Can You Shave Your Balls With a Razor?

You can shave your scrotum with a razor, and millions of men do. But the scrotum is also, by a wide margin, the body part most likely to get nicked during pubic hair grooming. In a large U.S. survey, roughly two-thirds of men who reported a grooming injury said it happened on the scrotum. That does not mean the task is reckless or impossible. It means the anatomy demands more care than shaving your face, and the consequences of sloppy technique are real enough to deserve a clear-eyed look.

Why the Scrotum Is the Hardest Area to Shave

The skin of the scrotum is unlike nearly any other skin on the body. It is thin, highly elastic, and heavily folded, which means a razor blade can catch a wrinkle of skin and slice it before you even feel pressure. The tissue underneath has a generous blood supply, so even a shallow cut can bleed more than you would expect from the same depth of cut on, say, your shin. On top of that, scrotal skin contracts and relaxes with temperature, meaning the surface you are trying to shave is literally changing shape as you work.

None of this makes shaving there impossible. It does mean that the technique matters far more than the brand of razor you pick up. Pulling the skin taut with one hand while making short, gentle passes with the other is the single most important thing you can do. Warm water or a warm shower helps relax the skin so it is less bunched, which gives the blade a flatter surface to travel across.

How Common Are Grooming Injuries, and What Do They Look Like?

A nationally representative survey of over 7,500 U.S. adults found that about one in four men who groom their pubic hair have sustained at least one injury from it. Lacerations were the most common type of injury by far, accounting for roughly six out of ten reported injuries, followed by burns and rashes. Among men specifically, the scrotum was the top injury site, reported by about two-thirds of those who had been injured, with the penis and the pubic mound following behind.

1PubMed Central. Prevalence of Pubic Hair Grooming–Related Injuries and Identification of High-Risk Individuals in the United States

Emergency department data tells a similar story from the sharp end. Between 2002 and 2010, grooming-related injuries presenting to U.S. emergency departments increased fivefold, and razors were responsible for about 83% of those injuries. Laceration was the leading injury type there as well.

2PubMed Central. Pubic hair grooming injuries presenting to U.S. emergency departments

Those numbers sound alarming, but keep perspective. The vast majority of grooming injuries are minor cuts that stop bleeding with a little pressure and heal on their own. Emergency department visits for genital grooming injuries remain a tiny fraction of all ER visits. The data does not mean a quarter of all men who have ever trimmed down there needed medical attention; it means they recall getting a nick at some point.

Technique That Actually Reduces Cuts

Most guides repeat the same basic advice because it works. Here is what matters most, roughly in order of impact:

  • Trim first: If the hair is longer than a few millimeters, a razor has to work too hard and clogs constantly. Use an electric trimmer with a guard to take the length down before you ever pick up a blade.
  • Warm up: A warm shower for a few minutes softens the hair and relaxes the scrotal skin, giving you a smoother surface. Cold, contracted skin is wrinkled skin, and wrinkles are where cuts happen.
  • Pull the skin taut: This is non-negotiable. Use your free hand to stretch the skin flat in the direction you are about to shave. A flat surface lets the blade glide instead of catching folds.
  • Short, light strokes: Long sweeping passes work on your cheek. On the scrotum, small controlled strokes with minimal pressure are far safer. Let the blade do the cutting; pressing harder just increases the chance of slicing skin.
  • Use a sharp blade: Counterintuitively, a dull blade is more dangerous than a fresh one because you press harder to compensate. Replace the cartridge or disposable razor frequently if you shave this area regularly.
  • Shave with the grain: Going against the grain gives a closer shave but dramatically increases irritation and ingrown hairs. On the scrotum, the hair growth direction varies, so pay attention and adjust your stroke direction as you move.

Some men prefer to shave while sitting on the edge of the tub or standing with one foot elevated, simply because it gives better visibility and hand positioning. There is no single correct posture; use whatever lets you see what you are doing and keep both hands steady.

Ingrown Hairs and Razor Bumps Below the Belt

Razor bumps, known clinically as pseudofolliculitis, happen when a freshly cut hair tip curls back into the skin as it grows. The curved shape of the hair follicle encourages the sharpened tip to arc downward and puncture the surrounding skin, triggering an inflammatory reaction that shows up as red, raised bumps.

