What are Kegel (Ben Wa) Balls & How to Use Them
Medically Reviewed by Amanda Savage
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.
As well as keeping your pelvic floor healthy and strong, they’re also great for increasing intimate sensations and improving orgasms.
The Kegel8 Vaginal Cones 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 cone will wave downwards as you clench your muscles correctly.
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. 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
Remember, it’s a long process, and you likely won’t see immediate results. Keep up your progress by regularly tracking and increasing your repetitions – this will help with continually yet gradually strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
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 – although it’s recommended you don’t exceed around 6-hours.
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.
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!
How to Progress Onto Larger, Heavier Kegel Balls
Once you've got the knack of using love balls, you'll find that you can move on to larger or even heavier balls.
You probably won't be able to just jump straight in with the heaviest cone, unless you've got a pelvic floor sent from the gods. Instead it's important to train your muscles and work your way up.
The pelvic floor muscles are essential in this process, and if you can't hold a Kegel ball in, or are not experiencing any improvement, you may need some extra help.
You can also use electrical stimulation to activate those pelvic floor muscles. Don't panic - this is a completely safe and effective method of strengthening those muscles. The Kegel8 Ultra 20 Electronic Pelvic Toner has a programme specially designed for improving intimate sensations!
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
Kegel8 Kegel Weights Exercise Set
Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner
