What are Kegel balls and how to use them from the Experts at Kegel8

Medically reviewed by Amanda Savage, edited 20/07/2023

Love balls, Ben Wa balls, jiggle balls – whatever term you use, Kegel balls may seem like a very NSFW product. But, they're not just the type of products you'd expect to see in an unrealistic fantasy, you can actually use these to improve a whole load of sexual health aspects. Discover the benefits of love balls in this blog…

What are Kegel Balls?

Kegel balls are designed to help you correctly locate and target your pelvic floor muscles, allowing you to exercise them effectively. Love balls are inserted into the vagina, and whilst your body holds and clenches around them, you are effectively working out and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.

Myra Robson - Kegel8 Vaginal Cones

As well as keeping your pelvic floor healthy and strong, they’re also great for increasing intimate sensations and improving orgasms. The Kegel8 Kegel Balls come in three weights and sizes, allowing you to gradually train your pelvic floor muscles to become stronger. You can begin with the lightest cone, and gradually progress onto larger and heavier balls. Most importantly, they come with an indicator clip which allows you to see, in real-time, when you are correctly exercising your pelvic floor. The end of the kegel ball will wave downwards as you clench your muscles correctly.

Kegel8 Kegel Weights Exercise Set

Not sure how strong you are?

The Kegel8 Kegel Weights help you measure your strength; when you squeeze and lift correctly, the tail waves down

 

How to Prepare Kegel Balls

When you remove your love balls from their packet, make sure you give them a good clean with hot, soapy water or with a cleaning spray such as Kegel8 Cleaning Spray. It’s really important that you clean your jiggle balls before and after each use. This will help to prevent the spread of any harmful bacteria – keeping your vagina happy and healthy. It may be worth adding a small bit of water-based lubricant onto your love balls before inserting them. This will help to make the insertion process more comfortable – but don’t add too much or you may not be able to hold them in place at all!

How to Insert Kegel Balls

Gently insert your love ball by pressing it against your vaginal opening until it comfortably slides in. You may find it’s easier to insert whilst laying down or squatting.Your body is trained to hold the balls in place – your pelvic floor muscles will help with this. If you want to remove them at any point, gently bear down on your pelvic muscles and gently pull your Kegel ball until it slides free. Extra lubricant may also help with the removal process.

How to use Kegel balls 

Once the Kegel ball has been inserted, you can begin the exercise. 

Beginners: a standard Kegel ball exercise routine should like something like this:

  • While laying down, squeeze the pelvic floor muscles around the balls
  • Keep the muscles contracted for around 5-10 seconds
  • Relax the muscles, give yourself a short rest, and repeat the squeeze
  • Try to aim for 3 sets of 10 repetitions or as many as you can handle

Intermediate: try holding the kegel ball in place while standing.  This is a gentle long hold of your pelvic floor muscles, not a strong grip!   Aim for 5 to 10 minutes only.  If the weights slip just push them back into place with your fingers.  With practise you will notice that they don’t slip to easily.

Advanced: in real life we have to multi-task.  Introduce activities. First simple distractions for example holding the weights in place while you clean your teeth or wash your hair. Then make it more complicated like jumping up and down, jogging on the spot or doing a few pretend coughs. 

It can take 8-12 weeks to improve your muscle strength, endurance and co-ordination but you will notice yourself getting better at holding the weights and doing more activities to show that you are making progress.

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How to remove a Kegel ball

Depending on your personal preference – and your body’s natural chemistry – you can leave Kegel balls inside the vaginal canal for a long time – – but muscles can fatigue quickly so 10-15 minutes if recommended.

When the time comes to remove them, it's important to understand that the removal method is different depending on the type of Kegel ball you’re using.

If your Kegel balls are attached by a string, you should:

  • Get comfortable – whether that be laying down, squatting or whatever works best for you
  • Lubricate the vaginal opening
  • Slowly pull on the string and ease the Kegel ball out gently to minimise discomfort

If you’re using a ‘loose’ Kegel ball (without a string), you should:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
  • Bend your knees until you’re in a comfortable squat that isn’t straining
  • Like with any sex toys or even tampons, squeeze the vaginal muscles to coax them out

These loose Kegel balls pose the unfortunate risk of getting stuck as you try to remove them. And while unlikely, the initial panic can be a stressful experience.

If it doesn’t come out immediately, stay calm. Most of the time, a stubborn Kegel ball can be removed by movement – gently jumping up and down and moving around can help dislodge a fixed ball. 

How to clean and store Kegel balls 

An important part of safe and hygienic Kegel ball use is regular cleaning. Unfortunately, many of us make the mistake of not cleaning them enough.

Unclean Kegel balls can put you at risk of UTIs, general irritation and even upset the delicate PH balance of a healthy vagina.

To reduce the risk of infection, after each use of the Kegel ball, you must:

  • Run the ball under hot water and wash with antibacterial hand soap
  • Rinse the balls thoroughly to get rid of any soap residue that might remain
  • Dry with a clean towel or even leave them to air dry for a few hours before putting them away

To guarantee the balls are always clean, you need a safe, sanitary place to store them. Kegel balls should always be kept in their own case, protecting them from any surrounding dirt or grime that may pose a risk.

Types of Kegel balls

Due to the range of options available when looking for the perfect Kegel ball product, it can be tricky to understand which type of Kegel ball is right for you.

Kegel balls can go by many names – with each type offering slightly different functions. This includes standard Ben Wa balls, Geisha balls and luna, vaginal or duotone beads.

These come in various sizes. Gauging the size of ball you’ll need is quite simple as it’s often mirrored by the size of tampons or other sanitary products you use.

If you’re unsure, it’s recommended you start with lighter products that aren’t either too big or small. This is because larger products may cause discomfort for those who are new to Kegel ball exercises, while smaller products require extra strain to keep in place. This way, you can work your way onto larger, heavier designs with more experience, that require greater strength to control.

Some types of balls – like jiggle balls, for example – vibrate, too. Not only does this additional stimulation help to strengthen and tone your pelvic floor muscles, but these Kegel balls can also be used for sexual pleasure.

Kegel8 Kegel Weights Exercise Set

Not sure how strong you are?

The Kegel8 Kegel Weights help you measure your strength; when you squeeze and lift correctly, the tail waves down

 

How to Use Kegel Balls to Improve Sex

Love balls don’t just get that name for no reason. Using Kegel balls before sex can help to improve your arousal in the build up to the big event. Try them now and thank us later!

Kegel ball benefits 

Kegel balls boast a range of benefits. As well as boosting sexual pleasure and performance, they have a range of health benefits, including:

  • Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and reducing urinary or faecal leakage
  • Reducing the risk of a pelvic organ prolapse
  • Assisting in regaining muscle toning and strength post-childbirth
  • Improving vaginal blood flow and increasing vaginal health

Click here to browse our range of Kegel balls. Or get additional information on how Kegel8 can help you on your journey to a stronger pelvic floor by Booking a Call with one of our friendly advisers today.