/chastegen/ FAQ

A collection of some frequently asked questions

This FAQ is mainly targeted at male chastity, but please offer up any experience with female chastity we can add in!

This is a work in progress so feel free to contribute or pose any new questions.

For any thread-starters, here is a paste template: https://rentry.org/chastegensticky

Questions:

What should I look for in a cage?

Cages vary on

• Lock type (Padlock, Integrated, Push-lock)
• Material (Steel, Resin, Nylon, Silicone)
• Tube type (Open, Closed, Flat)
• Style/Design

Look at some of the pros/cons below, look at different cages and designs, and see what other people are wearing. The thread's a good place to ask too.

What are the different Lock Types?

What are the different Materials?

What are the different Tube Types?

How do I size a cage?

There are two major measurements you need:

1. For your cage's length: Your flaccid penis's length (in mm)
2. For your ring's size: The smallest circumference you can comfortably do around the whole of your junk (in mm)

A (Tailor's Cloth Measuring Tape)[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tailors+tape&t=brave&ia=images&iax=images] works the best here, but you can get some of the curved measurements with a shoe-string and a straight ruler too.

Cage Length
You want your cage to fit snuggly while you are completely flaccid. Get your measurement from the fat-pad to the tip of your dick. Don't pull the skin back/tight unless you are also planning to wear a strap that would push it that far back.

Generally, most people are between two sizes of the mass-produced cages. Almost always go for the smaller of the two you fit between. If you feel it's too much of a difference, consider a strap or the upper option. Dicks are very mailable though, you'll still mke it work with the smaller..

Ring Size

Ring sizes get tricky for many people. Try first with just your hand, wrapping your hand around your dick and under your balls, choking up a bit to find where it's both comfortable and in a minimum position. You need your balls to sit on the outside of the ring, but not all of your testicle skin not taint, so make sure you're not grabbing too much skin in there.

When you get in with the tape you want it to be snug, but not tight. We are not trying to cut off circulation here. Most people will fit in a 40mm-55mm range. If you get something super small or super big, retry. Something like 70mm or 35mm are real outliers and for most people mean you fucked up the measurement.

What happens if I fuck up?
For cage size people like to downsize for the challenge/aesthetic, just know it comes with needing a strap, and making peeing/hygiene hard if you go too small. A too big cage on the other hand can be just as messy. Easier to fall off, not as comfortable as it doesn't sufficiently block erections, and a poor time aligning the tip of the cage with your dick for hygiene.

For a ring, too big and you're balls will slip out (sometimes PAINFULLY) and defeat the device. Too small and you risk cutting off circulation.

Most cage manufacturers provide specs for their cages, and some have some guides/FAQs as well you can read up on for any specific quirks of their cages/rings (strange angles, different ring types, etc.). Here's Kink3D's pages for their cage sizing and ring sizing, and an interactive fitment guide from OXYshop, as examples.

Misc. Sizing Infographics

What are some common sellers/cages?

Name Brand

• HolyTrainer (Bio-Resin)
• Cherry Keeper (3D-printed Nylon)
• KINK3D (3D-printed Nylon)
• Mature Metal (Metal)
• CB-6000s (Bio-Resin)
• Cellmate (Bio-Resin, remote controlled)
• BirdLocked (Silicone)

"Trusted" Knockoff sellers

• CHASTE BIRD (Aliexpress, Plastic & Nylon cages)
• FRRK (Aliexpress & own website, Metal Cages)
• Happygo (Aliexpress, Various)
• Dream of Her (Aliexpress, Various, Straps)
• FYJENNIC (Amazon, HT cages)
• House of Denial (Website, Various, Euro/Britain Warehousing)

Note on searching Aliexpress
Aliexpress has been cracking down on sex toy indexing. You will most likely need to make an account in order to use the AliExpress search if you have a specific cage style you're looking for.

What's a good starting cage?

Try starting with a knock-off of the KINK3D Cobra. These are usually called some snake-themed name like "Python" or "Mamba". Here is a link to the CHASTE BIRD version (link). Search around though, you can also find similar ones for as low as $3 USD sometimes.

