If I may be so forward, I think you might wear rings that are too tight. Your WFH pic looked tight to me, like it’s a cage for a selfie versus daily wear. For me, there were a couple times when I accepted the limitations of chastity after initial disappointment and afterwards enjoyed chastity much more. The first was realizing I could pull my penis out without a piercing. The second was realizing that the ring isn’t going to be glued to me (in terms of how close it hangs to my body) 24/7. I’m a grower, and my balls do vary in shape quite a bit. I think if you get a ring that’s too tight, that’s a recipe for a bad time. Especially when you’re starting into long-term wear, I think you want to err on the looser side, which isn’t great in terms of aesthetics but is more effective in terms of your body getting used to wearing it. Ideally, you want to be able to fit 2 fingers between your balls and the ring, and for the ring to be able to move a bit ‘up and down’ your balls. I use a body butter (a thick body cream) - I can’t really comment on if it’s better or worse than an ointment like vaseline. I did find the headlock helpful in accepting that the cage won’t be glued to me 24/7. Even when I’m in a hot bath and my member gets as small as it does, the head doesn’t turtle out of the cage ☺️. The other thing I’d suggest if you’re looking for more options is if/when you feel discomfort down there, try to figure out what’s going on. E.g., are you getting chafing because the ring is too tight to move around a bit like it wants to naturally or are your testicles trying to retract into your body. That should help a bit in terms of guiding what you can do about it. If you’re really susceptible to friction, pay close attention to the materials and friction the ring is made of. It’s been nice chatting and I look forward to seeing you around these communities 😘