The Body Hair Removal Guide for Men

The Body Hair Removal Guide for Men

Women do it, swimmers do it, and bodybuilders do it too. But many men have no idea how to get rid of unwanted or excessive body hair. Well, fear not overly hairy men and novice bodybuilders, I am here to help. After all, I learned about body hair removal from an expert: a woman.

Many men think shaving your chest, arms or legs can be done the same way as shaving your face. Let's just throw that misconception out the window right now. The skin and hair on your face is not even remotely close in terms of sensitivity and coarseness to the the skin and hair other places on your body. So, what happens if you shave the rest of your body the same way you shave your face? You end up with razor bumps and ingrown hairs all over the place.

Trim Before You Shave

If you are a hairy beast then don't expect to just go in the shower and cut through that thick mane. First of all, it will take you forever to take all of that long hair off with a razor blade. Secondly, it will quickly dull the razor and you'll end up with some serious irritation after you are done.

Use clippers without a guard to trim the area you want to shave prior to actually shaving with a razor.

Use Shaving Gel Instead of Shaving Cream

Don't use the shaving cream on your face for the rest of your body. You want to use body shaving gel. Personally, I think Bikini Zone shaving gel is the way to go. You can use it to shave your legs, your chest, your arms, heck even your face if you want to. It makes a huge difference compared to men's shaving cream or facial shaving gel. This is the first major step towards reducing razor bumps and ingrown hairs.

The More Blades, The Better

For my face, I use a Gillette Mach 3 razor. But for the rest of my body, I use Gillette Fusion Proglide. The Proglide is a bit more expensive than the Mach 3. But it will give you a cleaner shave, especially on softer (i.e. non-facial) hairs. What do I mean by a cleaner shave? Fewer pulls of the razor, less irritation, that sort of thing. And when you are shaving parts that don't get shaved regularly, a cleaner shave is definitely what you want.

I also recommend getting the Proglide blades that do not have the microComb. It's a feature on some Proglide blades that is supposed to give you additional trimming or something to that effect. I found that it's really more like a mini meat grinder that takes off more skin than it does hair. So, go with the Proglide blades that don't have that "feature."

Oh, and use a fresh blade every time. That will also go a long way towards getting a cleaner shave and reducing irritation and bumps.

Go Slow & Take Long Strokes

If you pull completely against the grain, especially on an area that is not used to being shaved, then you're asking for bumps and ingrown hairs. I found that pulling diagonally using slow long strokes yields the best results. And always, always, always make sure you are pulling across an area that has shaving gel applied. 

Apply a Medicated Analgesic After Shaving

This tip is HUGE! Immediately after drying, apply a medicated analgesic. I think that Bikini Zone medicated cream works great. Actually, it's better than great. It's a borderline miracle worker for eliminating irritation and ingrown hairs!

For the next few days, apply the medicated analgesic morning and night (immediately after showering). You might still get some razor burn or ingrown hairs, but they should be minimal. And after about three weeks of consistent shaving (1-2 days a week), the post shaving irritation and ingrown hairs should be minimal to non-existent following a shave.

Posted by Clayton Long