Shaving below the belt can be pretty intimidating. However, if you’ve decided to shave, you might as well be doing it right, especially given the fact that you’re dealing with such a sensitive area. Here is what you need to know about shaving your pubic hair.
Exploring Your Manscaping Options
Before we dive into shaving, we thought we’d cover a few manscaping options.
Nothing Wrong With Not Shaving: Shaving, manscaping, or whatever else you want to call it, is a personal choice. There’s no real evidence that pubic hair removal via waxing, shaving, or trimming is particularly healthy or hygienic. So, if you don’t want to shave, you don’t have to.
Also, if you decide to shave, you don’t have to shave everything- just do what you feel comfortable doing.
Trimming: This can keep the area neat without actually having to shave or otherwise remove hair.
Depilatory Creams: While depilatory creams offer a painless method of hair removal, remember that not all depilatory creams are safe to use in the pubic area.
Waxing: While waxing tends to be a little painful, it gives you a lot of time to don’t have to shave. Waxing can be tricky, so you might want to leave that to the professionals unless you’re really comfortable with the concept.
Laser Hair Removal: This can be done at a salon or spa and involves a razor that zaps hair follicles, causing hair not to grow. Laser hair removal typically requires several sessions.
Tackling the Big Myths
The biggest myth about shaving is that it makes your hair grow back thicker and more coarse. This is simply not true. The shorter hairs that grow back might seem more coarse, but that’s probably because you’ve just gotten used to that area being smooth.
It is worth noting that hair does grow back a few days after shaving, so you will need to make shaving a habit if you want to limit hair in your pubic area.
How to Actually Shave
If you’ve never shaved before, here’s what you need to do in a few easy steps. If you’ve had a bad shaving experience, reviewing these might help as well.
Step 1: Find a Fixed Comb Length
Finding the right comb length helps you tackle longer hairs and ensures that you don’t pull as you trim. Depending on the length of your hair, you might choose a 2 mm, 4 mm, or 6 mm comb.
Step 2: Start With a Trim
Trimming the pubic hair before shaving can prevent hairs from being pulled while also avoiding nicks and cuts. A quick trim will also help ensure that your pubic hair doesn’t clog up your shaving blades.
Step 3: Do a Blade Check
When it comes to pubic hair shaving, you definitely want a sharp blade. If a blade is too dull, you will end up cutting yourself or pulling on the hair instead of gliding smoothly.
Checking your blade before you begin shaving can help prevent you from stopping mid-shave to change the blade.
Step 4: Shower Before
Water can soften your pubic hair, and cleaning the area first is great if you accidentally nick yourself. Some razors will allow you to shave in the shower, which makes cleanup quick and simple. Or, you can shower first and then shave wherever you feel most comfortable.
Step 5: Don’t Skimp on Shave Gel
Shave gel is designed to make your hair softer for removal and protect the underlying skin- which is extremely important when your desired shaving target happens to be a sensitive area.
While it’s possible to use too much shave gel, we definitely recommend using a healthy dose to ensure that your skin is protected. You should also be reapplying shave gel if you need to go back to an area or if you’re noticing that it’s washing off in the shower.
Step 6: Taunt, Light, and Gentle
Now that you’re clean and lathered in shave gel, it’s time to start shaving. Pull the skin around the area taunt to prevent accidental nicks and shave with light, gentle strokes. An adequately sharp razor- and yours is sharp because you’ve already checked- will be able to cut through your pubic hair easily.
If you have to push down when you shave, stop and double-check your razor. Remember, the harder you push, the more likely you will end up with razor bumps or razor burn.
Step 7: Rinse Often
You don’t want your blades to get clogged, and the best way to remove any built-up hair and shave gel is to rinse your blade under running water. Wiping your blade with a towel or tapping your razor to dislodge the debris can mess up your razor in the long run.
Step 8: Take It in Sections
Shaving below the belt can be challenging in terms of visibility, and there’s a good chance that you might shave a bit more or a bit less than you wanted, which is why it helps to take the process in sections.
After you’re finished shaving an area, you’ll want to rinse the area and check out your handiwork. If you’ve missed some hairs, reapply the shave gel and try again- remember not to press down too hard. If everything looks good, go ahead and move on to the next section.
Step 9: Rinse and Dry
After you’re done shaving, you might want to give the entire area a rinse to remove any lingering hairs and hair gel. You’ll also want to make sure that you rinse out your razor one final time. After all, you don’t want gel and hairs solidifying in your blades.
Once you, and your razor, are rinsed, pat the skin dry. Remember, it might be a little extra sensitive, so you’ll want to do this as gently as possible.
Step 10: Moisturize
Moisturizing the pubic area after you shave helps soothe skin and prevents itching when hair starts to grow back.
Takeaways
- Shaving is a good option for removing unwanted pubic hair.
- You don’t have to shave everything.
- A sharp blade and plenty of shaving gel can help protect your skin.
- You’ll need to shave consistently to maintain your desired manscaping look.
