There are many reasons why people want to limit or completely get rid of their armpit hair. Maybe you compete in the fitness industry and want to be fully shaven before going on stage, or maybe you tend to grow more than is needed and want to clean it up. The best way to trim armpit hair depends on how much of it you have and how much you want to get rid of.
Excessive amounts of armpit hair can result in a heavy odor that is difficult to get rid of, especially if you tend to sweat a lot in that area. Your sweat accumulates on the hair and ends up forming a bacteria that in turn creates the odor.
Researchers have actually figured out exactly why our armpits stink in a recent study.
Whatever your reason might be for getting rid of your armpit hair, there are multiple different ways of doing it and I’m going to list them for you right now!
3 Methods for Getting Rid of Armpit Hair
Trim it with a hair trimmer
You can easily trim your armpit hair with an electric hair trimmer to any length you desire. There are a ton of different trimmers out there but I would suggest something cordless and easy to maneuver around your body.
Whichever trimmer you choose, they will almost always come with a variety of guards for different lengths. Use those to get the desired length that you want your hair to be. I always recommend starting longer and working your way down the guards so you don’t cut too much off at once. But if you do, the great thing about hair is that it will always grow back!
If you just want to completely get rid of your armpit hair, then use the trimmer without a guard attached. It will get your hair down to a fine stubble that nobody would ever notice.
This video will give you a good visual on how to do it:
Keep in mind that a trimmer can be used for many other things as well if you have the right attachments. Things like trimming chest hair, back hair and even ear hair are a breeze and make it worth investing in.
Use hair-cutting shears
If you don’t have a trimmer and just want to shorten the length of your armpit hair, use shears.
You could use any pair of scissors you have at home but you may run into some cutting issues since they aren’t designed for cutting hair. I would recommend getting a pair of hair-cutting shears.
Shears are much sharper than a regular pair of household scissors and are designed to be held in a way that makes it easy to cut hair.
You have probably seen your local barber or hairdresser using them. Simply snip your hair at the ends until it’s at a length you’re happy with.
Shaving your armpit hair completely
Razor
If you want to get your armpits down to a smooth shave, then the first method to consider is using a razor.
Your best bet is to trim down the hair as much as you can and either in the shower or out, use the same razor that you would use to shave your face on a regular basis. Apply some shaving cream to help prevent getting any razor burn.
Keep in mind the direction that your hair is going. Use the razor against the grain of your hair to get the smoothest possible shave and keep it from growing back for a longer period of time.
If you don’t have a trimmer or shears to trim the hair then you can still use the same method on longer hair, it just might take longer and may be a little more messy.
Below is an in-depth video on how to shave your underarms from Gillette.
Waxing
The alternative to shaving your armpits is waxing them which is a more painful and time consuming option. If you’re not a fan of body hair and want to prevent it from growing back for longer, then this is the way to go.
You can do it yourself if you have your own supplies for waxing, or you can pay to get it done. Spending the money is worth it in my opinion considering whats involved.
If you’re going to wax your armpits then the first thing to do is apply some baby powder to them so they are as dry as possible. This will make sure the wax sticks to the hairs and not your skin. In a nutshell, apply the wax to half of the hair, apply the waxing strip and pull as quickly as possible.
Here is a video on exactly how to do it:
Conclusion
As you can see there are many ways to trim or get rid of your armpit hair entirely. Each method depends on the person and why they are doing it. I don’t personally trim my underarm hair but if I did I would opt for using a hair trimmer.
A trimmer lets you cut to virtually any length you want. If you decide you want a smooth shave, follow it up with using a razor.
If you don’t want to worry about your hair growing back for as long as possible, then get them waxed. You can go multiple weeks without seeing any hair grow back. Besides, who really wants to have to worry about trimming their hair all the time?