3PubMed Central. Pseudofolliculitis barbae; current treatment options

This is especially common in men with curly or coily hair. The tighter the natural curl pattern, the more likely the cut tip is to curve back into the skin before it clears the surface. Shaving against the grain makes it worse because the hair is cut even shorter, giving it less distance to travel before it re-enters the skin.

Itching is the other near-universal side effect. In one study of pubic hair groomers, about 80% reported genital itching on at least one occasion.

4Oxford Academic (The Journal of Sexual Medicine). Pubic Hair Preferences, Reasons for Removal, and Associated Genital Symptoms: Comparisons Between Men and Women

That itch tends to peak a day or two after shaving, as the stubble starts growing back and pricks the sensitive surrounding skin. It is annoying rather than dangerous, but it is worth knowing about if you have never shaved the area before and are expecting a smooth, comfortable experience from the start.

If you are prone to ingrown hairs, the simplest fix is to stop chasing a baby-smooth result. Trimming with a body groomer set to a short guard length removes the visual bulk of hair without cutting below the skin surface, which essentially eliminates ingrown hairs. For men who insist on a razor-smooth finish, gentle exfoliation of the area a day after shaving can help new hairs break through the skin surface instead of growing back inward.

When a Small Cut Becomes a Bigger Problem

The groin is warm, moist, and home to a dense population of bacteria. A small nick that would heal uneventfully on your forearm has a slightly higher chance of becoming infected in the genital region, simply because the environment favors bacterial growth. Extensive hair removal creates microtrauma across a broad area of skin, disrupts the skin barrier, and can allow bacteria or other pathogens easier entry.

5Medicas UIS. Impact of genital hair removal on female skin microenvironment: barrier disruption and risk of infection, a literature review

In rare cases, the consequences can be severe. Case reports in the urology literature have linked genital shaving wounds to scrotal abscesses caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and in one extreme case, to Fournier’s gangrene, a rapidly spreading soft-tissue infection that requires emergency surgery.

6PubMed. Community associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus causing Fournier’s gangrene and genital infections

These outcomes are genuinely rare and tend to involve predisposing factors like diabetes, obesity, or immune suppression. For a healthy person, a small shaving nick in the groin is overwhelmingly likely to heal without incident. But it is worth knowing the warning signs: rapidly spreading redness, swelling that keeps expanding, fever, or pain that worsens rather than fading over 24 to 48 hours all warrant a prompt trip to a doctor.

Does Pubic Shaving Increase Your Risk of STIs?

This question pops up constantly, and the evidence is messier than the headlines suggest. A large nationally representative probability survey found that people who groomed their pubic hair had higher self-reported rates of sexually transmitted infections, with the strongest link being between “extreme” grooming (complete removal at high frequency) and skin-to-skin STIs like herpes and HPV. After adjusting for age and number of sexual partners, ever having groomed was associated with roughly 1.8 times the odds of reporting an STI history.

7Sexually Transmitted Infections. Correlation between pubic hair grooming and STIs: results from a nationally representative probability sample

But that association does not necessarily mean the shaving itself is causing infections. People who groom more tend to have more sexual partners and more frequent sexual activity, which are independent risk factors for STIs. A study of female university students that directly tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia found no significant difference in infection rates between extreme groomers and non-groomers once other variables were accounted for.

8PubMed Central. Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

The most honest reading of the evidence is that grooming-related microtrauma could theoretically make it easier for skin-to-skin pathogens to enter through tiny breaks in the skin, but the size of that effect is unclear and likely much smaller than the risk contributed by sexual behavior itself. If you shave and then have sex the same day, you are giving any micro-cuts the least possible time to heal. Waiting a day or two after shaving before sexual contact is a common-sense measure that costs nothing.

What to Do After You Shave

Post-shave care is where many men fall short. The freshly shaved groin needs the same attention you would give freshly shaved facial skin, arguably more, because it spends the rest of the day trapped inside underwear.

Rinse the area with cool water after shaving to close pores and reduce initial irritation. Applying a fragrance-free moisturizer or a dedicated post-shave product helps restore the skin barrier. Early research on a post-shave cream formulated with emollients and skin protectants found that all subjects reported it soothed their skin and reduced the appearance of redness after four weeks of use.