It's a basic-bitch cage with little-to-no frills and cheap(er) knock-offs, so it will give you a feel for what you like or dislike about it, get sizing dialed in, and then go from there looking for a cage that has those features. (e.g. metal/bio-resin instead of 3D printed, special ring shapes, closed/open tubing, etc.) all without breaking the bank. GET ONE WITH MULTIPLE RINGS.

How do I put on a cage?

You want to be as flaccid as possible going into the cage. Go slowly and stop at each step to calm back down if you start getting erect. A cold shower or getting a quickie in beforehand can definitely help.

The general process is as follows:

1. Start by applying either a moisturizer to your groin, or a bit of water-based lubricant directly to the cage and ring to help things slide together.
2. Take the ring and pull your scrotum and balls into the ring. Rest and wait if you get hard.
3. Pull your member through, get it positioned and centered, then again rest and wait for you to calm down again.
4. Finally put the cage itself on, lock it, and you're good to go!

The above process is just the base recommend. You may find other ways that work better for you (personally I do cock->scrotum->balls), just find what works to get you in a cage. Q-tips can also be useful to help poke things into the right spots, especially with cage tubes. I cannot stress enough the importance of lubrication. Moisturizer, deodorant, some lube, whatever you have on you can help prevent a LOT of chafing/friction issues during wear, and help your skin from stretching/rashing. Moisturizer goes over your whole junk. Deodorant is best applied under your ballsack, and anywhere your ring is going to sit. Lube is best for under your sack, or along the inside of a tighter cage to help slip in.

Stocking Method
Getting aligned in a closed tube like a HolyTrainer can be a unique issue with the extra friction. If lube along isn't helping, try out the Stocking Method.

How do I know if the cage fits?

Once you found a cage you like and ordered it, you want to test for any pinches, aches, pains, or bluing of the balls.

You will want to gather your impressions on the fit over several wears, from your initial try on, to wearing for a couple hours, to getting active in it.
Generally, you want to ask yourself the following while wearing it:

• Are there any sharp seems or welds I have to take care of first?
• Does the cage feel and fit good while I am flaccid?
• If I force an erection, does the cage become painful?
  • Is it pulling any skin/my balls too tight?
  • Does it pull the cage away from my body too much?
  • Does my member swell between the bars?
• Do I pinch or rub badly in everyday clothes and positions?

Cheaper cages may have some welds or molding seams you need to rasp/sand down before wearing. Forcing an erection will let you see if anything pulls in the cage and help you check if you need a strap or not. Erections should be uncomfortable at most. NOT painful. Make sure you are not causing pooling/edema anywhere on your dick either with it. Try out some rougher fabrics, underwear, jeans with a zipper, etc. Try to move around. Try to squat. Try to walk around and get active. Try to pee in it and clean yourself in it. Figure out what works, what doesn't, and if you need to adjust the cage at all with different rings, a strap, positioning, etc.

After all of that, if you still like the cage, congrats! If not, ask around in the thread or discord for additional help finding remedies to issues.

What if I have foreskin?

Foreskin can become an issue while in chastity in two major ways:

1. Peeing. As your member moves around during the day, your foreskin may slide forward to cover the opening of either your urethra or the cage itself.
2. Spillage. You foreskin may also slip past the tip of the cage, protruding out of the end of the chastity cage. Being sensitive skin, it can be prone to chafing pinching, and to general discomfort as the pressure of your clothes will be concentrated into a small area.

Everyone is different, so the actual how to mitigate some of these issues is varied. Here's a very small list of things people say worked for them.

What kink-play goes well with chastity?

Chastity works in harmony with several other fetishes. Want to give some sexual control to another person? Try a keyholder. Need a new way to masturbate while locked? Try some anal, nipple play, etc. Want to keep to just chastity? Try some more intense play with either urethral plugs, sounding, or try out a smaller cage, even going into the inverted cage realm!

