The key to keeping your intimate area clean is recognizing that it requires some special attention! You brush your teeth every day to keep them clean. You trim your nails every once in a while. You use shampoo twice a week for those luscious locks, don't you? Doesn't it come as a surprise then, that you have nothing specific for the little guy? Alright alright, the BIG guy.
Your intimate area requires specialized cleaning just like other parts of your body. Can you imagine cleaning your ears out with a bar of soap/body washes? Nope! There is something just for that - an earbud. Women have soaps designed just for their private areas. So trust that it's only natural then, that you need a specialized grooming routine for your intimate hygiene too.
Here are a few reasons why your junk needs some special treatment:
- The subtropical climate down there - Your private parts hardly ever see the light of day and the environment down there is usually moist and warm. That's a breeding ground for bacteria!
- Sweat glands - Your intimate area is covered with sweat glands that secrete sweat much like the sweat secreted by your armpits. Different areas of our bodies actually secrete sweat from different glands. We have two types of sweat glands. Eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands cover most of the body, but apocrine glands are present in areas that have a denser concentration of hair follicles like your scalp, your armpits, and of course, your hairy ass and groin. Eccrine glands release a watery type of sweat when you're working out or playing. Apocrine glands, on the other hand, secrete sweat which has a milkier texture. Although it is odorless, when sweat from the apocrine glands comes in contact with foreign bacteria on your skin, it becomes especially smelly.
- The elements - Whether it's the daily commute, a stressful day at work, or a session at the gym, your intimate area deals with a ton of friction, air pollution, heat, humidity, and stress (stress can stimulate your apocrine glands into excess sweat production - that's why you may get sweaty palms before that big presentation/meeting). Through the course of the day, your intimate area collects a bunch of dirt, and when this dirt is combined with sweat and the weather down under, you have found yourself a recipe for bad smells, itching, and even infection.
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pH - Your intimate area has a particular pH that is different from the rest of your body. A balanced pH is important for any man who is trying to maintain proper intimate hygiene. The pH level of the skin on a man's private parts is 5 - 5.5, which is slightly acidic. This low pH level promotes the health of good bacteria which protects your intimate areas. A change in the pH level in your private region can lead to the growth of bad bacteria which causes infection, odor, and itching.
Knowing your body, how it works, and what affects it is important, so we urge you not to skip over the part above! It will help you better appreciate what you need to do to keep it clean.
Now the part you have been waiting for. Here are a few recommendations you can use to keep your private parts:
- Bath every day - simple enough, but people just don't do it! Don't take this one for granted! Wash yourself down on a daily.
- Don't scrub excessively - more scrubbing isn't equivalent to less smell or itching. It'll only lead to chafing and irritation. Be gentle and wash your intimate area with lukewarm water, you don't need a scrub or loofah.
- Clean under your foreskin - Don't just clean the outsides, pull your foreskin down below your glans (if you're in your teens you may have a tough time doing this, don't apply too much force or worry if you can't.) and use lukewarm water to clean this area. If you don't do this every once in a while you might find a white substance called smegma when you retract your foreskin. That's where the foul smell comes from. Wash it away with some water and mild, pH-balanced soap or an intimate wash for men that has no artificial fragrances.
- Don't use hot water - This isn't necessarily a tip for cleanliness, but more for health. Using hot water to clean your intimate area may reduce your sperm count up and cause damage to your private parts. It will probably also lead to irritation and dryness.
- Try out a pH-balanced soap or intimate wash - These are specialized for your private parts and maintain the balance. As we had explained earlier, maintaining a pH balance will keep your private parts odor free and minimize itching. Avoid artificial fragrances, sulfates and parabens, and mineral oils.
- Dry yourself off - Use a towel to dry your intimate area off completely before dressing up. Moisture in the absence of light is a breeding ground for bad bacteria.
- Trim your pubic hair - This is more cosmetic cleanliness than it is anything else. You don't need to go overboard with this and it's really a matter of what you're comfortable with. Cleaning up too much will definitely leave you feeling itchy down there.
- Wear clean clothes - Don't reuse undergarments!
- Practice safe sex - Use a condom while having sex and pee when you're finished. Although men have a smaller chance of contracting a urinary tract infection, its always good to be on the safe side!
Why go through all this effort, though? Your grooming and standards of hygiene have everything to do with how you view yourself. If you've got good grooming game down there, you'll know, and you may even be told as much! Your dedication to good grooming gives you the opportunity to see that you're investing in yourself. It's a step towards personal growth, and that will only give you more confidence. In this article we have shared everything you need to maintain good intimate hygiene and it isn't much!
If you're looking for an Intimate Wash, try out Biene care Intimate Wash for Men. It's pH balanced and enhanced with 9 natural extracts and essential oils.