9The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Preliminary Results from an Investigational Post-Shave Cream

You do not need a specialty product to get these benefits. Any unscented, alcohol-free moisturizer will help. What you want to avoid is anything with fragrance, menthol, or alcohol, all of which will sting on freshly shaved skin and can worsen irritation. Loose-fitting cotton underwear for the first day or two also reduces friction against sensitive, freshly shaved skin.

Alternatives to a Manual Razor

If the injury profile of a razor blade on scrotal skin gives you pause, you have options. Each comes with its own trade-offs:

  • Electric body trimmers: These use oscillating or rotating blades behind a foil or guard, so they cut hair just above the skin surface rather than at or below it. The result is not as smooth as a razor, but the risk of cuts and ingrown hairs drops dramatically. Most modern body groomers are designed to be used on wet or dry skin and have guards specifically meant for sensitive areas.
  • Depilatory creams: Chemical hair removers dissolve the hair shaft. They can be effective, but the chemicals are harsh, and the genital skin is among the most sensitive on the body. Always patch-test on a small area first, and never leave the product on longer than directed. Burns from depilatories are one of the injury types that show up in grooming-injury data.
  • Laser hair removal: For a more permanent solution, laser treatments can reduce hair growth over multiple sessions. The approach has been studied in the context of genital procedures and is used more broadly in cosmetic dermatology.

    10PubMed Central. Laser hair removal for genital gender affirming surgery

    It works best on dark hair against light skin, requires multiple sessions, and is expensive. But for men who are tired of the shave-itch-repeat cycle, it eliminates the problem at the root.

  • Waxing: Pulls the hair out from the follicle, giving a smoother and longer-lasting result than shaving. It is painful, especially on the scrotum, and carries its own risk of folliculitis and irritation. Most men who wax this area go to a professional rather than attempting it at home.

For most men, an electric body trimmer set to a short length is the sweet spot between aesthetics and safety. It will not give you a perfectly smooth result, but it handles the visual tidiness that most people are after without the bleeding, itching, and ingrown hairs that come with a blade.

How Common Is It, and Why Do Men Do It?

If you feel like pubic grooming has become the norm, the data backs you up. A large survey found that the majority of American men report grooming their pubic hair, with peak prevalence around 73% among men aged 25 to 34. The most commonly groomed area is above the penis, followed by the scrotum and the penile shaft. The top motivation was preparation for sexual activity, followed by hygiene and routine care.

11PubMed Central. Prevalence and Motivation: Pubic Hair Grooming Among Men in the United States

The hygiene motivation deserves a footnote: pubic hair is not inherently unhygienic. It serves a purpose, providing a buffer against friction during movement and sex, and it may play a role in trapping and dispersing pheromones. Removing it does not make you cleaner in any medical sense. Soap, water, and basic daily washing are what keep the area hygienic, with or without hair. The perception that hairlessness equals cleanliness is cultural, not biological.

Partner preferences also play a role. Research has found that men who groom often do so partly because they believe their partner prefers it, and that grooming is associated with sexual activity and body image.

12PubMed. “To Shave or Not to Shave”: Pubic Hair Removal and Its Association with Relational and Sexual Satisfaction in Women and Men

There is nothing wrong with grooming for aesthetics or partner preference, but it is worth separating that from the false idea that you need to shave for health reasons. You do not.

Body Image and the Pressure to Groom

The rapid rise of male pubic grooming over the past two decades tracks closely with broader shifts in male beauty standards. Researchers have noted that studying pubic hair removal practices can help illuminate how societal norms and beauty standards shape personal grooming decisions, and how conforming to or deviating from those standards can affect body satisfaction.

13PubMed Central. Pubic Hair Removal Practices and Motivations Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Men

Pornography is widely cited as one driver of the trend toward hairlessness, though the influence is hard to quantify. What is clear is that many younger men now grow up with the assumption that some degree of grooming is expected, even though that expectation barely existed a generation ago. If you are shaving because you genuinely prefer the look or feel, that is your call. If you are shaving because you feel like you have to, it may be worth examining where that pressure is coming from. The data shows that most sexual partners have a range of preferences, and the idea that everyone demands complete hairlessness is not supported by surveys of what people actually report wanting.

Shaving the scrotum with a manual razor, in other words, is entirely doable. It carries real but manageable risks, the biggest being minor cuts and itchy regrowth. The choice to do it is personal, not medical, and the safest path depends more on your technique and patience than on which product you buy.