The Best Penis Soaps and Intimate Washes for Keeping Nether Regions Clean
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There is absolutely no reason a man should not clean his penis on a regular, if not daily, basis. The groin area naturally runs hotter than the rest of the body and easily accumulates sweat and grime simply by existing. It’s not just pleasant to have a clean groin and genitals, it’s also important for penis health.
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“Skin irritations and some common illnesses are less likely to occur when you practice appropriate genital cleanliness and care,” said Dr. Anna Chacon, a Florida-based board-certified dermatologist. “Consequently, understanding how to wash your penis is crucial. Whether you have a foreskin or have been circumcised, the fundamental concepts still hold true.”
Dr. Noor Hanif Said, a board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Renaissance Dermatology, said that poor hygiene can specifically lead to pain and inflammation at the head of the penis and urinary tract infections.
Though male genital maintenance may have had a stigma before, today, men can turn to intimate washes and penis soaps. They’re designed to safely handle men’s most sensitive parts without drying them out or causing irritation. That means more comfort all day and night, and hopefully less doubt about the nether region’s state of affairs prior to intimacy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Penis Soaps
What’s most important to look for in a penis soap or intimate wash?
“Soaps specifically designed for the genital area are usually milder, pH balanced, and often hypoallergenic,” said Dr. Ahmad Chaudhry, a consulting dermatologist for skin care company Scandinavian Biolabs. “Look out for ingredients like lactic acid, which helps maintain the right pH balance, and chamomile or calendula extracts known for their soothing properties.”
Can guys use a regular body wash and soap on their penis and balls
Yes, regular body wash and soap will work just fine for most men and their genital regions. However, washes or soaps meant for full-body use won’t be as well tuned to sensitive groin skin and could be “too harsh,” stripping skin and irritating it, said Chacon. Sasha Core, a London-based skin care expert echoed the same sentiment. “Oftentimes, normal soap is too harsh to use in intimate areas – it can alter the skin’s natural oils and pH balance, which can lead to extra dryness, itching, and other forms of irritation,” said Core.
What else can men do to maintain good genital hygiene?
If it’s good for the heart, it’s good for the penis, said Dr. Justin Dubin, a Florida-based urologist and men’s health specialist at Memorial Healthcare System. In addition to living a healthy lifestyle — no smoking, having a good diet, and semi-regular exercise — he recommends regular washing and cleaning, including retracting the foreskin for uncircumcised men, and speaking to a doctor if there are any visible lesions of concern or warts.
How often should you use a penis soap?
For best results with an intimate wash or penis soap, use it semi-regularly in the shower and err on the side of less is more. If men use too much product, they could risk drying their penis and balls out, and they can always wash again if they missed anything. “You don’t need to use an intimate wash every single day – once every few days is good enough – but make sure that you use it with clean warm water,” Core said, adding that choosing products with gentle, natural formulations also helps.
BEST OVERALL
MANSCAPED® Crop Cleanser Groin Wash
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SPY editors tested multiple grooming products from Manscaped in 2021 and 2022, and found the brand to be reliable, genital-safe, and pricey. Case in point? The Manscaped Cleanser Groin Wash is a SPY favorite and also the top-rated and top-reviewed men’s intimate wash on Amazon. It’s filled with gentle cleansers, hydrating vitamin E, and aloe vera, as well as cooling menthol and prebiotics that help the skin barrier regulate itself. They also help break down accumulated sweat, grime, and oil and refresh the penis and balls. This wash is also designed to foam minimally which decreases the chances of accidental contact with the tip of the penis and leaves junk with a masculine smell of light citrus, sambac jasmine, and vetiver.
Manscaped’s intimate wash for men is the only one to check all the boxes — effective formula, great fragrance, and trendy design — which justifies it as our top pick.
RUNNER-UP
HAPPY NUTS Body and Nut Wash for Men
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Why It Stands Out: The Honda Accord of intimate washes for men, the Happy Nuts Body and Nut Wash isn’t flashy, but what it does, it does well. It’s reasonably priced, offering a great price per ounce, and delivers on its promises to safely cleanse and moisturize the penis and balls with a unique combination of soothing aloe, coconut oils and extracts and vitamin E for hydrating, as well as citric acid and tapioca starch for moisture control.
ROI: This wash offers the best price per ounce that SPY saw among dedicated groin washes. At just over $1 per ounce, this wash will likely continue to return on its investment for months.
Hot Take: Amazon reviewers raved about this wash for two reasons: It delivers an awesome woodsy, sandalwood, “manly man” fragrance and it leaves penises feeling smooth. Beyond that, this intimate wash also features penis-safe ingredients to regulate and maintain sweat and groin health, like tapioca starch and vitamin E. Plus, the branding is funny and it’s hard to put an exact price on the value of a chuckle in the shower.
HONORABLE MENTION
Ballsy Ballwash Charcoal Body Wash for Men
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Why It Stands Out: The Ballsy Ballwash relies on activated charcoal, which is excellent at washing away grime and smells. Plus, its larger bottle comes with a pump dispenser, a convenient feature that’s criminally underused by product designers in the grooming industry.
