Pros and Cons of Trimming Pubic Hair

When it comes to personal hygiene and grooming, hair is a subject that comes up relatively often – in fact, you’re here looking for the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair. As a matter of fact, regardless of whether you are male or female, one of the things that people often look at or notice is your hair. It’s true, hair truly does play a huge part in personal hygiene. And it’s not just the hair that’s on your head, your face, your armpits or your legs.

Pubic hair is a topic that a lot of people don’t usually like to talk about simply because it can be considered sensitive or taboo. Modern life in the past few decades, however, has seen this topic grow more and more popular. It’s also become more widely talked about by all sorts of people from all walks of life – all over the world. This is actually good because after all, we as humans all have pubic hair once we get through puberty.

Should You Really Be Removing Pubic Hair?

As pubic hair becomes less taboo, the practice of removing it also grows more and more accepted. As a matter of fact, these days it is quite common to see plenty of salons, spas, and establishments of the like offering pubic hair removal in one form or another. Brazilian waxes, bikini waxes, laser hair removal – you name it; these are all services that are now offered everywhere by everyone.

But should you really be trimming and/or removing your pubic hair?

If you are here trying to decide whether to start trimming your bikini area, then don’t worry, because we are absolutely here to help. We’ll take you through everything you need to know about hair down there and more. We’ll take a good look at the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair and whether or not you should be doing it. So why don’t we get started?

> Why Do We Have Pubic Hair?

Before we even begin discussing hair removal, we first need to discuss the reasons as to why we actually have pubic hair.

One thing that many people don’t know is that we’ve always had pubic hair – yes, even when we were babies and children. It just comes in a different form, one that is barely visible and cannot really be seen unless really up close. During this time, this hair is called “vellus hair”. As we go through puberty, “terminal” hair begins to grow – the kind of hair that we all now begin to try and remove.

For many people, hair in the bikini area is completely natural and truly doesn’t bother them at all. Many people go through life without ever wanting to trim, shave, wax or laser their bikini area. It is true that for some, it is simply a non-issue that people don’t even bother mentioning or sparing a single thought about.

Purpose of Pubic Hair

For others, however, pubic hair is simply unwanted. Hair in the bikini area can grow to become itchy and scratchy. It can also start poking, causing general discomfort that can turn embarrassing if you have to scratch or adjust yourself in a public area. The truth is, if you don’t want pubic hair, then chances are you are going to want to groom your bikini area somehow – through a trim, a shave, or otherwise.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that pubic hair does to a degree serve some purpose for both men and women. Pubic hair grows to provide a layer of protection, a protective barrier if you will, for the genitals. Its existence helps the body to protect against unwanted bad bacteria, while at the same time also preventing any pathogens from entering the area (this is true for men, but especially true for women). So in short, if you have pubic hair, you have an extra layer of protection that can help protect you from getting urinary tract infections and bacterial infections. How much it helps, however, is still up for debate.

Apart from the purpose we have mentioned above, the truth is neither scientists nor doctors know why else pubic hair exists. There are theories that exist, such as its purpose of preventing friction during sexual activity, or for keeping the genitals warm. Another theory that exists is that hair in the bikini traps pheromones, which helps to entice or attract a partner.

> Why Do We Trim or Remove Pubic Hair? Pros and Cons of Trimming Pubic Hair?

Despite some of the purported purposes of pubic hair, the grooming or removal of it is not uncommon. As a matter of fact, in the past few decades it has become so popular in fact that majority of people now groom their bikini area.

People remove pubic hair for all sorts of different reasons. Some people want it completely gone simply because it gets uncomfortable or itchy if it grows out. Plenty of people don’t like the sensation of the hair chafing and causing friction as they walk, sit, run or basically perform any sort of activity. Some people, on the other hand, simply want to trim or remove the hair from their bikini area for appearance purposes. Perhaps they want to fit into a particular swimsuit, or maybe they just want to look ‘clean’ for their partner.

Another reason why people may groom their bikini area is for hygienic purposes. However, removing pubic hair doesn’t really make any difference in terms of hygiene. The truth is having hair (or no hair) down there doesn’t at all affect your cleanliness. Perhaps the only difference is that with hair, it may be harder to prevent sweatiness and the odor that comes with it. In that sense, removing the hair makes sense – but at the same time, by grooming your bikini area, you’re also removing the protective barrier that protects you from unwanted bacteria.

