How to Prevent Razor Burn on Your Private Parts

Co-authored by Juan Sabino

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Getting razor burn anywhere on your body—let alone on your private parts—can be unpleasant and a little painful. Razor burn is caused when the razor blades scrape roughly across your skin, leaving behind small abrasions and bumps. The bumps can take several days to go away, and can make running or wearing tight-fitting pants uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help decrease your chances of getting razor burn around your groin. If you do wind up with razor burn, you can treat with a number of over-the-counter products.

Things You Should Know

Make sure you shave using a sharp razor with new blades so you don't get nicked and cut.
It also helps to apply a generous amount of shaving cream so the blade can glide along more easily.
While you're actually shaving use short strokes in the direction the hair is growing, and pull your skin taut with your free hand as you go.
Once you're all finished, moisturize to soothe the area you just shaved.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Groin to Prevent Razor Burn

1
Trim the hair surrounding your genitals with a pair of scissors. This will make it easier to get a close shave with a razor and prevent you from clogging the razor blades with hair. It’s ideal if you use a pair of short or round-nosed scissors so you don’t accidentally cut yourself in a delicate area. Snip the hair until it’s only about 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) long.^{[1]
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- If it makes it easier for you, try sitting on the toilet while you trim. Or, trim while standing in the shower (with the water off) if you’re not worried about potentially clogging your drain.
2
Exfoliate your pubic area with a loofah or wash cloth. Spread an exfoliating body wash through the hair around your private parts and lightly scrub the region with a loofah. This will loosen the skin and allow you to get a close shave without nicking yourself. There’s no need to apply a stringent exfoliating wash to your groin, as it isn’t necessary to prepare for shaving and may damage the delicate skin.^{[2]
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- If you’re in a rush, this step isn’t strictly necessary. However, it will help soften the skin in and around your groin and lower your chances of getting razor burn.
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3
Spread shaving cream on and around your private parts. Don’t skimp on the shaving cream, since this substance will lubricate the skin so the razor slides over it smoothly. Squeeze out a large dollop into your hand, lather it up, and use your fingers to apply it to the skin you want to shave. Fully saturate the hair around your private parts with the shaving cream.^{[3]
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- Avoid using soap to shave, since it can dry out your skin.
- Always use a fragrance-free shaving cream to avoid agitating the delicate area around your groin.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Shaving Carefully

1
Pull the skin taut before shaving around your groin. Place the hand not holding the razor next to the patch of skin you’d like to shave. Pull the skin gently to 1 side so that it’s stretched taut. This will make it easier for your razor to glide smoothly over the surface of your pubic skin and trim the hair without scratching the skin itself.^{[4]
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- This is especially important before shaving your genitals themselves. On delicate areas like your scrotum or vulva, using your hand to pull the skin taut can keep you from accidentally cutting yourself.
2
Use a high-quality, sharp razor to get a close shave. When shaving your pubic area, don’t just use a cheap, disposable razor. Shave using a high-quality razor with sharp blades so that the blades slice off your pubic hair rather than tearing it out.^{[5]
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Research source} Also, as a matter of routine, replace the razor blade that you use to shave your groin after every 5–6 uses.
- If you use a razor past this point, you’ll be shaving with a dull blade, which greatly increases your chances of getting razor burn.
- Some people prefer to use a safety razor when they trim the hair on and around their private parts. It tends to prevent razor burn, and also keeps you from accidentally cutting yourself.
3
Shave in the direction of hair growth to avoid painfully tearing hairs out. Look closely at the hair around your groin to see which direction it grows in. Set the razor on the skin of your private parts (or your pubic region in general) and shave using short strokes. If you use strokes longer than 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm), you’ll be more likely to scrape the skin and get razor burn. It’s okay if you need to take 2 or 3 passes with a razor to get a close shave.^{[6]
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- Although shaving against the grain can remove a large amount of hair in a single pass, it also poses a risk to your skin. If you shave too closely against the grain, you’ll almost certainly get razor burn.
4
Moisturize your pubic area with a fragrance-free moisturizer. Once you’ve finished shaving, apply a gentle lotion or moisturizer around your private parts. This will help keep your skin healthy and strong. Moisturizing will also help prevent razor burn by allowing your skin to heal if you accidentally gave it a small nick or 2.^{[7]
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- If you shaved your vulva, be careful not to get any moisturizer or lotion inside.
5
Wash your razor and rinse it with rubbing alcohol after shaving. After you get out of the shower, use soap and water to wash off the blades of your razor. Then pour a little rubbing alcohol over the blades to completely kill any bacteria that may have gotten onto the blade. This will prepare your razor for the next time you decide to shave on and around your private parts.^{[8]
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- If you use an unwashed blade to trim your pubic hair, you’ll risk getting a bacterial infection in an unpleasant area.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Treating Razor Burn

1
Apply an OTC hydrocortisone cream to help with itchy razor burn. If you notice that the area around your private parts is covered with small, red bumps, you have razor burn. An over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone cream is a great product to help decrease the itch that often comes along with razor burn. To apply, squeeze out a small dollop onto your index finger and lightly massage it into the itchy area(s).^{[9]
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- Purchase a 1% hydrocortisone cream at any local pharmacy. If you have severe itching in your groin, or suspect that a cut may have gotten infected, make an appointment to see your doctor.
EXPERT TIP

Juan Sabino
Professional Barber
Juan Sabino is a Professional Barber and the Owner of Juan's Barber Shop, a barbershop based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Juan has over 20 years of male grooming experience and over eight years of professional barber experience. He specializes in combovers, barber fades, and tapers and is focused on improving men's overall wellness.

Juan Sabino
Professional Barber

Take a break from shaving to give your skin time to recover. Shaving puts your skin through a lot, and shaving every day can damage your pores. If you get razor burn, you might be shaving too often. Give your skin time to regenerate before you shave again.
2
Use an OTC razor burn cream to clean and soothe the razor burn. Many over-the-counter products are designed to decrease the pain and itching of razor burn. While quite a few razor burn creams do contain hydrocortisone, many also contain salicylic acid and glycolic acid, both of which are helpful at healing razor burn. As with the hydrocortisone cream, apply a dollop to 1 finger and spread it across the razor burn on or around your private parts.^{[10]
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- Salicylic acid is also found in many acne medications.
3
Take an oatmeal bath to soothe razor burn on your pubic area. Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can soothe itchy skin and reduce inflammation. Grind about 2 cups (170 g) of regular oatmeal or colloidal oatmeal with a food processor. Then pour the ground oatmeal into a bathtub full of warm water. Climb in and sit in the water for at least 15–20 minutes, or until the itching stops.^{[11]
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- You can also find oatmeal-based bath products in the hygiene section of most drugstores if you’d rather not grind up your own oatmeal.
4
Rub an aloe-vera-based lotion or cream onto the itchy razor burn. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and drugstores sell a number of lotions and gels that contain aloe vera. The plant soothes irritated skin, cuts down on pain and itching, and can also reduce inflammation if your groin is covered in razor bumps.^{[12]
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- Alternately, if you have an aloe vera plant, cut off a branch and rub the gooey liquid inside directly onto the razor burn.

Warnings

If you do end up with razor burn, leave the area alone and avoid touching it or scratching the bumps. Scratching or rubbing will only worsen the pain and itching, and you could even infect the area.^{[14]
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