Body Hair Removal A Man's Perspective

Sex Tips & Talk
1

I frequently see questions on LH about men wanting to remove some or all of their body hair and I thought I would share my experiences of utilising various methods - before I carry on though, I will say that you follow my advice at your own risk; I don't want people coming to me with disfigured or dismembered members saying "you said...".

I am also fed-up of the 'joke' reviews and videos with either the same silly comments (funny the first time, but after fifty times or so of the same...hmm). So, I wanted to give the pros and cons in an honest way and in my own opinion.

I am straight and married and I remove all of my body hair from the neck down for various reasons.

Firstly, I have an eczema type condition, which give me what appear to be insect bites, that leave red marks for months after. I read somewhere on the net that removing hair in the affected area will reduce or stop this problem - so I thought it was worth a try (tried everything else I could think of) and the issue has 99% cleared up - but it reappears if I let my hair re-grow (yes, my body is stupid).

Secondly, I think body hair is unsightly and unhygienic - ewww, especially when soaked in sweat or water. The skin never looks clean to me when covered in hairs. Plus, my wife likes the look and feel of 'bare' skin and we both dislike the Chewbacca look.

Depilatory cream for men: Now this method was fast. After ten minutes or so the hair was gone and it left my body clean, smooth and pain-free. However, although it could be the brand I used, the smell as it worked was potent and dreadful - prepare for your bathroom to stink for hours after too. The other issue, was in spite of patch testing the day before doing my whole body, I still got a small chemical burn below my breast. You also must NEVER put it on your anus, scrotum/penis or nipples - not unless you want an embarrassing conversation with an A & E doctor. The other issue is the hair grows back very quickly - within three days or so. But it is perfect for my back where it is hard to get to with other methods and the hairs don't seem to grow as quick.

Shaving: Another fast, pain-free technique, leaving the skin smooth. If you have a lot of hair to start with, it is best to trim them down, otherwise your razor will block constantly. I advocate the 'protector' style blades (the ones with the safety wires across the blades) especially around the bum and town-halls to reduce cuts and nicks. Take your time around sensitive areas and, for you scrotum, don't expect to remove all hairs first time. Disadvantages, the risk of cuts, nicks and the very attractive razor-rash/bumps. Also hair comes back very quickly and more sharply than depletory creams.

Wax-strips. Leaves the skin smooth for up to four weeks and reasonably fast. Although, I don't find it painful, it's uncomfortable - unless you go over the same spot twice (believe me you won't want to do it again - that does hurt). Of course it depends on your personal pain threshold. Legs and arms were great, but my chest and stomach were still quite hairy. Trim your hairs first to about half a cm, put talc in the area (to stop the strip pulling/ripping the skin) and rip the strip off at a slight angle to your body - not 90 degrees or more as you will just snap the hairs, not pull them out. Pat the area after pulling the strip to stop the pain. You have to get the strips temperature right - too cold and they don't work very well, too warm and you can be left with wax on your body which even with baby-oil/after-wax is a devil's own job to remove.

Epilators: For me, even less painful than waxing, (I think I have a high tolerance to pain) but very slow. Quite effective, once you get used to using it. It hurts a bit on first use, but I got used to it very quickly. With mine, at least, (not sure about other brands) you have to keep the head a 90 degrees otherwise it doesn't work as well. You must also keep your hair to about half a cm for them to be effective and have the least pain. I don't think it would be a good idea to do your personal areas with it though.

I haven't tried professional waxing (too expensive for me), or wax heaters (going to get one to try out in the next couple of months), so I can't comment here. I would like to get an IPL gun and permanently get rid of my body hair, but they are very expensive and the bulbs, I believe need replacing regularly - if anyone has used one you could correct me if I am wrong here.

Conclusions: Depilatory cream for the back - taking care not to get it near the anus, scrotum or nipples. Shaving for a quick fix and for round the town-halls, bum and nipples (very carefully and slowly done, of course). Waxing strips, very quick for the arms and legs (making sure you don't go over the same spot twice, remember the talc to take the hair and not the skin). Epilators for the chest and spot fixes. For both waxing and epilating remember to the hair is best trimmed to about half a cm for effective removal and the least amount of pain.

Hopefully, this will help someone and I am more than happy to elaborate further on any of the techniques I have used if anyone wants the benefit of my experience.

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Hi Annenon

Thanks for the tips and advice - very thorough!

I think this is a great topic of discussion as body hair is such a personal decision, but it can be tricky knowing which methods are best.

If anyone else has anything they'd like to add, it would be great to collect a few more perspectives and tips for the removal or upkeep of body hair.

3

I use to shave all my body hair off, Now I have no body hair apart from a neatly shaved patch from belly button to just above my manhood, I use conditionor in a cool shower as I find it make things easier to shave.

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I keep my pit hairs trimmed short, if you you put your arm down by it's side and they are poking out then they defo need a trim, personally I would give them a trim with a 2 or 3 blade on a trimmer, chest hair is something I leave enough alone, it's not too thick and bushy and OH is happy as it is, hairless back thank god, and my my bum is fairly smooth too, the important parts are kept short and a little cream removal on the shaft and balls, OH doesn't like getting a hairball.

5

i also use cream removal practically everywhere ,, but not on the anus ..i prefer to be smooth as i dont like hair anywhere neither does my oh ....she prefers me smooth and finds it sexy .... i think its cleaner and more hygenic

i am always looking for the pain free quick easy method of hair removal ideally a body shower gel that you could just put on and wash your self as it removes hair lol i expect a company will produce this product when i am elderly and my hair will no longer grow lol just my luck lol ;-)

6

Thanks for the responses to my original post.

One thing I did neglect to say is, more so with epilating but can happen with wax strips, you can be left with chicken bumps or red spots/marks for a short time after.

The chicken bumps disappear within hours, but the red spots can last for two or three days - it warns you quite clearly about this issue in the manual.

So probably best not to do it two or three days before you try going out to impress someone. I don't have to impress anyone, so it's not an issue for me.

The freshly plucked chicken look isn't a good one - but epliating and waxing is the best for long term removal.

7

I shave my entire body every day and have done so for 10 years now.
I have used depilatory creams in the past but the smell and the regular burns eventually put me off. I have had some laser treatment but the high cost meant I have had to stop. I use a BodyCruzer (Braun) with Gilette Fusion razors and shaving soap from a bowl. It's a chore but one I can live with.

8

This man's perspective? Why? I grew up when some women had been brave enough to suggest that leaving their armpit-hair intact was not a heinous sin. A move away from the manicured artificial presentation of our bodies, and rejection the imposition of such a standard upon each person's individuality.

I think body hair is unsightly and unhygienic - ewww, especially when soaked in sweat or water.

Obviously whether someone finds it 'unsightly' speaks of their own perceptual preferences. But I fail to see why sweat or water is less hygienic when on skin and low-density hair, as opposed to when concentrated upon just the skin.

Anyway, there is some useful information here for those wishing to deny their hirsute heritage for whatever reason.

Go in peace.

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Ok. The edit won't save. That's 'rejecting'.

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I've tried shaving and hair removal creams and have found that while shaving does leave the skin nice and smooth, there always seem to be a few stray hairs that are missed and the regrowth is very itchy. Hair removal creams work wonders for me, even on my nuts. Was a bit worried about trying it at first with all the stories you hear but opted for the sensitive skin version and timed it to the second. I agree the smell is unpleasant but not unbearable. It took a couple of goes to get it down to an art as the courser your hair the longer you need to leave it.