Jarod Johansen's Ball Stretching Guide
Preservation of Lotions & Butters: "Ball Gloves© & Barrier Bags©"
Shea lotion/butter applied to the scrotal hang is preserved and absorbed by the skin throughout the day under the weights or leather stretcher. However, shea lotion/butter applied to the bare skin around the testicles below the lowest weight is quickly rubbed away on clothing and inside leg. A friend of the author (an engineer) has suggested the use of a moisture barrier designed to preserve the shea lotion/butter around the testicles. This prevents it from being rubbed off and constantly bathes the sack with shea lotion/butter, resulting in a very relaxed scrotal sack. Since high quality lotions and butters can be expensive, it makes sense to preserve at much of them as possible through the use of a moisture barrier. These moisture barriers will be explained below.
A desirable result of these moisture barriers is the rapid gain in skin sensitivity. Sexual activity with a resulting super sensitive sack has never felt better! The slightest movement or touch on the lower scrotal hang is felt and enjoyed at a very high level throughout the day. Since the sack is kept in constant contact with shea lotion/butter, scrotal contraction is kept at a minimum, and the skin elasticity is also enhanced to its maximum potential as well as progress.
The use of a lubricating layer of shea lotion under the plastic moisture barrier means the sack can adjust its self to the path of least resistance and exist as an equilibrium inside the underwear frontal pouch. This is especially helpful for those of us that wear three or more inches of ball weights. The normal everyday stress and strains on the skin, such as pinches and pulls experienced as the sack gets tighter then relaxes in cycles through the day are eliminated. These usually occur at the point where the sack meets the bottom WMC®, although they can happen anywhere on the sack when it is held up close to the body in tight style underwear. The fact that the sack is now able to adjust its self inside the Barrier Bag© means another boost in comfort throughout the work day when long hangs must be hidden inside the frontal portion of the underwear. The sack is able to turn and twist inside the moisture barrier and conversely the moisture barrier is able to move gently over the scrotal sack. These movements surrounding the lower ball sack are especially enjoyable.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a moisture barrier over the lower scrotal hang is the relaxation effect it has on the skin. Cold and stress can cause the sack to contract and get tighter. The moisture barrier holding shea lotion/butter on the skin covering the lower scrotal hang helps to fight this contraction, maintaining a loose relaxed scrotal hang. It is an interesting observation that maintaining a loose sack around the testicles and lower hang (greatly assisted by the moisture barrier) seems to result in a loose relaxed upper portion of the hanging sack. It seems that scrotal contraction begins with the lower sack portion around the testicles and is then followed by contraction of the upper sack. Therefore, maintaining a loose lower scrotal sack is the key to keeping the entire sack loose and hanging at its lowest position. This is especially helpful for those who experience tight scrotal sacks in cold climates. Remember that a loose sack hanging at its lowest means that 100% of the stretching stimulus from the weights or leather stretcher is used to stretch the skin (stimulating cellular multiplication), and is not wasted stretching the tight involuntary muscles lining the scrotal skin.
One small side effect is that the scrotal skin becomes dependent on the shea butter/lotion moisture and dries out if it is left bare for more than a day or so. If use of the moisture barrier is discontinued, this can be diminished by massaging the skin with shea lotion/butter then leaving the sack hanging bare in the same manner as was done before the moisture barrier was used. Since this is easily remedied, it is only a minor side effect lasting about a day.
The engineering friend had a good experience with using hospital examination gloves as a moisture barrier. He recommended the use of nitrile examination gloves by the manufacturer Kimberly Clark®. This name brand glove works the best because it is the strongest and is available in long lengths so that the entire scrotal hang can be encapsulated within the glove's hand and arm. The author has tried using standard locally available gloves such as Playtex's Great Lengths™ gloves and the nitrile gloves available in pharmacies locally. He has found difficulty with applying them to the hang for even a modest period of time without them tearing and falling apart. The author did not experiment with the actual Kimberly Clark® name brand glove. It is the experience of the author as well as his friend that all other gloves fail to be strong enough to reliably serve as a protective moisture barrier. Actual Kimberly Clark® gloves are for sale online right here and now! Click here for the recommended Kimberly Clark® gloves. For those with long hangs and 3 or more inches of ball weights riding on the hang, the author recommends the Kimberly-Clark® S5060 Purple 6 mil Nitrile Exam Gloves. These gloves are truly long enough so that the entire weight length and the bare exposed remaining hang are completely covered. Now, the entire hang can be encapsulated within the Ball Glove. The results are highest possible skin elasticity and stretching ability.
