Don’t Let Razor Burn Ruin Your Manscaping. These Aftershaves Can Help.

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Quick Overview

YOU KNOW THE moment. You’re wiggling in your chair, subtly squirming as you try like hell not to focus on what you’re feeling below the belt. Maybe you’re at the office or maybe you’re at a cafe, but societal norms stop you from the only impulse you have, which is to scratch your crotch. Yup, you recently shaved your most intimate area, likely without applying aftershave based on the reaction. It may seem excessive, but taking a couple of minutes to apply some aftershave balm or lotion will make a world of difference.

Best After Shaves for Intimate Areas

The discomfort, bumps, and irritation don’t need to be part of the devil’s bargain you make when you’re shaving around the family jewels. It doesn’t get as much attention, but just like how you shave your face, the process isn’t over once all hair is removed.

Whether you’re doing a full-blown manzilian or touching up around the edges after some pubic hair trimming, using aftershave will go a long way in minimizing itching, irritation, ingrown hairs, and redness so you don’t have to decide between rocking an unkempt ’70s bush or avoiding thick fabrics for two weeks. These are the six best for the delicate job.

1) Manscaped Crop Soother Groin Grooming Aftershave Lotion

Manscaped Crop Soother is the only aftershave on this list made specifically for your groin, so it’s not too surprising that it’s also the best one. It has everything you need in an aftershave for your most sensitive skin. It’s moisturizing, gentle, and never irritating. Much of this can be attributed to the Crop Soother’s formula featuring a collection of soothing heavyweights. Aloe, colloidal oats, shea butter, cocoa seed butter, and safflower oil all come together for a lotion that feels instantly refreshing.

Throughout the day, I never feel itchy when I apply this stuff after shaving. There’s rarely—if ever—irritation or ingrowns in the hours or days following, as well. Not to mention, it’s barely $13, which is less than half the cost of the aftershave I’m currently using on my face (shout out Clinique For Men Post-Shave Soother). Manscaped never overthinks its products, and the same is true here. This lotion simply soothes freshly shaved skin without causing a reaction or lingering discomfort for less than the cost of an Italian combo in New York City.

Read More: How to Trim Pubic Hair

Pros

Made specifically for the groin
Great value at $13
Fast asborbing

Cons

Can feel slightly greasy if you overapply

2) Anthony After Shave Balm

Typically, you won’t want to chase that familiar cooling feeling you can get from lathering an aftershave on your face. However, here, the formula is gentle enough that you can get away with it without irritation or discomfort. Aloe vera and allantoin lead the way, helping soothe and hydrate freshly shaved skin.

Its thicker texture also delivers more moisture than a lightweight lotion without leaving skin greasy. While it’s designed for faces, its fragrance-free and sensitive-skin-friendly formula makes it ideal for the groin. It spreads easily, absorbs quickly, and isn’t quite as thick as CeraVe’s cream (more on that shortly), so it’s safe to use year-round.

Read More: Best Pubic Hair Trimmers

Pros

Quick absorbing
Non-greasy
Leaving refreshing feel

Cons

While it’s fragrance-free, it does have a slight natural scent

3) The Art of Shaving After-Shave Balm

I like using a balm after shaving because the thicker texture feels more moisturizing and soothing than a typical lotion. This is another one not marketed as something for intimate areas, but it works well for me. The Art of Shaving’s Unscented After-Shave Balm spreads easily and absorbs quickly without leaving my skin feeling greasy.

To be clear, this only applies to the unscented balm. Art of Shaving has a few versions of this balm, and all the others sting when I use them on my body—it’s not hard to decipher what the issue is there (read: it’s fragrance). The shea butter, glycerin, and jojoba oil also leave my skin feeling soft, which allows me to wear jeans (versus the baggiest, more gentle pants I can find) on the day I shave down there.

Read More: Best Aftershave

Pros

Non-greasy
Leaves skin soft thoughout the day
Great for when you’re shaving large areas
Lightweight

Cons

The most expensive option on this lis

4) Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Now, not every aftershave marketed for sensitive skin will work effectively on your balls—some won’t even be effective on your face. But Nivea Men’s Sensitive Post Shave Balm makes sense for intimate areas because it’s not just fragrance-free but, crucially, also alcohol-free (like most options on this list).

