The increasing popularity of manscaping has left no hair unshaven, and armpits are no exception.
If you’re intrigued by the thought of hairless pits, our guide to how to shave your armpits can help.
So, if you’re wondering can you shave armpits with an electric shaver or what to do if you have an ingrown hair in your armpit? Read on.
Why Do We Have Armpit Hair?
Seemingly inconspicuous, armpit hair has many functions including:
• Reducing chaffing by preventing skin-on-skin contact
• Holding sweat and pheromones to attract a partner
• Aiding in regulating body temperature
Armpit hair is often referred to as ‘terminal hair’ due to its thick, coarse texture. Terminal hair typically appears after puberty and covers around 90% of the male body. Facial, pubic and abdominal hair are some other types of terminal hair.
What Length Does Armpit Hair Grow?
Armpit hair typically grows to a maximum length of two to three inches in just a couple of months. Once a hair strand has reached this length it will eventually fall out and the follicle will develop a new hair, repeating the process.
The Benefits of Shaving Your Armpits
While armpit hair has its function, the benefits of removing it may outweigh them.
Here are just some of the benefits of shaving your armpits:
1. Boosts Your Confidence
Whether it’s a hot summer’s day or you enjoy playing sports, you may find that smoother underarms look and feel much better. This can help you to feel more confident in your appearance – especially if you know that unwanted sweat patches are a lot less likely to occur.
2. Reduced Body Odour
We’ve all drawn the short straw once or twice when it comes to body odour. However, research presented by Gillette at the 23rd World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver in June 2015 showed that shaving under your arms is proven to significantly reduce body odour.
3. Fast Regrowth
And if saying goodbye to body odour doesn’t sell it to you, it only takes a month or two to grow full armpit hair again. So, you don’t have to stay committed to it for long if you change your mind.
Shaving Armpits Proven to Reduce Body Odour
In a clinical study, trained ‘expert noses’ assessed the underarm odour of 30 men under the following conditions:
• Before they washed or shaved their armpits
• 5 minutes after they’d washed under their arms with soap
• 5 minutes after they’ve washed their armpits with soap and shaved their armpits using a razor
Overall, it was found that shaving was 2.5 times more effective reducing underarm odour than washing with soap alone.
What’s more, the benefits of shaving could be smelt for days- a 57% reduction in body odour was evident after one day, a 40% reduction was evident on day two and a 30% reduction was still there on day three. This means that three days after shaving, the effects were still greater than those on the first day after washing with soap, which was only reduced by 23% on the first day.
This is because using a razor on your underarm skin helps to remove dried sebum, debris and trapped odorants, which can all be responsible for causing an unpleasant odour after exercise or after a hot day.
Should Men Shave Their Armpits?
Shaving your armpits is ultimately a personal choice. There are no hard-and-fast rules on what you can and can’t do with your body hair.
You may find that you prefer smooth pits and the benefits that come with them. Or, you may be happy just keeping the hair trimmed and tidy.
How to Shave Your Underarms Step-by-Step
Check out our manscaping tips on how to shave your armpits for the perfect finish:
If you do decide to shave, check out our manscaping tips on how to shave your armpits for the perfect finish:
1. Prepare Your Skin
First up, you need to prep your skin to guarantee the smoothest possible finish. Have a hot shower to soften your body hair, as this could help to lower the risk of any nicks or cuts, and minimise the chance of developing shaving rash on your armpits
For an extra-smooth finish while you’re in the shower, exfoliate your skin to remove any dead skin cells. This may help to prevent painful ingrown armpit hairs.
2. Begin with a Trim
Long body hair can get stuck in blades, affecting their performance, that’s why we recommend trimming your armpit hair first. The armpit is a sensitive area of the skin, so treat it with care!
The Gillette All Purpose Styler and Beard Trimmer is the ideal tool. It is battery-operated and 100% waterproof, providing you with versatile use. As a result, you can easily incorporate manscaping into your morning routine.