Scarleteen

Hello,

Ive heard people say that masturbating (particularly male masturbation) leaves a noticeable and easily identifiable smell. I dont know if this is true, or if it can vary depending on the context of how somebody masturbated. If it is real, are there ways to mitigate the smell?

Hi Seraph! Masturbation itself doesn't have any particular smell associated with it. The only things I can think of are that if a person used lotion or another scented product as lubricant to masturbate, that could cause a smell. Also, genitals and semen do have a certain smell to them, though there's no difference in the likelihood of that smell lingering between masturbation and partnered sex. This strikes me as a myth that people trying to discourage masturbation might be using to scare people away from masturbating, but regardless, it's always a good idea to wash your hands and clean up any bodily fluids after masturbation. Just a normal wash with soap should be plenty to get rid of any lingering scent!