This winter I've begun to shave my under arms as well as my legs. I am amazed at how much I like my under arms shaved. There's no hair for the deoderant to get balled up in, it's easier to clean and I feel much cleaner and less chance for odor. I plan on shaving there all year long, this is not area where I have to worry about people seeing shaved. My question is why don't all men shave their pits, just for better hygene?
Good question...I've known a few men who shave their pits for the very reasons you describe, but most continue to cultivate a forest under there. I guess shaving there is just stereotypically thought of as a "girl thing."
"Television is very educational. Whenever somebody turns it on, I go into another room and read a book." -- Groucho Marx
I agree with Stephanie, Less BO. And it does feel nice and easier to clean.
You have summed up the reasons why I shave under my arms too.
In fact, I rarely use deodorant as I don't sweat so much.
Most men are disgusting and too lazy.
Whenever I have worn a skirt in male mode, there have never been any issues at all.
The only reason I don't shave my under my arms is that I tend to chafe without that hair.
I too have been shaving my underarms for several years now and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. I feel cleaner and odor free. Also it is more feminine to do so.
[SIZE=5]Cathy[/SIZE]
I agree. Just looks cleaner. I've shaved my pits once or twice before and let the hair grow back. Now it's just part of a routine.
I agree for the reasons of hygiene as well. Plus, when you put on a bra, cami or something femme, do you really want to see hair coming out from under your arms? That's rather disgusting! If you want to look and feel feminine, you should take care of yourself in a proper manner, including removal of body hair; under arms, chest/stomach, legs, face, ears, nose, back, arms, buttocks. I know some guys are like gorillas, thankfully I have never been hairy at all. It used to bother me when I was really young but now I'm glad.
Mackenzie
I thinnk i responded to a thread kind of like this before.. I started triming back the hair under my arms when i was about 13 or 14 my mother suggested it due to using a spray on deoderant it would ball up in the air under my arms and get all over my shirts. 10 or 15 years ago i just started shaving it all off instead of triming it back..
To use my favorite description of why men don't shave their armpits - it is "masculinity anxiety".
Before I shaved my pits the hair was 3 cm long and I had real problems with irritation, body odor, and staining of my undershirts.
Last edited by JohnH; 12-17-2010 at 12:25 PM.
John (Legal name)
Preferred pronouns: he, his, him
I started a few yrs. ago keeping underarm hair trimmed short.........finally, I started shaving it all off (and now I epilate it) and found the same things you did about hygiene. When I mentioned that to my girlfriend she laughed and said........."women have known that forever". Go figure............
I have my underarms waxed for all the same reasons mentioned above. One benefit from doing that is the hair each time it grows back, will come in finer and thinner. That makes a world of difference. I though it would really hurt the first time I did it, but I was pleasantly surprised that it just stung a bit. Each time you have it done there is less and less discomfort.
Dana Fleming
I hate my body hair, except for the hair on my face and head.
My SO, like my chest hair.... I hate it. I started to shave my pits too, way better for keeping the smellies away. I feel the same goes for the under-carriage, and I shave my legs so I can enjoy pantyhose more.
I refer to this as "Manscaping".....
"If pantyhose can make my legs look this good, imagine what they can do for yours" - Joe Namath
Shaveing is a routine now that I have started, years ago, I find that I have less BO and the feelings when you slid on hose and silky undergarments is tremondously sexy, would't give up that feeling for anything now that I have experienced it.
I don't get waxed, because I use a laser on most parts of my body including the underarms (using a laser there is very painful but the hair is gradually getting less)Originally Posted by insearchofme
Whenever I have worn a skirt in male mode, there have never been any issues at all.
I agree its much cleaner in either guy or girl mode. Plus my SO prefers it.
Let's face it, a lot of men just don't need another routine to interfere with getting on with their day. As we all know it takes work and time to keep up our femme appearances. I bet if you asked some busy working mom's they might tell you that shaving legs and underarms is highly over rated and time consuming, but societal pressures have made it a must do item. Now, I prefer them and me to be hair free.
As far as I'm concerned one should shave under the arms. Everything else, including the face, is optional.
I have ruined countless undershirts with my hairy underarms, as well as having a lot of irritation and body odor. On the antiperspirants there is a warning that if there is irritation discontinue use. If I were ever to do that I could clear out a room simply by walking into it.
I shave my armpits twice a week and that shaving prevents irritation and body odor.
Shaving the armpits twice a week is a lot easier than shaving the face daily with the coarse whiskers that I have.
Added section Some people are different from me - I'm just writing from personal observation. I just stumbled onto the benefits when I got to wearing sleeveless garments and shaved my armpits.
John
Last edited by JohnH; 12-17-2010 at 04:34 PM. Reason: Added section to emphasize personal observation
John, instead of saying "one should" shave their underarms, it sounds better if you refer to yourself and people who may have the same condition as you. I don't have the problem that you do and never had yellow underarms on white teeshirts. So your problem is yours and not necessarily every one else's. Yes, those that have the same issues as you might very well benefit from shaving regularly under their arms. For me in my male mode it is a very unnecessary inconvenience with no side benefits for my male side. Plus, I would definitely not enjoy the constant stubble under the arm as the hair grows out, plus the occasional rash and ingrown hairs. I do now during the winter epilate under my arms. But that is for my femme side and enjoyment and not a necessity for my dressing since I do not expose my underarms while dressed, at least for now I don't.
On another line, anyone know why we have hair under our arms and between our legs? Was it a warmth thing, or did God realize that the addition of hair in those regions of the body also helped to prevent rashes from the skin rubbing together, as someone in a post above mentioned?
I shave under my arms all year long, legs all year except summer and chest (plus other areas.. hehe) all the time.
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“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces.
Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”
-Ashley Smith
I just Epilate EVERYTHING from the neck down,,,way simpler and after a few times it does not hurt at all..and LESS HAIR comes back each time,,,((((LOVE IT)))))
JoanAz
Initially I shaved under my arms to make my back muscles stand out more as I did a lot of weight training when Iwas younger. I agree it is a lot more hygenic especially whenyou sweat like I do.
It's sort of a warmth thing.
If you think about it, most of our heaviest concentrations of body hair are where we sweat the most. Hair wicks up the moisture and allows it to spread out for more surface area for evaporation, thus cooling us more efficiently.
It's kind of like why a condenser on a radiator or air conditioner is full of loops and and baffels. The more air that folws over the surface to be cooled, the faster and more efficient the cooling.
Hair does give some insulative properties I suppose, but it's not fur. They're fairly different from one another. Fur is, as anyone with fur hats, coats, sllppers, etc, can probably attest. It's density allows for a warmer layer of air or sometimes water, (warmed by body heat) to be maintained between an animals skin and the air or water outside the fur.
If hair were to be truly insulative, we probably would not have evolved the way we have, what with male pattern baldness and whatnot. And then where would Sean Connery or Patrick Stewart be? They'd just be a couple of actors with cool accents and average haircuts. I certainly wouldn't want that.
It is not natural to apply deodorant or antiperspirant to one's armpits. If we could stand the odor I could see leaving the hair on the armpits - provided no deodorant or antiperspirant was used. I have not really seen the need to shave the pubic area - I don't put any deodorant or antiperspirant there.
John
I shave my pits because I like the look and feel. BO has never been much of an issue for me so I can't hide behind that excuse.
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