How do I find a keyholder?

If you already have a partner, try to introduce them to your chastity and ask if they want to be your holder. You can either give them the key itself or have them lock they keys in a (portable) lockbox so that access can be granted remotely.

Without a partner, there a number of different services that link chastity-wearers to key-holders, such as EmlaLock.com, ChastityLocked.com, and the thread favorite chaster.app. Chaster also allows for crowdsourcing lock-timers for those who want some fun but not the baggage that comes with a keyholder. Self-keyholding is also an option, with timed lockboxes being available on the market. The chaster discord also has seen success hooking people together. There is also often a chastity thread on /soc/ you can look for a keyholder in.

While remote keyholding is something to work out with your holder, it usually involves mailing a key/padlock between participants, or some form of lockable safe the key can be placed in. Another option that is starting to develop is remote-locking chastity cages/boxes themselves, such as the CellMate from Qiui, or the Chastity Lockbox from ResearchAndDesire.

What do I need to know for long-term or 24/7 wear?

Long-term wear can be different for everyone. It can just be daywear, full-time with exceptions (such as cleaning, exercise, and travel) or true 24/7 wear. Each progressively adds more logistical challenges to dealing with chastity without hurting yourself or decreasing your quality of life. Traveling, hygiene, maintenance, your activities, and hobbies, and more can all be facets you want to look at before going in. Basically, various questions to consider include,

• Can you wash while in the cage, or are you fine taking the cage off for cleaning?
• Is the cage comfortable for wearing all day?
• Is the cage comfortable for wearing at night?
• What are you going to do if you have to go through a pat-down or body-scanner?
• What are you going to do with the key?
• Can you work out/get active in your cage?
• Is your cage robust enough, or will it break with prolonged wear?

You are going to want to go through different trial periods to try to work out all the kinks with prolonged wear and your lifestyle.

1. Figuring out what you are going to do for hygiene is a big factor, and most people pick stainless steel, open-style cages for this reason as it allows the most cleanliness, breath ability, and allows you to inspect your member for any adverse health effects of chastity (edema, bruising, etc.) while still having the cage on.
2. Getting a cage that fits you perfectly is also big. Size-training and 24/7 wear can go hand-in-hand but are often opposed to each other due to long-term comfort concerns.
3. Make sure that you can do all that you do in the cage. Work-out? Make sure it is comfortable running, lifting, swimming, etc. Travel a lot? Make sure your cage can get through a metal detector or work out a way around it. Sleeping, lounging, basically anything you do in your everyday features a unique position for you test chastity in.

Start finding these out in smaller bursts, and always have a key (or sympathetic keyholder) available for bailouts. Work up from daywear to full-time for a few days, to a week, and eventually get it up to 24/7 wear. Even the best 24/7 wearers still need to take it off once in a blue moon for emergency hygiene concerns, sex, whatever, so don't throw yourself under the bus if 24/7 is your goal but you still find needs to take your cage off.

What are the logistics of traveling in chastity?

This is a process to work out with your holder (or yourself) and functions almost like remote keyholding. Portable key boxes exist that can be used to keep the keys with you, but to keep them locked with only your holder knowing the code.

Going through security is another issue, and while a plastic/silicone cage with a plastic lock may work, they may still detect "anomalies" in the groin region with some of the newer machines and need an extra pat-down. Best to take it off before going through, and putting it back on after, if able.

My cage keeps pulling away when I get hard, what do?

The easy solution is to get some sort of strap around your waist, such as a shoestring, twine, ribbon, or a purpose-made strap like this one that can attach to the cage and help keep it pressed against your body. Note that because it does add mass on the ring, you may find a need to size-up your ring if it is too tight with it on.

I have a metal cage that doesn't stay on my body, what do?

Again, like with a cage that pulls away, a strap, shoelace, ribbon, etc. can be useful to keep it next to your body.

How do I clean while in chastity?

Taking care of hygiene (cleaning, shaving, etc.) can be taken care of either with the cage on, or you and your holder can use that time as a "rest" period for your member, and do it uncaged (and possibly supervised).