Pros and Cons of Trimming Pubic Hair

In the end, whether or not you want to trim your bikini area is up to you. However, to help you decide whether you want to, we’ve put together a convenient list of the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair below.

We hope that this list of the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair will help you to decide whether you should or shouldn’t start grooming yours. Whether or not you’ve made the decision yet, we do want to offer up more information just to help you out! So let’s talk about…

> Pubic Hair Trimming and Removal Methods

Now that we’ve talked at length about the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair, we can finally look into how to do it.

As time has passed, more and more different methods of hair removal have sprung up left and right. Thankfully, we’re here to help you navigate through all the different methods so that you can know which one is the right one for you.

Shaving

Shaving is probably the oldest and most common method of hair removal out there today. After all, all you need is some shaving cream or gel to get started. It’s a cheap and easy method to stay free of hair, and a way to do it that is accessible to just about anyone. However, many people tend to see shaving as high maintenance and risky, since just a slight slip of the hand can cause injury. It’s high maintenance because you need to be doing this multiple times a week, since the hair pretty much grows back within a couple days. And as the hair grows back, it can be prickly and itchy, and even become ingrown. But if you want to remove your pubic hair right away, this is probably the easiest and fastest way.

Waxing

The second method that has truly grown in popularity these days is waxing. Waxing causes far fewer ingrown hairs than shaving does. It also only needs to be done every few weeks because when hair is waxed, it is basically pulled from the root. When this happens, hair needs time to grow back. This is the reason why many prefer to wax instead – because waxing appointments usually only need to be once or perhaps twice a month.

Waxing, however, is better done by a professional unless you know what you are doing. This is because you can really hurt yourself if you use wax that is too hot, or perhaps pull the wax strip off the wrong way. Not to mention, waxing is a method that can really hurt as the hair is pulled from the root in a very sensitive area.

Depilatories and Cream Removers

If you go to any drug store or pharmacy chances are you’ll find over-the-counter products that remove hair, such as cream hair removers and depilatories. This method of hair removal is truly easy – after all, all you need to do is smear it on, wait the recommended period of time the instructions state, then scrape it all off. However, do note that not all depilatories are safe for the pubic area. These creams can contain harsh chemicals that may cause irritation, so before you start trying to trim your pubic hair with this, make sure that it is safe for the bikini area. It’s also a good idea to do a spot test to make sure that your skin does not react negatively to the product.

Laser Hair Removal

A more “permanent” way of removing hair is laser hair removal. These days the technology for laser hair removal has grown quite advance. There are now many different types of lasers for different types of hair, and different kinds of lasers that are more effective than the others.  This method of removal offers a permanent reduction in hair. In fact, after completing the recommended number of sessions, you’ll usually only have to go back once a year or every couple of years for a “touch up”. However, it’s worth noting that this method of hair removal can be quite painful – physically and financially. Laser hair removal is still quite expensive, making it out of reach for many. However, those who have had it done claim that it has been truly worth it because once it’s done, you never have to think about hair down there again.

Electrolysis

Electrolysis is pretty much the only method on this list that truly removes hair permanently. Like laser hair removal it can become costly and painful, but if you really want the hair gone forever, this is your only choice. Just be ready for multiple sessions over the course of a year or two, and ready your wallet because you’re going to need the money to pay for it all too!

Myths and Things You Should Know

One thing that you should know about shaving, waxing, epilating or lasering your hair off is that hair doesn’t grow back thicker. This is simply a myth that many have come to believe because as shaved hair begins to grow back, it comes back at an angle after having been cut in the middle of the hair shaft (the thickest part) making it appear thicker when it is actually not.

Another thing for you to know is that as you grow older, your hair – all over your body, not just in your bikini area – begins to grow thinner. As the levels of hormones in your body vary throughout the different stages of life, you’ll see a variance in the thickness of your hair.

Conclusion

Making a decision on whether or not you should shave your pubic hair isn’t really that problematic. After all, it is hair – you can shave or wax it off to see if you like the experience and the effect before you commit to doing it regularly. Regardless of this, we do hope that we’ve helped you to better understand the pros and cons of trimming pubic hair so you can make a better, more informed decision!

Here’s some suggestions on electric bikini trimmers – just to help you out!