ROI: This intimate wash offers the second-best price per ounce among dedicated groin washes. Though it costs a little more upfront than others, the bottle’s large 16-ounce size will last at least a few months, if not more, depending on usage.
Hot Take: The primary ingredient in Ballsy’s intimate wash, activated charcoal, finely exfoliates the skin and protects it from buildup of sweat and grime. Aloe vera, vitamin E, and vegetable glycerin also work in tandem to moisturize the penis skin after the fact. The end result is a penis and balls that have an actually-clean feeling and aren’t dried out.
BEST WITH TEA TREE OIL
Skin Elements Intimate Wash for Men
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Why It Stands Out: Tea tree is widely used in the cosmetics and grooming industry for its strong cleansing, anti-itch, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. The Skin Elements Intimate Wash for Men puts that power of those elements front and center in this intimate wash.
ROI: At $3.70 per ounce, this stuff is expensive relative to the other washes on this list, thanks to its use of tea tree, which makes a return on investment a steeper ask. However, it’s the only intimate wash for men with tea tree as its central ingredient, and that means it offers unique properties and benefits that other washes can’t provide.
Hot Take: With tea tree oil, witch hazel, and calendula and aloe vera extracts, this wash — through a convenient pump dispenser — produces a thick foam to easily clean the penis and balls and restore tired skin; that’s great for cleansing the whole area, but guys just need to be careful to avoid getting too much product near their urethra, which can cause irritation. An added bonus is that tea tree oil can also help with groin itching when used consistently over time.
PH-BALANCING INTIMATE WASH
zerotaboos Intimate Foam Wash with Prebiotics
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Why It Stands Out: The Zerotaboos WASH uses prebiotics to minimize bad bacteria and maintain the groin’s pH while gently cleansing the area. Rather than introduce new environmental factors that can mess with the groin’s natural levels, this wash helps keep them consistent.
ROI: Despite its premium-looking branding, this product lands right in the middle value-wise, costing a bit more than $2.00 per ounce, perfect for guys who don’t want to spend the most but who are fine to spend a little more.
Hot Take: Most guys want a non-itchy clean and don’t care how they get it. This wash is for guys seeking a natural junk-cleaning and maintenance process, which is exactly what prebiotics do. Instead of blanket cleansing the entire area, and potentially stripping it of helpful bacteria, this wash uses probiotics to maintain and stabilize ideal pH conditions over time. It’s both proactive and preventative which makes it a great value.
NATURAL PENIS SOAP
HAPPY NUTS Man Slab Natural Soap for Men
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Why It Stands Out: Dedicated penis soaps are actually pretty uncommon, so the fact the Happy Nuts Man Slab Natural Soap exists at all is notable. More specifically, this penis soap loads up on skin-protecting ingredients, like coconut oil and antioxidant-rich olive oil, to mitigate the strong cleaning power of the soap and activated charcoal.
ROI: This is a premium penis soap and its $9.00-per-bar price point reflects that. However, even pricey soaps tend to last at least a few weeks to a few months depending on usage, so this ROI is likely to be high for most users.
Hot Take: Nothing will clean a penis and balls better than penis soap, but a natural penis soap is even better because it includes important moisturizers, including hydrating fruit, plant oils, and shea butter that restores dry, cracked skin. Soap bricks are also perfect for the traveling man, thanks to their security-friendly formulas.
THE NUCLEAR PENIS SOAP
Dial Antibacterial Bar Soap, Gold, 4 Ounce – 8 Bars
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Why It Stands Out: Dial Gold Antibacterial Deodorant Soap is cheap, effective, and sold by nearly every major pharmacy, drugstore, and retailer in the U.S.
ROI: As one of Dial’s core products, this soap is consistently cheap and gets a lot cheaper per bar when purchased in bulk. A single bar also literally lasts months without breaking a sweat.
Hot Take: This penis soap is NOT meant for everyone’s penis, especially men with sensitive skin. But for guys dealing with oil and grime day in, day out, something stronger may be called for, and that’s Dial Gold Soap.
BEST GENTLE BODY WASH
Vanicream Gentle Body Wash
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Why It Stands Out: Vanicream is one of the brands dermatologists tell SPY about the most because its products are laser-focused on sensitive skin and helping users avoid irritation. The Vanicream Gentle Body Wash has over a dozen ingredients, but they’re mostly mild and inactive, making it a perfect intimate wash for men.
ROI: Compared to all body washes, this stuff is a little more expensive than average, but compared to most intimate washes for men, it’s mighty cheap, coming in at well under $1.00 per ounce.
Hot Take: Men cleaned their groins before specialty products and many do so without them. For guys looking for a gentle, all-around body clean, penis and balls included, this body wash skips anything that might irritate skin and has the backing of the National Eczema Association. If it’s good enough for eczema sufferers, it’s good enough to clean the groin.
How a penis looks and feels isn’t just a permanent, unchangeable state guys have to accept. If one message from medical experts came through clearly, it’s that there is choice when it comes to genital care. For serious issues, talk to a doctor. For minor issues, like garden variety itching, dryness, and chafing — there are products designed to help that do actually help.
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