Prepare your armpits to be amazed.
Or at least, prepare them to be silky smooth.
And don’t knock it.
It’s quite possible that many of you have considered shaving your armpits before; you just have not gone all the way. We’re here to help you take the big leap with three easy steps:
- Trim your armpit hair
- Get wet and lather up the armpit hair
- Shave your armpit hair
But first things, first — why, oh why, you might ask, should I do this at all?
Benefits of the naked armpit
When it comes to shaving in general, a lot of us here at MANSCAPED™ argue that a big benefit to being a dude is that the societal expectation is that you do have to shave as much as the other half of the human population. We bet quite a few guys would even agree that the very best part of being a man is that you don't have to shave your armpits. Why would we want you to throw that away?
Well, there are several reasons to shave your pits. We’re even venturing out to say that you’ve probably seen quite a few guys with shaved armpits already, but just did not put two and two together. Athletes, for example, have been on top of this trend for years. Swimmers, UFC fighters, and several other top competitors find advantages in getting rid of hair.
However, even if you aren't trying to make it as an athlete, we've found three compelling reasons to give your armpit hair a grooming:
- Getting rid of body hair can actually highlight the toned parts of your body.
For armpit hair, having a smooth underarm is said to accentuate the biceps, shoulders, and pectoral areas. For some homework Google a few major athletes or action movie actors. Armpit hair or no armpit hair?
For bonus points, do a side-by-side comparison with some hairy pits. Do you think the muscle tone looks the same?
What do you pay more attention to? The armpit hair or the studliness?
- If you have super long hair, over-long armpit hair might be an area you’re a little self-conscious about.
You can do something about it and focus on other things. Shaving your armpits allows for a longer period of time between addressing an area when compared to cutting or trimming.
This saves you time and keeps your pits looking nicer for longer.
- Sweat gets stuck in body hair and odor tends to linger in body hair, so by shaving you have a chance to combat both of these issues.
We’re not saying that shaving your armpits will get rid of sweat or body odor completely, but it will help control what’s going on in that area a little better.
Fun fact time: Most of your sweat doesn't stink at all. Really. It's only a handful of areas where getting sweaty smells bad, and that's because the sweat feeds specific groups of bacteria. Those parts of your body are primarily the armpits and the groin. The sweat in those areas has more protein in it, and that makes for smelly bacteria-feeding frenzies.
Here's where shaving comes in. Sweat gets stuck in body hair. It lingers, and that gives the bacteria more time to do their thing. When you shave, it's easier to control the moisture, and the bacteria get less opportunity to do what they do. Shaving your pits won't make it impossible to have body odor, but it puts up a good fight.
Bonus Points Continue: If you can figure out a way for it to be possible to NOT have body odor, let us know. Male hygiene and grooming products are kind of our jam and this would be a game changer. The two of us can conquer the world and we’ll splitzies with you.
Moving on…
How, then, do I do this thing?
By this point, we have hopefully piqued your curiosity about shaving your pits and now we’re on to the meat of the matter, should you trim or shave completely?
The truth is that either is acceptable. You can trim hair to pretty much any length and a trim of any amount has value. If you want the most from the benefits above, though, shaving can be better. These are all cases where less hair is the superior option.
Still, if you aren't comfortable going bare-pitted just yet, you can start with a conservative trim to see how you feel about the whole thing.
To recap, we have three simple steps to doing the deed:
- Trim your hair
- Get wet and lather up
- Shave
Trim your armpit hair
If you have never dealt with your armpit hair before, the first step is a solid trim.
First, you want to find the perfect electric trimmer for the job and it’s like The Lawn Mower® 4.0 was designed for all of your body hair needs.
Second, use your trimmer’s guards to trim to your desired length. We recommend starting with a little trimmed off the top and then keep adjusting. Once it’s gone it’s going to take a little bit to grow back, so little by little.
For just trimming, keep trimming away until it’s at the length you like. Or your partner likes it. Or both you and your partner like it. It’s a partnership. Crazy, huh? Or ask your roommate. Getting a second opinion is our point.
For shaving, you’re going to want to use your trimmer to get as short as you possibly can to remove any excess hair. This will help your shaving experience and prevent your razor from clogging.
The Lawn Mower® 4.0 is the MANSCAPED™ top-of-the-line trimmer for groin and body grooming and it is truly the perfect tool for an armpit hair trim. It’s a 4.0 which means we’ve gone through four releases on this bad boy to make it as perfect as we possibly can for your pits.
