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Manscaping, or What to Shave Where How?
Dekabal
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So after receiving some comments on my chest/belly hair from some of my friends, I was wondering what a Man should shave and how? I generally just shave my beard/mustache because the hair is blonde and looks weird growing in. Should I just shave my entire front (except bathing suit), should I shave my legs/arms (I have a lot of hair). I really have no idea about anything "manscaping" related.
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If you're naturally really hairy, do you want to deal with the upkeep you'll have ahead of you if you decide to shave your body?
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Be proud of your manly chest hair, it is a gift.
I have had partners with hairy chests and I have had partners without much hair on their chest/body at all.
My personal preference is for the less hairy male figure.
BUT
There is no way in the world I would ever ever ask a guy to go through the chore of shaving anything that they don't want to. It is a hassle enough to shave legs and armpits every 3 or so days. To have to deal with that on your whole body? not to mention the ohmygod itchiness when the hair starts to grow back? pffffft.
It is honestly not worth it. And if you get a girl/guy who can't be happy with you and your body as is and they are asking you to constantly change it and go through all of that, then they don't want you for you and you're probably better off without.
Seriously. every 3 days.
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Every woman likes different things. Like was already said, it's between him and who ever he's getting naked with. The caveat that you're a woman doesn't mean anything here.
[Tangent]
There's also nothing wrong with asking someone to change something superficial about themselves when in a relationship with them. A haircut, mustache, terrible looking piercing, particularly ugly shirt they love to wear, etc., etc. These things aren't who a person IS, they're just an aesthetic ornamentation. As well, if there's something unhealthy about a person's body (odor, obesity, etc.) that's also something that someone who you're spending a lot of time with has every right to ask you to work on out of personal concern.
[/Tangent]
Yeah, do what you want, and only consider the opinion of someone(s) who will also be seeing it a lot. More important is above; that you're clean, everything else is preference.
@lonelyahava is just reinforcing the consensus opinion that the OP should do what he feels comfortable, and pointing out that said opinion is not held exclusively by guys, but also by girls (who guys have occasionally been known to do dumb things just to please). No need to argue with someone agreeing with you.
@Dekabal, I will +1 the others. If you want to do a bit of manscaping, where to start depends heavily on what you're trying to achieve and what you're comfortable investing in the process. Before that, though, you should be certain this is the sort of thing you want to do. I'm not really overly hairy, but even if I was, I don't think I'd really be all that interested in shaving just because my friends are ripping on me about it. Do you really think they won't turn around and start ripping on you once they discover you've shaved your chest hair?
I let it all grow cause it's easiest, but when I start seeing someone new I ask them what they prefer and do what they like. Because as Esh was saying, it's just aesthetics and doesn't really matter to me.
Trimming never hurts though. If you're feeling up for some experimentation, you can grab a cheap Bodygroom and take it for a spin. Best case scenario is you find a new body image that pleases you. Worst case scenario is you're out $30. Trimming your junkhair is a pretty good idea no matter what though. Some people like a guy with a hairy chest/back/etc, but I think it's pretty common across the board that just about anyone who is interested in penises prefers a neatly trimmed one as opposed to a wild tangle.
If your friends are giving you grief about the fact that when you take your shirt off you're still wearing a sweater, take comfort in the fact that their opinions of your body are basically null and void unless you are having sex with them.
Or you could just rock the bodyhair you've got. I'd recommend watching basically any of the Sean Connery James Bond films if you're looking for a hairy man morale boost.
Doug Young was a fucking boss.
What tox said.
Also, Esh, you seemed to miss the other part that my being a woman does actually inform. Upkeep. Or are you saying that a woman doesn't know anything about having to keep shaved?
trimming is different, that's very true. and if the OP wants to trim then that's on him, but completely shaving is a commitment that has to be made, and if you don't follow it through it will itch, it will annoy, and you will go crazy.
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Does this help with sweat at all? I don't generally sweat a lot, but when I do it feels like my armpit hair catches it all then just rubs it all over my shirts. I've wondered if getting rid of it would help.
The practical upkeep of shaving your chest is impractical, either wax or run an electric razor through it and trim it reasonably close. I personally trim the hair above my junk and shave my balls, my balls I do twice a week in the shower and it takes a minute or two, trimming the top shelf I do maybe once or twice a fortnight.
