (not just the head) and erections are fuller and last longer. Sex is much more pleasurable.
And the people who support ball hair? Seriously? Does your spouse actually tea-bag those two hairy tribbles.
21
Penis is a horrible word -- women have it much better with their "a" words: vagina/vulva/labia -- but worse than scrotum? No way.
22
I've tried shaving the boys a couple times, I didn't like it. They get all sticky like a wad of chewed bubble gum. Plus you feel like a twelve year old.
24
I'm not a very hairy guy at all, but I started shaving my balls when I got into serious cock & ball play - the hair either got in the way or got pulled (not the type of sensation I was looking for!). I generally shave 'em once a week, using a standard two- or three-blade razor (not the one I use on my face). Sometimes I use soap to lather 'em up, for for the most part doing it after a shower works.
And yeah, I've nicked myself more than a few times, and didn't even know I'd done it. The bleeding isn't much, and it stops a lot quicker than when I've nicked my throat.
And to all the guys who are afraid that a drop or two of blood from a shaving nick on your nads = castration: Get over it.
And yeah, I've nicked myself more than a few times, and didn't even know I'd done it. The bleeding isn't much, and it stops a lot quicker than when I've nicked my throat.
And to all the guys who are afraid that a drop or two of blood from a shaving nick on your nads = castration: Get over it.
25
@23: Charles de Gaulle of France and his wife were being interviewed by a British journalist just before he left office in 1969.
Turning to Mrs. de Gaulle, the journalist asked, "And you, Madame, to what are you most looking forward in your golden years?"
"Ah!" she sighed. "A penis!"
[uncomfortable silence]
Finally the elderly general murmured, "My dear, I believe ze vord ees pronounced APPY-ness."
Turning to Mrs. de Gaulle, the journalist asked, "And you, Madame, to what are you most looking forward in your golden years?"
"Ah!" she sighed. "A penis!"
[uncomfortable silence]
Finally the elderly general murmured, "My dear, I believe ze vord ees pronounced APPY-ness."
26
Oh, and @3, Gold Bond powder or the KMart equivalent in the morning (and mid-day, if possible). Shower off before oral fun.
28
@19: No, she uses her luxuriant bush to retain a 'sense of mystery'. At least until the door's locked so her date can't leave.
29
@21-
Women do have it better. I move that we men change the name of our junk to gladius (the Roman short sword that was stored inside the vagina, or sheath).
Women do have it better. I move that we men change the name of our junk to gladius (the Roman short sword that was stored inside the vagina, or sheath).
30
Pale skin, dark hair? Just laser it off. Four sessions, $200/per session, they use numbing cream, and you'll never have a hair grow again on your balls again.
And the pain is pretty minimal: the denser the hair, the more the lasering hurts, but scrotum hair is not at all dense. I don't feel a thing on the scrotum.
And the pain is pretty minimal: the denser the hair, the more the lasering hurts, but scrotum hair is not at all dense. I don't feel a thing on the scrotum.
31
Okay by me, @29, but "gladius" sounds kinda gay to be sheathed in a vagina. All in good fun:
The jocund orbs shall break their measured pace
And stubborn poles change their allotted place.
32
Not a fan of shaving. I trim the bush down a bit with electric trimmers, so I don't have a forest. But shaving completely? No. I don't get that. It makes you look like a 12 year old.
33
I don't think I could get through the first 2 steps of this procedure without...you know...being sidetracked.
I don't think I could get through the first 2 steps of this procedure without...you know...being sidetracked.
34
Lasering isnt permanent. Ive had it done many times because its cheap and lasts for a long time, but it always grows back. (I started doing it over 5 years ago)
41
@11 "Males have body hair - what the hell is this all about? Gay men even have body hair.
If he/she can't like the natural man, who cares?"
I suppose you like an all natural woman too? No make-up and plenty of leg-hair and arm hair. Where do I sign up?
If he/she can't like the natural man, who cares?"
I suppose you like an all natural woman too? No make-up and plenty of leg-hair and arm hair. Where do I sign up?
43
To those who don't understand why a guy should shave his balls and ass - it makes them much nicer for your partner to lick. But maybe you're not into that.
P.S. "Penis" is funny, not ugly. "Moisten" - now there's an ugly word.
P.S. "Penis" is funny, not ugly. "Moisten" - now there's an ugly word.
44
Right now, my operative words are "good night, Irene." (He's still alive, by the way. I don't know how.
"I'll see you in my dreams."
"I'll see you in my dreams."
46
I'm guessing people like to shave their ween-ween area because it increases sensation? I guess if you have lots of time on your hands, why not? Personally, I'll leave my ticklestick and my jellybeans natural.
We make love with the putty-kit we were born with, not with the gigglebits we wish we had. But always always make sure you noonyfeef is clean.
We make love with the putty-kit we were born with, not with the gigglebits we wish we had. But always always make sure you noonyfeef is clean.
47
@44: 5280, who's still alive? Pete Seeger? I think he still is, but surely he wasn't the first to sing "GNI" was he? Was it Woody? I think even Sinatra may have recorded it, though I haven't heard him sing it. (Or are you referring to something else altogether?) Best wishes.
48
hey Roma, #27...
SCROTUM: Supreme Court Rightwingers Objecting to Televised .... dammit, I'm stuck...
- Underwear Models
- Unwed Mothers
- Unnatural Man-bits
...so many possibilities....
SCROTUM: Supreme Court Rightwingers Objecting to Televised .... dammit, I'm stuck...