It’s comfortable, sleek, waterproof, and looks super fancy. We’ve also designed it with a wireless charging system, a tri-level power indicator, and a travel safety lock so you don’t have to worry about vibrating bathroom kits.
The Lawn Mower® 4.0 comes with adjustable guards sizes 1 through 4, a cleaning brush, and replaceable ceramic blades that can be reordered through our awesome Peak Hygiene Plan option.
With The Lawn Mower® 4.0, you can trim your pits dry or wet too, so it’s super convenient to use. If you dry trim your armpits, we suggest doing it over the sink in front of your bathroom mirror. This way you can see exactly what you’re doing and all the armpit hair gets captured in the sink for an easy wash down the drain.
Don’t leave all your armpit hair bits all over your bathroom. That’s just not a good habit and you make people who use your bathroom all grossed out. Don’t be that guy.
Get wet and lather up the armpit hair
The next step in your male personal grooming routine after a good trim (armpits or other hairy places) is to get a shower.
First, this rinses everything off.
Second, looking nice and trimmed is one piece of the greater male hygiene puzzle. You need to be cleaned, fresh, and ready to tackle the day smelling like you care about yourself.
Get that shower water nice and warm. Take your time and get everything wet. Now, use soap. Better yet, MANSCAPED™ has you covered with a daily shower gel Body Wash. We don’t settle for sad, small suds and neither should you.
Our Body Wash is infused with natural ingredients like aloe vera and sea salt. These ingredients keep skin feeling clean, fresh, and moisturized. We also add our authentic Refined cologne scent in our products so you smell nice throughout the day. People will ask you, is that light citrus, a hint of sambac jasmine, vetiver, and light woods I smell? Yes, yes it is.
Alright, so now that your armpit hair is all trimmed and sudsy clean you have a choice. You can either stop here and stick with the trimmed, fresh, and clean look or go for it and embrace all that is the bald armpit look.
Shave your pits
When it comes to the technique of shaving your pits, it's going to be the same as shaving any other part of your body. If you've only ever worked on your face, we have good news. The pits, for the most part, are actually easier to manage.
If you’re already familiar with shaving your balls this will be a piece of cake.
So, another reason to hop in the shower in step two is that it also preps your hair follicles for a shave. Water and warm temperature open up your pores and soften your hair.
Shaving your armpits involves a shaving cream or gel and a high-quality razor. We recommend having a separate razor for your face vs. your body. The bacteria in your pits are different from what is normally on your face (hence the odor), and you don't want to mix them.
When it comes to razors, always remember that your blades should be clean, sharp, and fresh. Rusty, dirty, or clogged razors are the key causes of razor burns, nicks and cuts, and infections.
To shave your armpits, simply lather up your underarm with shaving gel or cream, and in single, smooth strokes, shave your armpit hair with your designated body hair razor.
Shave carefully and remember to rinse between each stroke. Keep your arm above your head and your underarm skin tight for easy shaving. Re-apply shaving gel or cream as needed and you might have to come in at different angles given the shape of your armpit (it’s not a flat surface to begin with).
When you are baby butt smooth, rinse your armpits in the shower, use a little soap or body wash to prevent infections in the area, finish your shower, and dry off. We recommend getting full dry after a shower and a freshly shaved area especially needs to air dry as well.
Once the pits are dried, we recommend applying our premium odor protection Deodorant and you can go on with your day.
There you have it, men. Your complete guide to armpit shaving. See, it’s not too complicated.
We recommend shaving your armpits just like other body hair areas at least once a week. Depending on your body and hair growth you might want to shave more than that.
We’ll leave you with one final word about shaving - we really, and we mean really, do NOT recommend dry shaving. Dry trimming, yes. Dry shaving, no.
Take care of your body. Take care of your armpits. Use the right products and the right tools for the job. You’re welcome.
05.16.22
Share
Featured Articles
- Our New Shaving Formulations: Power Shave Gel & Face Shave SootherIntroducing Our First Head Shaving Kit: The Dome Pro PackageIntroducing The Chairman™ Pro & The Chairman™ Pro PackageIntroducing The Lawn Mower® 5.0 Ultra Forged Gold (Limited Colorway)The Best in Scalp Massaging & Scrubbing: The Scalp Buffer