I's suggest trimming and see how you like it OP. A lot of people keep doing it because they like it once they have taken the plunge.
Satans..... hints.....
One other option that hasn't been mentioned is to use conditioner on your body hair to make it softer and less irritating to any individuals who may be rubbing against it.
I started shaving my legs because the girl in the dorm room next to me would constantly complain about how time consuming it was. I wanted to prove I could do it in the time it took her to finish her rant. I always enjoyed the way it felt though. Smooth legs and a fresh pair of jeans kick ass. The upkeep isn't bad, just a few minutes in the shower every day.
As to OP, I'm pretty damn hairy, so let me make a few suggestions. Obviously, only do what you're comfortable with, but I found the following to improve my appearance a bit. Try to make it look like your chest hair and your beard don't connect. Same with your back and your head. Basically put on a high-necked tshirt, like an undershirt or something, and if you've got hair poking out above the neckline, trim it a little.
cause I gotta say, in the three times I've tried(the latest being new years) it's always hellish the week after.
for three days
I wanted to DIE
I'M STILL DIGGING OUT INGROWN HAIRS
TEACH ME YOUR SECRETS, O SHAVERS OF THE LEG
Oh man, one of my cousins works out a ton, thought he had pulled something in his ass. He kept applying heat to it and eventually it got worse and he had to go to the doctor. Turns out it was a deep ingrown hair, got infected, and the heat just made the bacteria reproduce faster. Ended up having to have a chunk of his ass surgically removed.
maybe I should try waxing next time...
Exfoliate, and then exfoliate, and then exfoliate some more. Also non-clogging lotion. And exfoliating. Trim it down with a trimmer, exfoliate, shave, exfoliate again, dry off, light lotion. Also you want to have at least 10 minutes in the shower/tub before you start shaving and dry/sink shaving is absolutely the best way to make your legs VERY angry. The only time I've had anywhere near what you're describing, I dry-shaved with a super cheap razor, rinsed off, and then used an alcohol-based face swab to clean off my legs and it was THE WORST, totally deserving of the caps. And since you're starting with hairy legs, rinse the razor well after every single swipe of the razor. And when I say exfoliate I don't mean get out the dremel or anything, a loofah or a sturdier bath poof works just fine.
Barbasol. If I'm going to shave my legs, I use the same foam I would on my face, and a sharp razor. Then it really only sucks if it's super cold and dry out.
How do you shave your legs?
Sounds like you just went at it with a razor every which way.
I don't know about odor, but yes a quick zip with a trimmer will do wonders to make your man parts less grotesque and monstrous.
And with an electric trimmer, it takes all of 45 seconds once you get the hang of it. Take the guard off and go backwards while keeping things... taut. Batwing, etc.
Basically this, except I think the real issue is not so much "hair in mouth" as "hair in nose" depending on the position. :P Trust me on this one.
You know, I'm one of those girls who never liked the appearance of body hair... Welp, turns out that it doesn't really matter so much once you're into someone, and I would definitely never make a dude go through all that trouble. Anyway, I pretty much agree with what everybody was already saying. If your FRIENDS are joking about your body hair, whatever, they're just finding something to poke fun at you with and you shouldn't do anything about it. Now, if a ladyfriend (or dudefriend?) talks about liking it when things are smoother, then you might wanna think about giving it a try, but I still probably wouldn't go for a full-body shave, just trimming. My fiance tried it a couple times, said it was really not worth it even though it was for the ladies.
And no, don't bother with your arms, I'm pretty sure that would be excessive and silly unless you've got a serious hair problem... and you would probably know that before your friends talked about it if that were the case.
well I pretty much did this minus exfoliating.
get it close with a trimmer, hop in the tub with the barbasol, rinse the razor after every pass, all of it except the exfoliating which I didn't think to do.
this is very helpful, everybody! thank you so much.
I haven't personally seen the difference, but I have long been told that armpit hair, for instance, holds more odor than a bare armpit would, so I would want to avoid the same thing in the crotch.
Also, does anyone have any advice on where to shave the neckline of a beard?
Also, I'm even less sure about how much to angle up the curve of the line as it approaches the jaw right under the ear.