Body Hair Removal: What To Fix, What To Keep

Body Hair Removal: What To Fix, What To Keep
Ever wondered why you have ubiquitous tufts of hair in strange places? Like on your shoulder blades? On the tip of your nose? Your nips? And your ass?

The obvious answer is warmth. In caveman times if you weren’t furry, you’d most likely live a very short (and cold) life.

But thanks to advances like fire, clothing, electricity and Snuggies, you now have the option to eliminate, at least temporarily, the caveman hair you don’t want.

The Hair: Chest

The Rules

Keep it short—about 1/4- to 1/2-inches long. Use scissors or clippers to trim it “once it starts showing a curl,” says Cindy Barshop, owner of Completely Bare in New York City. Leaving your chest hairs long can cause your skin to feel itchy under certain fabrics and shaving all the way to the skin could lead to in-growns and irritation. Also, keeping a large area bare means a lot of upkeep. Just make sure not to create any sharp lines or edges, or your chest hair could wind up looking like a topiary.

The Tool
Remington Extendable Body and Back Groomer, $35, remington-products.com

The Hair: Abs

The Rules

Shave it bare or leave only a light layer of fuzz if a little hair makes you feel more comfortable. Barshop says no matter your method of removal, begin using a hair growth inhibitor to reduce hair growth over time. This way you can show off muscle tone. (Provided, of course, you have muscle tone. Additionally, not being super pale also helps — and no, we’re not suggesting you use a fake tanner, but it’s true and worth knowing.) The one pictured here comes from Barshop’s Spa. Don’t be freaked out by the chicky packaging; it works just as well for men. Just slap some duct tape around the bottle to make it incognito.

The Tool:
Completely Bare Completely Smooth for Body, $42, completelybare.com

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