To make a Ball Glove©, first tie the fingers together in pairs, then tie off the thumb in a knot. Using scissors, cut off the excess hanging finger material that remain after tying the knots. What remains is a fun easy as well as strong nitrile bag in which to place the scrotal hang. Before pulling the glove onto the hang, liberally grease the entire ball sack and weights in shea butter. Additional shea butter can be added inside the Ball Glove© if desired. After placing and pulling the glove up onto the hang, pull the excess glove material horizontally at the top so the opening of the glove hugs the sack in a mildly tight seal. Use a rubber band (the illustrations suggest a torn off piece of glove material as well) to tie off the excess glove diameter and retain the mildly tight seal around the sack hang. You may also try using a ponytailer at the top of the glove to hold it up and in place for wear during the day. Additional shea lotion/butter can be applied inside the glove to ensure an adequate supply throughout the day. Click here to view photos provided by the author's engineering friend. They are a photo plate illustrating the making and use of Ball Gloves©.
Best results are obtained using the glove to cover the hang and weights with a ponytailer or rubber band on top to hold the glove in place. To position the glove under the weights or leather stretcher, first apply the glove and then add the weights or stretcher on top. Apply a liberal amount of shea lotion/butter to the scrotal hang before applying the moisture barrier glove.
For those who find the gloves are cumbersome, expensive and/or not strong enough and tear apart too easily, the author puts forth an alternative method. This method involves the construction of a Barrier Bag©. Simply put, this is a standard sandwich bag applied to the sack. These bags are strong and do not tear. They are fun to make and also quite inexpensive. They are held in place by sliding the Barrier Bag© top under the lowest first weight and is held in place by ponytailers and the lowest weight. Two ponytailers should be used below and above the lowest weight to help keep the Barrier Bag© in place. The bag is held up and sealed very nicely under four ponytailers and the bottom weight. If discomfort is felt around the ponytailers, take on off and give it a trial run. If discomfort is still felt, take off another ponytailer. This will leave a ponytailer below the bottom weight and one above the bottom weight. The author suggests the construction of several Barrier Bags© in one session since they can become dirty after constant wear and must be thrown away. Directions and illustrations on how to construct a Barrier Bag© are as follows
1. Use an ordinary sandwich bag which has a flap and tuck. Notice the edges of the tuck seams are in green. Cut the plastic flap free from the sides of the bag by cutting on the side towards the center of the bag lining the scissor tips with the green arrows. Don't cut on the edge of the bag or it will leak. Plate 1 This photo shows the flap free after the cut. Plate 2
2. Lift the cut off flap upwards and line the red and green arrows together. The two sides of the bag are now the same distance in length Plate 3.
3. Take a two inch long strip of two-inch wide clear packing tape (shaded red) and apply half on one side. Plates 4 & 5. Be sure to put the tape down far enough to make an air tight seal when the tape folds over to the other side. Plate 6. Apply a narrow piece of tape at the top to make a perfect air tight seal along the entire edge for both sides of the bag.
4. Turn the bag upside down and the old bottom is the new bag top. Using the thumb and forefinger, pinch the letters A & B together as if the were kissing each other. Plates 7, 8 & 9. Fan-fold the bag edge starting in the center and go to the ends on both sides. Fold left, fold right, fold left, fold right continuously as if it were an accordion bellow contracting together. Plate 10. After they are together on both sides, staple them together to hold them solidly in place. Plate 11.
5. Twist the end of the bag in one direction like a candy wrapper and then seal in place with several layers of masking tape. Plates 12, 13 14 &15. Cut the tip off with scissors 1/3 down the tape roll. Plate 16.
6. The completed Barrier Bag is displayed here. Plate 17. Finally, inflate the Barrier Bag using the breath and check for leaks. If a leak is found, seal it with the clear packing tape. The Barrier Bag is now finished and can be applied to the scrotal hang. A final staple can be made to ensure nothing will leak through the cut. Plate 18.
Click here to view a photo plate illustrating these directions continuously from start to finish.
To apply the Barrier Bag© to the hang, first apply a liberal amount of shea lotion/butter to the exposed scrotal skin surrounding the testicles and under the bottom weight about an inch high. This amount of shea lotion/butter will be held inside the Barrier Bag© and will make the scrotal skin very soft and sensitive. If desired, some shea lotion/butter can be applied inside the Barrier Bag© to ensure that enough is available for 24 hour long wear. Next, pull the Barrier Bag© over the testicles and upwards towards the weight(s). Pull the top end of the Barrier Bag© under the bottom weight and apply two ponytailers on the top of the bag right above the lowest weight. This will hold the top of the Barrier Bag© in place and prevent it from slipping down and out from under the bottom weight and falling off. Please note that a ½ inch deep (15mm) weight works the best with a standard sandwich bag. If the bottom weight is deeper than ½ inch, apply the bag first and then add the weight over the bag on the hang. Pushing the bag up under a longer weight is difficult. The longer weight should hold the bag in place for 24 hours. Once the bag is installed completely under a half inch weight, there is exactly the right amount of bag pulled out from under the lowest weight on the other side to apply these two ponytailers. If the lowest weight is a 1 inch (30mm) deep, then longer sandwich bags can be tried. It is a good general principle to follow; the longer the bags the easier to work with.
Two more ponytailers are recommended, and can be applied between the testicles and bottom weight as long as comfort is maintained. This is especially helpful if the reader is experiencing difficulty with the secondary testicle (smaller and higher) escaping through the inside diameter of the lowest weight. Applying two ponytailers that take up some space under the bottom weight is quite helpful in this method. The author also suggests wearing a thin sock over the applied Barrier Bag © and weights-- this keeps the Barrier Bag© in place and if it slips off, the sock will catch it. The sock also helps to keep the hang warm.
Through the recommendation of an online friend, the author has learned of a third and perhaps easiest method for use of a moisture barrier, preserving the shea butter/lotion within the bag next to the scrotal skin. Standard newspaper bags come in a 5.5 inch diameter by 16 inches in length. These newspaper bags simply need to be cut to length and immediately applied. They may be worn 1-2 days with each use. Using a new bag every other day will help cut down on shea butter/lotion usage since the lotion/butter inside the bag can be used again the next day. However, if skin pores or hair follicles start to feel sore and inflamed, discontinue the use of a moisture barrier for two days to allow the situation to heal its self. These standard newspaper bags are only available in quantities of 2000 from online newspaper supply outlets, and this is clearly more than anyone could use. The author estimates that about 200 - 250 newspaper barrier bags are needed each year for year-round moisture barrier coverage. The author is in contact with various online ball-stretching supply stores to see if they would stock the bags and sell them in quantities of 100. A list of these stores will be included here in this text in future updates.
In addition to an occasional inflamed hair follicle, sometimes a more severe reaction can occur...an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the shea lotion brand being used. These allergic reactions are somewhat mysterious, because they can happen immediately or they can take several months to develop. The author has heard from a few men who have developed a delayed allergic reaction to their shea lotion when using the moisture barrier idea. Since the moisture barrier concept intentionally holds the shea lotion over the entire scrotal hang, the body is given a vast dose of all ingredients contained within the shea lotion brand being used. Since all store brands contain alcohol, the author believes the exposure to alcohol over the scrotal sack for long periods is the cause of the allergic reaction. Secretleather's Sheacoa butter is pure shea butter, shea oil and cocoa butter and nothing more. Men who develop skin allergies to store brand shea butter lotions should by all ways and means switch to using Secretleather's pure shea butter formula. If the benefits in maintaining a loose scrotal sack through the use of the moisture barrier idea are big enough, switching to Sheacoa butter is well worth a try.
Symptoms of a skin allergy are a reddish inflamed appearance, or a scaly over-dry appearance of the sack skin. This may seem ironic, since it figures that applying more lotion to the hard flaking dry skin should improve the skin's condition, but the opposite is true...things are just made worse. If you suspect a skin allergy, stop using any and all lotions and let the sack skin heal naturally. Massage pure virgin olive oil into the skin and this should help bring some moisture back into the over-dried dead skin of the epidermis. .
The author estimates that it will take 4 minutes to apply the Barrier Bag©, so plan your morning shower routine accordingly. The longest part of the application process is pulling the Barrier Bag©'s top under the lowest weight with shea coated fingers! Perhaps wiping the fingers off after applying shea lotion to the hang will be helpful. The bag must be removed daily for cleaning and application of new shea lotion/butter. Click HERE to view a photo plate illustrating these directions Plates 19-22.
To apply the Barrier Bag© using a leather stretcher, apply a liberal amount of shea lotion/butter to the sack and then pull the Barrier Bag© over the testicles and as far up as the bag will allow. Add two ponytailers on the hang to keep the top of the Barrier Bag© in place. Finally, apply the leather stretcher to the hang. If there is pain from too much compression where the ponytailers are applied, try just one ponytailer. Wear a thin sock over the Barrier Bag© and stretcher to keep the sack loose and keep the bag in place.