For locked cleanings, there are different methods with degrees of success depending on your cage design. For closed cages, getting a spray bottle with some soapy water and spraying it into the tube can work well, and with open cages you can clean almost normally, with a popular method just being to get a handful of suds and "smoosh" it into your cage, like you are trying to make a suction between your hands.

Drying off is best done with something like a hair dryer, especially for closed cage designs, with a little baby powder thrown in for some light relubrication and to absorb any remaining moisture.

How do I get funky smells out of my cage?

I've found that soaking it in a diluted solution of vinegar, dish soap, and hot water works really well. Let it steep for 30 minutes or so, then dry and the smell should be more diluted or gone entirely. Repeat until satisfied. You can also try just a cycle through the dishwasher if it doesn't get too hot to melt.

I am worried about someone in my house seeing my deliveries, what do?

Most places ship discretely these days, unlike ordering sex toys online in the days of yore. This usually means a nondescript brown box, and I've seen several that have return addresses that do not directly link back to the website of purchase (say the name is a more legit-sounding LLC, or a return facility for AliExpress orders). The most conspicuous box I've gotten is from Cherry Keeper, where "Shapeways" is on the packaging itself (Note: CK ships through a different brand now after Shapeways went down, I have yet to see their packaging). That could just be downplayed as any 3D-print you ordered though, not an actual company.

While I am not familiar with other countries, if you cannot stand the thought of getting the package handed to a roommate/family member, etc. still, your options are buying a P.O. box, or asking whatever service is delivering to you to hold your mail at a facility for in-person pick-up.

• For USPS: If you have a tracking number, within the USPS track and manage site you can request a hold for pick-up. In general, if you know the range that a package will be coming in, you can also freeze mail delivery for that range, where EVERYTHING addressed to you will be stored at a post office location until you can pick up.
• For UPS: With a tracking number, you can change the delivery options to be held in store.
• For FedEx: Again, with a tracking number, you can request the delivery to be held at a location for pick-up
• For Amazon Packages: If you have an Amazon Locker in your area, you can have your package shipped there instead. Note that you can receive Amazon packages at these locations, so they are not a free replacement to a P.O. box.

Some cages come with weird things like ball-hooks or multi-stacked rings, what do these do?

Most extras to a cage are a matter of preference, and the execution can vary wildly.

But what about Prince Albert piercings?

Prince Albert (PA) piercings are gauged piercings that go from your urethra through the bottom of your glans, in front of your frenulum. In chastity, generally all locks are escapable by your dick, as you can just manage to pull the cage forward, and your member up and out. PAs can help with that.

By integrating a PA piercing with a cage, say through a PA Chastity lock looped through the opening at the tip of the cage, and under the cage in some open and closed style cages, you effectively make the chastity inescapable. You can no longer pull it forward and off you without also tearing your member.

While I am not experienced with a PA piercing, here is some words from another Anon pulled from threads:

You'll likely get pierced between 12ga and 8ga. Just kinda depends on the place and what you ask for. I got pierced at 12ga, and then immediately stretched to 10ga.
I don't recommend you try to integrate the PA into chastity until you are at least at 8ga (6ga is better tho)

Basically, like any piercing, they start you smaller in the shop as to decrease the healing time (less to heal), then once healed, you can begin gauging it up. The larger gauges are needed both for security in the cage and for safety of yourself. With a larger gauge, there is less of a risk to accidentally pull it out and ripping skin if your dick performs some weird maneuvers inside the cage.

As for recovery,

Everyone's body is different, but heal times are anywhere from a month to a few months
I got mine [4 months ago] and I am very close to being able to get the 6ga

So, not too bad, but that is time that you can't really go caged, or at least caged with the PA piercing.

Finally, for cages, there are purpose-built cages with PA locks already integrated, both in traditional styles and some that do not rely on a main ring (ball-less chastity). For non-purpose-built cages, if it has a urination hole and a hole under the cage, you can probably integrate a PA piercing into the cage. Kink3D Cobra is a popular option for this.

