Men love talking about shaving their facial hair — making sure they’ve got the perfect beard and the perfect mustache. But when it comes to the hair down there, that’s a completely different story.
Talking about shaving your butt hair is one of those taboo subjects that men like to keep quiet. Since no one talks about it, lots of men don’t get it right. Let’s end the stigma and open up the conversation so you can look and feel more comfortable, even where “the sun don’t shine.”
Here’s everything you need to know about shaving hair in your butt and other areas of the pubic region.
What Causes a Hairy Butt?
Laugh all you want about the thought of a hairy butt, but the reality is that most men don’t have much control over how much hair they get down there. Your genes are the main factor that determines how much hair you have, as well as the type of hair that grows down there.
So, if your butt hair is growing like crazy, you can blame your parents. Enjoy getting that picture out of your head.
But long, dark hair around the butt can also show signs of hormonal changes, like puberty. Certain medications can even cause excess hair growth across the body, specifically if you take anabolic steroids, testosterone, or danazol.
Why Do We Grow Hair On Our Butt?
Everyone grows butt hair. It’s one of those natural parts of life whether we like it or not.
The reason we grow it might serve an evolutionary purpose. We used to need a lot more hair for survival, but the hair that we have remaining is still here because we need it for things like keeping sweat out of our eyes or protecting our eyes from debris.
As far as butt hair, it’s thought that the reason we continue to grow it is to prevent chafing between your butt cheeks. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping your butt hair there to let it do its thing, we also understand the preference to want to get rid of it.
How To Shave Your Butt Hair
Getting the hair out of the booty is essential for proper hygiene — no ifs, ands, or “butts” about it. There’s a safe, effective way to do it without hurting yourself.
To start, wash the area using a mild body wash and water, ensuring it’s squeaky clean before diving in. From there, make sure you lather the area with shaving cream or gel. This is essential, as the area down there is extremely tender and can cause a lot of pain if you knick it.
Next, prop a leg up on the side of the tub (making sure it’s dry so that you don’t slip). From there, use one hand to pull your cheeks apart and hold the skin back. Now you can have more room to shave the area using small, careful, slow strokes. Repeat on each side of the cheeks.
You can do this with a razor, but we highly recommend using a trimmer instead. Razors are sharp, and this is a highly sensitive area you’re working with. Better safe than sorry.
Even then, not all trimmers are made with the groin in mind. You want to get a trimmer that’s sensitive enough to work with those areas without risking your booty getting nicked and dinged.
And that’s why Beard Club’s Body and Groin Trimmer was specially designed with your privates in mind.
Swap out the blade heads for the body or a precision blade for the balls. No-nick technology helps to keep your boys and your butt safe from harm. Plus, it’s waterproof, so you can get the job done inside and outside of the shower. Not to mention, two or more hours of battery life means you don’t need to worry about wires holding you back.
Other Ways To Remove Butt Hair
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Waxing
Waxing is a temporary removal option, but since it pulls hairs out by the root, this usually allows you to remain hairless for a longer period of time. Home waxing can be very tricky, so we recommend seeing a professional if you decide to go with this option.
But if you want to wax yourself, here's what you can do.
- Bathe in warm water for at least five minutes.
- You want to make sure your hair is at least ¼ inches long in order for the wax to actually adhere to the hair.
- Apply the wax over the area and apply the waxing cloth or muslin strip. Wait for the wax to harden for a few seconds.
- Holding the skin back, swiftly pull away the wax strip in one fell swoop (sort of like ripping off a bandage).
Waxing can be very uncomfortable no matter who does it, so be prepared for a few moments of discomfort. With that said, once it’s all done, you’ll probably be looking and feeling better than ever before.
Hair Removal Creams
While you might want to go grab a bottle of Nair to get rid of your unwanted booty hair as quickly as possible, you might want to take a step back. Depilatory creams are not recommended for use in your private regions because they can lead to burns or allergic reactions.
If you do decide to use these products down there, at least test them on other parts of your body first to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser removal is a permanent option for removing hair on your butt or anywhere else in your body. This uses powerful laser beams to vaporize hair at the follicle, which reduces hair growth so that you won’t get such long hairs in the future. So it’s not technically permanent, but it will last you a long time.
This will probably be an uncomfortable treatment, especially in tender areas like the butt. You can usually take over-the-counter medications, like acetaminophen, to help with discomfort during the treatment.
Another option, known as electrolysis, uses a small electric current that’s transmitted through a tiny needle into the hair follicle to make your hair fall out. These require follow-up treatments and can get expensive over time.
Either way, you’ll need to get both of these treatments completed by a dermatologist; it’s not something you can just do yourself. Even if you could, we wouldn’t want to trust ourselves with a laser so close to our precious jewels down there.
Risks of Butt Hair Removal
We’re never going to say you can’t shave your hair down there – you’re free to do what you want! But we do want to let you know some of the risks that could happen, especially if you’re not careful with those razors during your shaving session.
Razor burn, rashes, itching, infection, cuts, or ingrown hairs are all possible after shaving your hair near your butt. Plus, it might be prickly and uncomfortable for a few days as those hairs start to grow back in.
You can keep risks at bay by washing the area and always use a shaving cream or gel regardless of if you decide to use a blade or an electric trimmer.
Grooming Tips
We hate to sound like a broken record, but we can’t stress enough that you might not need to completely shave your butt hair, even if you’re prepping for a special occasion. In most cases, a good wash with mild soap can take care of odor while also removing any dirt or toilet paper debris down there.
You also don’t need to shave the area completely if you feel like your hair is getting too long – you can always just opt for some light grooming instead to tidy it up. Using a razor can let you trim hairs without shaving all the way down to the bottom. This can help you get a more desirable look while also avoiding some of those side effects that you might try to avoid otherwise.
Now, an area down there that you can and should shave is the groin. Manscaping keeps your bush looking clean.
For an in-depth look at how to shave below the shorts, read our detailed report on how-to shave pubic hairs. But the general rules of thumb are that you should start with a groin trimmer (not a razor), shave away in the direction of the hair growth, and be sure to use the right products for post-shave aftercare in order to preserve your comfort for the rest of the day.
In Conclusion
Shaving your butt hair is a personal preference if you feel like you’re growing just a little bit too much down where the sun doesn’t shine. While you should never feel like you need to shave your butt hair completely, there’s a correct way to do it to minimize safety risks.
First and foremost, use a trimmer and make sure the area is clean. Prop a leg up on the side of the bathtub and pull a cheek away so that you have plenty of room to work with. Repeat on both sides, trimming the hair down as short as you want.
Using a trimmer is your best bet, though you can do laser hair removal if you want more of a permanent solution. Either way, the type of products you use can have a great effect on your outcome.
The Body and Groin Hair Trimmer from Beard Club gives you top-of-the-line precision below the belt and beard. Enjoy the freedom to swap out blade heads for a comfortable shave no matter where. Join the club today.
Sources:
Drug-induced hair loss and hair growth. Incidence, management and avoidance | PubMed
Effect of Physical and Chemical Hair Removal Methods on Skin Barrier Function in vitro: Consequences for a Hydrophilic Model Permeant | NCBI
Laser hair removal | Mayo Clinic
Electrolysis: Definition & Treatment | Cleveland Clinic