The Ball Glove© has an advantage over the Barrier Bag©. This advantage is that the Kimberly Clark™ gloves are long enough and strong enough to cover the testicles weights and entire scrotal hang in the protective moisture barrier for those with very long to medium-long scrotal hangs. Slightly long, medium and small scrotal hangs work equally well with either the Barrier Bag© or Ball Glove©.
Since the Ball Glove© covers the entire scrotal hang, this means all topical ointments are saved at 100%. This is only a small advantage, since the weights on the hang also preserve moisture and generous amounts of shea lotion/butter. Using the Barrier Bag©, probably 92% (±2%) of what is applied to the hang actually stays with the hang.
Is 8% huge difference? Is the higher price of the name brand a huge difference? The gloves cost $19.43 (qty. 100, plus $8.95 shipping) while the Barrier Bags© cost $0.78 (qty. 150) plus the cost of clear tape ($5 @ OfficeMax) and masking tape ($8.39 @ OfficeMax). The net sums are: Ball Glove© = $28.38 for 100; Barrier Bag© = $14.17 for an initial 150. For an additional $0.78, 150 more could be made.
The use of a moisture barrier such as the Ball Glove© or Barrier Bag© greatly enhance the stretching experience by boosting ball sack sensitivity on an already sensitive part of the body-- the central line. The feeling of the sack and moisture barrier moving across each other gives very pleasurable feelings even in the most formal of occasions-just slightly push on the hang or move a the leg and motion can be felt and enjoyed. Imagine, soaking the sack in a bath of shea lotion/butter is now possible...all day, even while at work.
After all has been said, remember that those suffering from frequent sack tightness, either by cold or stress, can find some degree of relief in using a 15mm WMC and a Barrier Bag © containing shea lotion/butter. Apply shea lotion/butter liberally on the entire sack hang as well as some inside the Barrier Bag ©. Your tight sack will experience pleasure and intense moisturization, relaxing the sack's skin muscles.
Exactly which is the best, Secretleather's Sheacoa® butter or Palmer's® Shea Butter Formula? Since Palmer's® contains stearic acid and cetyl alcohol, it could possibly dry the skin. Also, actual shea butter is listed as the sixth ingredient. Secretleather's all natural Sheacoa® butter is a simple quartet of Shea butter, Cocoa butter, Shea oil, and Pure essential Oil of Neroli. Three jars are enough to supply an active 24/7 stretcher one year in time. Ordering three jars of Sheacoa® butter at one time will reduce shipping costs in comparison to three jars ordered singularly.
Since the author is not an immunologist, he cannot say for certain that everyone will have the same success with their ability to tolerate a longer term exposure either the Sheacoa™ or Palmer's® Shea Butter Formula. There may be an allergic reaction that could possibly develop with longer term exposure to the chemicals in the Palmer's® formulate or the natural ingredients in the Sheacoa™ Butter Formula. However, if there is no initial reaction, the chances of an acquired immunological reaction is quite small. Since the author cannot recall the exact mechanism of the immune reaction, he cannot comment further.
Since the author is not a dermatologist , he cannot say for certain that everyone will have the same success at their skin tolerating the longer term exposure times using these two moisture barriers. The reality is that there are different skin types, just as there are different rates in the abilities of these various skin types to stretch. Isn't it interesting that there are skin stretching rates for each skin type, and they are all different. The same is true for all the variations in the ability to endure a hot sunny environment. Some skins will burn almost instantly, whereas others are able to endure the sun's exposure for longer periods of time before burning up. Some skin types are also quite sensitive to chemical additives in commercial lotions. For further information on skin types, please Google "skin type", then perhaps "stretch" "elastic", etc..
Since the author is learning the benefits at the same time as the reader, we will both be working together to learn what we can on scrotal bathing in shea butter/lotion. The experience so far is the same as all previous attempts at scrotal bathing by the author. In previous days, the author has kept his sack in these same style plastic sandwich bags. He specifically remembers high-school attempts by taping the hang and bag seal shut with masking tape. It was successful however since there was hair present, the removal was painful. But, the experience was pleasurable and there is a desire to keep returning to scrotal bathing techniques. The moisture barrier need not be worn continuously 7 days a week, rather wear it a few days and take a day off. If sack tightness returns, apply the moisture barrier again the next day. As the author, he is only going by his experiences and the words and wisdom from others.