Can/will my dick shrink in chastity?

Short and sweet: No. You don't have to worry about it.
Medium: Only if you plan to cage for years and have ED.

There is mixed literature on if you can permanently shrink your dick or not, but at the layman's level, the phrase "use it or lose it" summarizes most of the expert and anecdotal testimony.

An erection is formed when blood is forced into the penis and causes the spongy Corpora Cavernosa tissue to flood with blood. The more of that tissue you have, the longer/girthier your member is when erect. If this tissue is relatively porous, then the blood does most of the heavy lifting and you are a grower. If it is much denser, then you are more likely a shower, as when the blood vacates the tissue, it does not have as much space to deflate.

So, for your member to shrink you would either need to damage the tissues, or find some way to atrophy them, so they do not hold as much blood while erect and have a smaller appearance when flaccid. Being like any other tissue in the body, if it is not actively being used it will slowly atrophy (a noticeable analogue would be your muscles) as it is just wasteful tissue taking up energy that the body can use elsewhere.

Therefore, to minimize shrinking then, you want your member to be able to exercise as fully as possible. That means getting a properly fitting cage and wearing said cage as little as possible. If you do go into longer-term chastity, best to keep it off at nights when you get most of your spontaneous erections, and to not fuck with downsizing cages.

So, you actually do want to shrink your dick, fun stuff. As mentioned above, the main ways to do this is through affecting the erectile tissue through damage (Dangerous and not recommended) or finding some way to cause it to atrophy. Thus, if the goal is to shrink your member, you want to stop or hinder erectile function for as long as possible and for as best as possible. There are three main steps to this, being Reducing Erection Strength, Stopping Spontaneous Erections, and Promoting Additional Shrinkage.

Reducing Erection Strength
Your first step is to in general reduce the strength of erections you are getting. Since your here, enjoying chastity, congrats! You've already got this down. If you've been in a cage long enough, you may have already noticed that once freed your erections are weaker and your flaccid member may be slightly smaller or more pliable. This is generally how you begin the cage downsizing journey:

1. Start out in a well sized cage
2. Begin noticing you don't fill it out as much while flaccid/ don't strain as much while erect anymore
3. Downsize!
4. Repeat
   It's a simple cycle that slowly causes the tissues to atrophy as they can no longer fully engorge with blood during erections.

Additional help towards this process of reducing erection strength can come from adding straps to your cage or wearing tighter clothes. Straps can help keep the cage against your body, leading to more strain and less room for erectile tissue to grow into. Similarly, tighter clothing (especially in the underwear department) can decrease the ability for your member to get erect. Additionally, as it is separate from the cage itself, tight underwear is great for helping to maintain tissue atrophy and decrease erectile strength and frequency even when you have your cage off.

Stopping Spontaneous Erections

After taking steps towards making the erections you do have less powerful and therefore contributing to some level of tissue atrophy, the next step would be to try to get rid of spontaneous erections as much as possible. This includes your nighttime erections, morning wood, random daytime chodes, whatever. The basic methods to do this is through inducing Hypogonadism (reduction/cessation of sexual hormone production) or through some form of intentional Erectile Dysfunction.

Induced Hypogonadism
The most commonly seen (and intentionally done) form of this is with HRT which combines antiandrogens (testosterone blockers) along with estrogenic chemicals that do a double whammy on sexual function. You'll still be able to force erections, but spontaneous erections will be reduced to non-existence depending on dosages. You do have the downsides of feminization with this, so please, do not just do it for the fun. I try not to condone this for anyone outside of those truly dysphoric, but you do you. As a lesser option, you can do only the antiandrogen, either at a total suppressive dosage (not recommended due to side effects of a lack of either sex hormone), or at a partially suppressive dosage to just reduce the total and free testosterone in the body. I will not be discussing what dosages are, or what drug purchasing options you have available in depth here, that is more the job of the DIY group over on /lgbt/.