The formula is streamlined, including vitamin E, vitamin B5, and chamomile to calm and hydrate skin after shaving. Like Manscaped, it doesn’t overthink things, simply avoiding anything that irritates sensitive skin while relying on what can best soothe it. When I use this, there’s no burning or lingering dryness, and I can go on with my day without being constantly reminded that I did some below-the-belt management in the morning.

Read More: How to Shave

Pros

Less than $10
Formulated for sensitive skin
Long lasting bottle

5) Supply Healing Post Shave Spray

When it’s muggy out, those heavier creams can struggle to fully absorb into your skin and feel greasy and gross—especially in areas that hold heat like your crotch. On these days, I always turn to this spray. It absorbs fast and never feels clunky on the skin thanks to its watery consistency. The backbone of this spray is its plant-based ingredients, including witch hazel, aloe vera, and shea butter. Together, they calm redness, minimize irritation, and hydrate freshly shaved skin.

Witch hazel isn’t an ingredient I’d typically recommend for sensitive skin, as it can be drying; however, since it’s seemingly a low dose and the formula itself isn’t alcohol-based, it never made my skin burn or break out. Plus, it’s fragrance-free, so there’s really a minimal risk of a reaction. This spray can also be used in addition to balms and creams. If I haven’t shaved in a while and am worried about irritation, I’ll do a couple of sprays before applying my thicker aftershave for added hydration.

Pros

Spray makes applying quick and easy
Absorbs fast
Non-greasy

Cons

Witch hazel can cause drying in those sensitive

6) CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Before I had the know-how or budget to get a dedicated pubic aftershave, I’d use my go-to body lotion, which was usually CeraVe. It’s never expensive and always easy to find, plus even before I knew much about skincare, I knew my skin preferred lotions without fragrance. Turns out, I was onto something all those years ago, because this is still a favorite to this day.

The fragrance-free formula is gentle, and while the lotion is one of the thicker options on this list, it doesn’t take as long to absorb as you might think. I don’t often use this in the peak of summer—it’s still a thick cream and will feel goopy in July—but for the cooler months it’s perfect. The ceramides help support the skin barrier, while hyaluronic acid helps hold moisture in the skin, so my skin never feels tight or dry.

Read More: Best Moisturizers

Pros

Great value
Huge container, lasts for months
Gentle formula

Cons

May be too thick when it’s humid

What to Consider

Should there be fragrance in aftershave for intimates?

Anyone who has sensitive skin on their face knows how frustrating it is to buy a moisturizer only for it to burn your face because it has fragrance. Well, the skin around your genitals can be more sensitive, even if you have the most resilient skin on your face.

See, fragrance typically contains compounds that can disrupt or irritate the skin barrier. When the barrier is already weakened (which can happen from shaving, hot water, exercise, or just being in the sun), that irritation can trigger an inflammatory response, leading to the redness, itching, burning, or dryness we all know too well. This holds true for your groin, as well. For that reason, it’s important to avoid heavily fragranced aftershaves.

What are the best ingredients to look for in aftershave for intimates?

Now, to be clear, there aren’t many aftershave lotions and balms formulated specifically for your privates, so it’s crucial to keep an eye on the ingredients and make sure it’ll be as gentle as possible. A few you should absolutely avoid (in addition to fragrance) are alcohols and exfoliators (like salicylic acid or lactic acid), as these can cause a reaction. Instead, these are the best ingredients to look for:

Aloe vera, chamomile, allantoin: This soothing trio can help calm freshly shaved skin and reduce the feeling of irritation, making them especially useful for the sensitive skin around the genitals.
Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5 (aka panthenol): These hydration-focused ingredients help attract and retain moisture in the skin, easing the dryness and tightness that can follow shaving.
Shea butter, cocoa seed butter, jojoba oil, safflower oil: These moisturizing ingredients help soften skin and replenish its protective barrier after shaving, with the butters providing richer moisture and the oils offering a lighter conditioning effect.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E helps moisturize and condition the skin while supporting the skin barrier, making it a useful addition to a post-shave formula.

How We Selected

I don’t often go fully bald with my body grooming for entire areas outside of my back. However, I do a lot of management to neaten things up around the edges, which causes the same itchiness, discomfort, and irritation as when I give it a full shave.

For this list, I considered the products I’ve been using for years to soothe my skin while testing the latest releases for at least one month to get a full picture of how they perform. I also tested my go-to aftershaves for sensitive skin that I never used on my body to see how they held up below the belt. Based on this research, these were the six best-performing aftershaves for intimate areas.

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