- Underwear Models
- Unwed Mothers
- Unnatural Man-bits
...so many possibilities....
50
@ 30:
You paid $800 to have your scrotum-hair lasered off? Jeezus...I hope with that kind of disposable income you are also sponsoring about 50 needy kids, or donating generously to a good charity or school. For fuck's sake...
You paid $800 to have your scrotum-hair lasered off? Jeezus...I hope with that kind of disposable income you are also sponsoring about 50 needy kids, or donating generously to a good charity or school. For fuck's sake...
51
Lead Belly recorded "Goodnight Irene" first, letting Alan Lomax put it on the reverse of his recorded pardon petition. He told Time magazine his Uncle Terrell taught it to him just before he was locked up for assault with intent to kill in 1918. The original recorded last verse was,
I love Irene, God knows I do,
Love her till the sea runs dry;
And if Irene turns her back on me,
I'm gonna take morphine and die.
I love Irene, God knows I do,
Love her till the sea runs dry;
And if Irene turns her back on me,
I'm gonna take morphine and die.
52
I consider a fellow who presents recently de-haired genitalia to be a gentlemsn and a scholar. I view it as an act of hygiene and consideration. I'll do oral on a hairy dude, but I actually like it on a smooth one. A lot.
53
A word of warning: I regularly shaved my sack (and everything else) with a disposable razor. Now I'm not sure whether I nicked myself or if it was just a regular ingrown hair, but I eventually developed a very hard spot where my scrotum merges into my taint. It had just come to my attention and had resolved to make an doctor's appointment to get it looked at, when it swelled up like a blister, and then burst. Apparently it had become some kind of monstrous boil/abscess.
I don't know if I've ever been as traumatized as I was by having a constant stream of slightly brown liquid pouring out of my balls. On my doctor's advice, I spent a lot of time soaking in a tub and took antibiotics, but it took months and months to heal to the point where it wasn't constantly moist in that spot. And just two weeks ago, someone was playing with my balls pretty vigorously and jammed a finger in that spot, and it opened up again. It's healed over now, but what the fuck, right?
Be careful.
I don't know if I've ever been as traumatized as I was by having a constant stream of slightly brown liquid pouring out of my balls. On my doctor's advice, I spent a lot of time soaking in a tub and took antibiotics, but it took months and months to heal to the point where it wasn't constantly moist in that spot. And just two weeks ago, someone was playing with my balls pretty vigorously and jammed a finger in that spot, and it opened up again. It's healed over now, but what the fuck, right?
Be careful.
54
I found the perfect method for removing public hair.
Take a pair of electric clippers and use a guard on them to take the hair down to a stubble--preferably less than 1/2" long.
Now get yourself a CleanCut ES412 shaver. The old one was a metal cylinder; the new ones have a sculptured look to them. Use a tiny, tiny bit of cornstarch (NOT talc, folks) and a good deal of patience. Work the razor all around and work slowly. You'll have to take several passes at it to get it all, but get it all you will.
Baby smooth (if kept up) and is safe and comfortable for women and men.
Worked like a champ for me when I did it. (Fiance likes hair, so I quit.)
I'm not a CleanCut employee--just a highly satisfied customers.
Take a pair of electric clippers and use a guard on them to take the hair down to a stubble--preferably less than 1/2" long.
Now get yourself a CleanCut ES412 shaver. The old one was a metal cylinder; the new ones have a sculptured look to them. Use a tiny, tiny bit of cornstarch (NOT talc, folks) and a good deal of patience. Work the razor all around and work slowly. You'll have to take several passes at it to get it all, but get it all you will.
Baby smooth (if kept up) and is safe and comfortable for women and men.
Worked like a champ for me when I did it. (Fiance likes hair, so I quit.)
I'm not a CleanCut employee--just a highly satisfied customers.
56
I'm sorry, but i think "rectum" has it all over "scrotum" or "penis" or anything else as far as a purely ugly word.
Rectum? Damn near....no, I can't bring myself to utter that Jurassic humorism.
Rectum? Damn near....no, I can't bring myself to utter that Jurassic humorism.
57
@9 I'm a straight woman--my boyfriend shaves his balls and, consequently, I LOVE sucking on them. It's way hotter than having a mouthful of hair. Plus pretty much anything that makes him moan like that is OK with me. You have obviously been sleeping with the wrong women.
58
Totally agree with you about 'penis'. I think the grossness of it is largely attributable to the first syllable being 'pee'. I prefer 'phallus'. Much sexier sounding.
59
#53 Sounds like you had an infected cyst. It did probably start from an ingrown hair. But the fact that it got so bad and then 'opened up' again tells me that this is more than just the fact that this is a warm and moist area on the body. Are you on any medication that may affect your body's immune system? Are you a diabetic? Did your doctor give you the wrong antibiotic. By that I mean one that wasn't strong enough for this particular 'bug.' Did you (or do you) frequent public baths or whirlpools. I've done urologic surgery and have found that the skin of the scrotum heals very quickly.
I myself shave my balls on a regular basis. After the very first time at it (trimming the long hairs) it only takes a few minutes to do now. NO I don't use any cream or powder. It only makes things slippery and as someone else pointed out. If I start using cream down there I just get distracted and never get around to shaving the boys.
I myself shave my balls on a regular basis. After the very first time at it (trimming the long hairs) it only takes a few minutes to do now. NO I don't use any cream or powder. It only makes things slippery and as someone else pointed out. If I start using cream down there I just get distracted and never get around to shaving the boys.
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