Another more recently discussed option is through topical & exogenous glucocorticoids (paper) such as hydrocortisone. Corticosteroid creams can often be purchased over-the-counter and apparently can be applied topically to the genitals to induce hypogonadism. The paper linked is a study on orally administered dexamethasone at what is considered a higher end dosage. These effects are unlikely to be totally achievable with an over-the-counter topical medication, but it is a possible option if you are really certain you want to go down this route. As for some negatives, again, this appears to have some feminization effects linked to it, with the study finding increased estrogen and decreased testosterone levels in those that took those higher dosages. Prolonged use of corticosteroid and glucocorticoids may also cause some effects related to Cushing’s syndrome.

Compared to forcing ED on yourself, with these methods you have a much higher chance of turning off spontaneous erections, while still having hope for having controlled erections so you can perform when needed/are aroused.

Giving yourself ED
The other option outside of medication is through just giving yourself ED. There are a slew of problems with this as well, especially if you want to still have a functioning dick when you need it. But usually, the controllable causes of ED are obesity, smoking, and stress. While the hypogonadism path discussed above work on a hormonal level and therefore affect you at all times, ED is much more random, and you may still have night-time and random erections, just not be able to perform when needed instead.

Finally, the last way (that I don't recommend) is through temporary or permanent nerve and tissue damage. Through careful application of estimming or banding, you can technically induce temporary neuropraxia of the dorsal nerves, which will recover after a couple months. That said, continued or extreme use of estimming, banding, physical harm, etc., can and will permanently kill your nerves and leave you forever numb down there. Same with causing damage and scaring to your erectile tissue, you will just not be able to get it up at all. Without either the ability to get it up, or the sensation to feel aroused down there, it will cut down on spontaneous erections, though.

Promoting Additional Shrinkage
Finally, to aid in the above process there are some ways to promote additional shrinkage. The first is with extreme forms of chastity, such as flat and negative cages. Basically, if you give no room for the tissue to expand into, it will accelerate the atrophying process from disuse. This also goes with 24/7 wear of chastity. If you don't give it time to relax and engorge outside of confinement, you will slow down any reversal of atrophied tissue.

Lastly, there are (temporary) measures for appearing and behaving smaller: Vasoconstrictors. These do as they say, they constrict your blood vessels to make them appear smaller temporarily. The most well know of them is Phenylephrine, the active ingredient in hemorrhoidal creams such as (some formulations) of Preparation H. Corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone are also vasoconstrictors, and many "facial tightening" creams also feature other vasoconstrictive chemicals. All of these have slightly different effects and side effects, but it is generally thought that Phenylephrine-based products will give the most bang-for-the-buck for vasoconstriction on the genitals.

As mentioned, vasoconstrictors are temporary, good for short-term shrinkage for the 'gram, or to fit into a smaller cage, but they are not a permanent help towards causing atrophy and therefore true shrinkage.

Permanence of Shrinkage
The permanence of the effects of any of these techniques is hotly debated, with experts saying there is no permanent effect and anecdotal accounts stating permanence. Looking through studies, and articles, dick shrinkage is considered a negative outcome, so these studies are usually studying short-term side effects, not long studies looking at continued effects from extended usage of whatever is causing the side effects.

From both that and anecdotal evidence, I'd say roughly, short-term atrophy (that lasting under a year at the high end) is fully recoverable, but you would be starting to push it at the end of that range. Longer term atrophy and non-use may (or will depending on opinions) cause lasting shrinkage.

Running Theory on Shrinkage Cocktail:
I'll leave this "Broscience" section with what I think would be a good shrinkage regimen based off the research I've done:

• Chastity, and especially training towards small & inverted cages
  • Straps towards keeping it tight against the body
• Tight fitting underwear, especially at night & when out of the cage
• Topical application of a strong vasoconstrictor (such as Preparation H)
• Some form of induced hypogonadism
  • HRT for additional feminization & suppressant effects
  • Some form of Exogenous Glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone cream, oral dexamethasone) otherwise